Accessibility Conference

Mark your calendars! This year's virtual Accessibility Conference is scheduled for May 24-26, 2022.

Call for Presentations

Submission Deadline: Sunday, January 23, 2022

It is widely understood that the practice of accessibility is about more than following a checklist. Policy-makers and web, document and media creators recognize that it is critical to understand the needs of users with disabilities, include them in the design process, and ensure they can access the final product.

Yet, as public and private organizations address long overdue issues of inclusion, equity, and diversity (IDE), this raises new questions for people who work in the field of accessibility: How is accessibility understood through the lens of IDE? How is accessibility impacted by IDE issues? If disability is a single facet of a person’s identity, can we be accessible if we only address accessibility needs?

The Accessibility Conference Organizing Committee invites you to submit presentations focusing on the relationship between accessibility and IDE.

The Organizing Committee is interested in both traditional presentations and "unconference" session proposals focused on the Conference theme, as well as web, document and multimedia accessibility, access technology, and the AODA and other relevant legislation. Priority will be given to proposals that identify drivers for creating cultural change and provide attendees with practical steps to move from ideas to action.

The Accessibility Conference is committed to providing an inclusive and equitable experience for all presenters and attendees.

Session themes include:

• Conference Theme: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA11y) - Current research, personal insights and experiences, and practical policies focusing on the relationship between accessibility and IDE
• Access Technology (AT) - Demonstration of assistive technologies and how they enable people with disabilities to succeed in the worlds of education and work, discussion of emerging AT trends, best practices for access technology support, etc.
• Accessible Teaching and Learning (ATL) - Topics related to accessibility in education from a personal to global perspective— including accessibility barriers faced by post-secondary students, explorations of academic accommodation issues for students with disabilities, and strategies for supporting diverse learners
• Accessibility Theory, Policy and Compliance (ATPC) - Examples of how to foster a culture of accessibility in the workplace, school, or community, innovative AODA compliance strategies, interpretation of key accessibility policies and guidelines, discussion of national and international developments with respect to accessibility standards
• Document and Media Accessibility (DMA) - Introductory to advanced sessions and workshops on Microsoft Word and PDF document remediation techniques, creation of accessible infographics, video captions and description, etc.
• Web Accessibility (WA) - Introductory to advanced web accessibility sessions and workshops, inclusive design techniques for web content creators, web accessibility compliance processes for large organizations, etc.
  
  

Call for Presentations (Word document)

Call for Presentations (PDF)

About the Accessibility Conference

The Annual Accessibility Conference welcomes both accessibility novices and experts, and encourages attendees to build communities and exchange ideas.

Presenters share practical and theoretical knowledge of:

• Web, document and multimedia accessibility and other AODA-related topics
• Accessibility theory, policy and compliance
• Disability research and accommodation
• Inclusive design
• Adaptive technology
• Accessible teaching and learning
• Leadership in the field of accessibility
• National and international accessibility issues

We seek to ensure that our programming is relevant and valuable to all attendees, including those who work in post-secondary education, the public and private sectors, as well as the general public. There's something for everyone!

We are committed to hosting an inclusive, high-quality and affordable event.