The Accessibility Coordination program will not be offered on a full-time basis in September 2012 but will instead be offered online on a part-time basis through Durham College’s School of Continuing Education.
For more information on the Continuing Education online part-time offering of Accessibility Coordination click here.
The world is changing, we all need to keep up
Thousands of Ontarians struggle with disabilities on a daily basis. As a result, day-to-day activities and interactions including reading books, having conversations and walking up the stairs can be difficult. Positively impacting the lives of those facing these challenges, accessibility co-ordinators work with organizations and businesses to ensure their locations are accessible to everyone and meet the legislated requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
Back to TopProgram Description
If you have the related skills or education Accessibility Coordination, the only program of its kind in Ontario, will give you the knowledge required to implement and maintain accessibility standards for organizations. Disabilities are multi-faceted and differ between individuals, therefore a wide range of accommodations are required to ensure equal access. In addition, recent legislation has made it mandatory that government and individual organizations develop their current policies and procedures to reduce accessibility barriers. With the importance of employing professionals with specialized skills and knowledge in accessibility expected to steadily increase, this program will allow you to gain expertise in equal access, structural accommodations and accessibility barriers in just eight months. You will focus on:
- Applying knowledge of regulatory compliance and accessibility standards;
- Conducting accessibility audits to identify barriers and make recommendations to remove or prevent future barriers;
- Creating documentation and resources for implementing and maintaining accessibility standards;
- Designing and delivering training on the implementation of accessibility legislation;
- Developing budgets for audits used to identify and analyze accessibility barriers;
- Helping employers and their staff comply with statutes such as the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act;
- How to ensure proper supports for persons with disabilities;
- Reducing physical, attitudinal and systemic barriers in the public and private sectors; and
- The importance of accessibility related to print and digital signage, websites and hard and soft copy documents.
Back to TopAdmission Requirements
A university degree or college diploma with an emphasis on areas such as human, health or social services; structural, civil or urban planning; engineering or architecture; project and facility management; business or recreation; and/or five years of relevant experience or equivalent such as:
- Corporate service;
- Building department;
- Health-related discipline;
- Facility maintenance and management;
- Application of legislation;
- Human resources;
- Staff educator and/or training department;
- Real estate and asset management; and
- Health and safety.
*For specific questions regarding this program or the admissions criteria outlined above, please call 905.721.3000.
Back to TopCareer Options
As a graduate of this program, you will be prepared to manage the topic of accessibility, part of the legislated, strategic and operational planning of almost every organization in Ontario, in areas including:
- Municipalities;
- Human resources;
- Large and small businesses;
- Planning departments; and
- Public and private sectors.
Back to TopCourse List & Descriptions
Courses and course descriptions are updated on a regular basis and are subject to change.
Students learn the fundamental concepts of accessibility with specific reference to legislation in Ontario. The implications and requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontarians with Disabilities Act are explored. Topics include the various barriers that prevent accessibility, financial considerations towards full inclusion as well as real life scenarios which illustrate compliance. The student will explore the differing accessibility needs of organizations and apply the accessibility standards to these settings.
In this course, students are introduced to the study of disability, including a historical perspective of what constitutes a disability and the impact on the individual, families and society. Course content is designed to reflect the varied experiences of people living with a disability, highlighting their successful inclusion in public and private spaces as well as periods of exclusion and marginalization.
The course explores the principles and practices of organizations and the issues which influence management and administrative decision making. Fundamentals of finance, marketing, general operations, strategic planning, and performance measurement are introduced. Organizational change theory and techniques are examined along with the planning and facilitation of initiatives in organizational change.
Students focus on improving their verbal and writing skills to effectively communicate their specialized knowledge in a variety of business and workplace situations. The course prepares students to be able to read and interpret complex documents, to speak confidently and to author effective, appropriate and accurate communications.
This course examines the politics of social policy in Canada with a specific focus on policy related to accessibility. Students are presented with a foundation and critical look at the roots and impact of inequality and discrimination related to issues of social justice. Students are provided with an opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills required to work in a diverse world through the critical analysis of ideas and core concepts. An examination is made of the changing attitudes and influences that shape and reform social policy in Canada.
This course addresses the importance of community building given the realities of social exclusion and the challenges represented by diversity in the current social and economic context. Students develop skills to promote universal design, both with practical applications such as accessibility assessments, and through policy development and public awareness campaigns.
Students learn how to conduct an accessibility audit to establish how compliant a particular building, environment or service is in terms of access and ease of use by a wide range of potential users, including people living with a disability. Knowledge of the technical, legislative and social environments is combined with the principles of universal design. The types of barriers investigated include architectural or physical barriers, information or communications barriers, attitudinal barriers, technology barriers and organizational barriers. Students gain experience writing audits that identify both accessible features and access problems along with recommendations for improvements.
The course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the basic principles and processes of learning and how they manifest themselves in an adult educational context. Students develop the skills and techniques to facilitate the learning process within an organizational setting. A variety of learning strategies will be included so students gain an appreciation of approaches to the integration of work and learning.
This advanced communications course is designed to further students’ proficiency in research techniques, methods of analysis, persuasive oral arguments and written reports. Students develop their delivery and presentation skills while working on a range of oral communication activities that start with short, informal introductions and comments and work up to more researched, persuasive, professional multimedia presentations. Using available technology, students research, write and edit work-related correspondence and reports.
This course focuses on the challenges that leaders face in a dynamic and changing environment. It incorporates theoretical and practical elements rooted in the perspective that people with disabilities require opportunities to lead dignified lives and the means to exercise personal choice, control and independence. Students will define and analyze the systems approach to facilitating change and learn about small group interactions. Through case studies and applied examples, students will develop the skills for successful conflict resolution and transformation. Practice in facilitating groups will build an inventory of knowledge about communication processes, group structure determination, goal development and achievement, leadership, effective presentation, and ethical issues.
In this course students gain a working knowledge of assistive, rehabilitative and adaptive technologies that exist to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of people with disabilities and enhance their independence. It includes augmentative and alternative systems and how they can be implemented to accommodate a variety of physical, perceptual, motor and cognitive disabilities. Students also consider the costs associated with these technologies and how this affects their successful implementation.
Students gain a basic understanding of project management methodology including the tools, techniques, processes and best practices. Alignment of the project objectives with the business goals of an organization is emphasized as this is the environment in which accessibility projects will operate. Students will gain practice in budget development and financial planning specific to accessibility issues. Various project management processes and how they interact during the life cycle of projects are explained. Students gain practice in the coordination of projects, including managing risk in order to successfully complete the project and meet the deliverables.
Students are given the opportunity to integrate their accessibility coordination theory into practice. Under the supervision of an accessibility coordinator students will participate in committee work, audits and training programs and select a relevant topic to research in depth.
Program Costs
| Tuition Fees (Domestic): | $3,000 |
| Tuition Fees (International): | $12,395 |
| Student Incidental Fees: | $990 |
Fees do not include text books and are approximate based on 2011-2012 costs. For more information please see Other fees to consider.
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