Get started with accessibility!
The essential microcredential for instructors to support students with disabilities
Enroll here in the Getting Started with Accessibility for Instructors and Staff microcredential.
As an educator, you want to create the most accessible learning experiences for your students—especially those who might be anxious to share their struggles or needs. We created Getting Started with Accessibility for Instructors and Staff to support instructors like you while you support your students.
Learn more about this foundational and innovative course and why it should be next on your to-do list!
Students with disabilities in higher education
The focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion has grown significantly across post-secondary institutions in recent years (Dwyer et al., 2023), along with a deeper recognition of varied educational experiences and accessibility needs. According to Statistics Canada (2023), 27% of Canadians aged 15 and over reported having at least one disability in 2022—a growth of nearly 5% from 2017. Similarly, there has been a sharp increase in students with disabilities enrolling in higher education in Canada (CUSC, n.d.), underscoring the importance of accessibility in education.
At Lethbridge Polytechnic, this is reflected in a nearly 40% increase in students registering with Accessibility Services over the past two years and a 135% increase over the last ten years, alongside a rise in the complexity of student needs. According to Mark Davids, Accessibility Services Manager, the polytechnic has also seen a 40% increase in accommodated exams over three years.
In response to this trend, Lethbridge Polytechnic’s Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (CTLI) recently launched an innovative microcredential: Getting Started with Accessibility for Instructors and Staff.
The microcredential is part of a series; check out these other microcredentials if they are more suited to your needs:
- Getting Started with Accessibility for Students
- Getting Started with Accessibility for Parents and Caregivers
Currently, only the caregiver version is available to users outside the polytechnic.
Getting Started with Accessibility for Instructors and Staff introduces accessibility concepts and language to Lethbridge Polytechnic instructors and staff. It provides essential knowledge about roles, responsibilities, and shared duties to accommodate students with disabilities better.
Instructor Karl Rejman, subject-matter expert and co-creator of the course, says the microcredential is about “learning the foundations of what it means to be involved with equitable education and learning. It is critical that all stakeholders use similar language and build relationships. Accommodation is part of the approach, as is universal design.”
Let’s break that down. Course participants can gain clarity on:
- Accessibility Services at Lethbridge Polytechnic: What they entail and how they support students.
- Duty to accommodate: What does this legal and ethical responsibility mean in practice?
- Language and communication: Understanding key terms to navigate accessibility issues and to communicate effectively with both students and the wider institution.
- Roles: Whose duty is it (and in which situations) to accommodate students?
With an end goal of easing the pathway to understanding accommodations, this microcredential empowers instructors to support students and deliver the most inclusive learning experiences possible.
This course is designed for all Lethbridge Polytechnic instructors and staff members, whether you’re a seasoned educator, just beginning your teaching journey, or working in a non-teaching role. It offers practical tools and strategies to:
- learn more about accessibility and the services offered at Lethbridge Polytechnic
- understand what accommodations are and your roles and responsibilities regarding them
- best support students
- build inclusive classrooms and learning experiences
Although the course is currently only available to Lethbridge Polytechnic staff, Mark hopes to make it available to the wider public as an open educational resource.
The microcredential series also has two other courses available, one for students and one for parents and caregivers.
Did you know that as an educator in Canada, you have a duty to accommodate? The needs of students with disabilities are an established (and growing!) part of teaching and learning at Lethbridge Polytechnic. According to Mark, the Getting Started with Accessibility microcredential series addresses these needs through three key objectives:
- Inform on rights and services. The courses ensure participants understand the services available to students and their own responsibilities as instructors, students or caregivers. They clarify concepts like the duty to accommodate and provide actionable insights into accessibility support.
- Create a common language. A shared foundation of knowledge around accessibility and disabilities fosters clearer communication and collaboration among faculty, staff, parents, and students.
- Raise awareness of disabilities. Disability-related topics often remain in the background. These courses bring them to the forefront, ensuring they receive the attention they deserve.
Why is this course relevant?
As the number of students who identify as having one more disability rises nationally and within the polytechnic, staying up-to-date and informed about accessibility and accommodations is essential to your practice. This is particularly true in terms of language. Karl notes that “we realized that students, faculty/employees, and administration need to be using the same language in order to make education accessible, to really meet the need.”
With this rise in reported disabilities, there is also an increasing trend for supports in the workplace. Statistics Canada (2024) reported that 52% of people with learning disabilities required one or more accommodations in the workplace in 2022. To remain cutting-edge and best-equipped to prepare students for the workforce, staff and instructors should be familiar with accommodations.
Perhaps most importantly, the microcredential reflects our values as an institution. As Karl notes,
“At the core is maintaining or building relationships. Employees, students, caregivers, work placements—it’s about people. One of our values here at the polytechnic is caring.”
Ready to make a difference in your role as an instructor or staff at the polytechnic? Sign up for Getting Started with Accessibility and contribute to creating a more inclusive and equitable learning community.
References
Alberta Human Rights Commission. (2021). Duty to accommodate students with disabilities in post-secondary educational institutions. https://albertahumanrights.ab.ca/what-are-human-rights/about-human-rights/duty-to-accommodate/
Canadian University Survey Consortium. (n.d.). CUSC master reports. Retrieved Nov 28, 2024, from https://cusc-ccreu.ca/wordpress/?page_id=32&lang=en
Dwyer, P., Mineo, E., Mifsud, K., Lindholm, C., Gurba, A., & Waisman, T. C. (2023). Building neurodiversity-inclusive postsecondary campuses: Recommendations for leaders in higher education. Autism in Adulthood, 5(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2021.004
Karasewich, T. A. (2024). Accessibility in higher education. In M. E. Norris & S. M. Smith (Eds.), Leading the way: Envisioning the future of higher education. Queen’s University, eCampus Ontario. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/futureofhighereducation/chapter/accessibility-in-higher-education/
Statistics Canada. (2023, December 1). New data on disability in Canada, 2022. [Infographic]. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2023063-eng.htm
Statistics Canada. (2024, October 8). Learning disabilities, 2022. [Infographic]. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2024045-eng.htm
Ali Malcolm
Writer
Mark Davids
Accessibility Services Manager
Karl Rejman
Instructor
