Resources

Learning and Teaching Office
Ryerson University is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive community for teaching and learning, and encourages equal access for people with disabilities to educational opportunities. The Learning and Teaching office highlights accessibility resources for faculty and students to assist with breaking down barriers especially from the perspectives of teaching, learning, information technology, and disability awareness.

Web Accessibility
The Digital Media Projects Office offers advice on how to make your website accessible. Creating accessible web content is not as difficult as it might sound. With the help of adaptive technologies, users with disabilities can navigate a website with little difficulty, provided that the page was designed with accessibility in mind.

Universal Access Symbols
These symbols advertise your accessibility to students, faculty, and staff who needs access to your building or offices. Examples of places you'll want to promote your accessibility include: advertisements, newsletters, conference and program brochures, membership forms, building signage, floor plans and maps.

Accessible PDFs [PDF]
Directions with screen shots on how to make your PDF documents accessible.

Accessible Word Documents
Directions on the use of stylesheets, which ares critical in creating accessible Microsoft Word documents.

Accessible PowerPoints
PowerPoint slides should be simple in design. They should include high colour contrasts between the foreground and background, the largest possible font (minimum of 16pt), plain backgrounds or backgrounds that avoid busy patterns, and limited text per slide. Learn how to convert your PowerPoint presentation into accessible HTML.

Alternate Formats
Information on how to provide alternate formats of course materials.

Guide to Accessible Events [PDF]
All Ryerson events should be planned with accessibility in mind, and planners should take into consideration the fact that people with various types of disabilities might attend their event. This guide provides you with several considerations for both the planning and execution of the event, including a checklist in the appendix.

Accessible Event Planning Checklist [PDF]
Lists things to consider when planning an event to ensure it is as accessible and inclusive as possible.

TTY/Teletypewriter Relay Services
The Bell Relay Service (BRS) allows deaf, deafened and hard of hearing, or customers with speech disabilities to communicate with hearing persons or non TTY users by phone with specially trained operators acting as intermediary. Relay operators are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Accessible Customer Service Tips
Ministry of Community and Social Services tips such as how to greet customers with disabilities; what you need to know about customers with vision disabilities, language impairments, physical disabilities; what you need to know when dealing with customers with disabilities over the phone; etc

Service Animals and the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service [PDF]
A Question and Answer document about service animals on campus.

Feedback Q & A [PDF]
The AODA requires that all providers of goods or services in Ontario establish a process for receiving and responding to feedback about accessibility. This document provides information on feedback mechanisms at Ryerson and what is required of your department.

Ontario Human Rights Commission
Accommodating Students with Disabilities: Principles

AODA Customer Service Standard eLearning Summaries

• Module 1: Understanding the AODA and the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service
• Module 2: Communicating with Customers with Disabilities
• Module 3: Serving Customers with Disabilities
• Module 4: Accessibility @ Ryerson
• Glossary

Associations for Persons with Disabilities

• American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
• American Association Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• Canadian Association of the Deaf
• Canadian Council of the Blind
• Canadian Deafblind and Rubella Association
• Canadian Hard of Hearing Association
• Canadian Hearing Society
• Canadian National Institute for the Blind