Recommendations
Our commitment: Ensuring all people can receive, understand, and share the information provided by Dalhousie University.
The following recommendations for Dalhousie’s Accessibility Plan have emerged through an iterative needs analysis, consultation, review, and documentation process, informed by individual reports.
4.1 Generate a culture change about accessibility, focused on promoting accessibility, eliminating stigma, and reframing away from disability to a focus on accessibility.
4.2 Widely communicate Dal’s commitment to accessibility. This should be evident through key institutional messages and thoughtful and intentional programming including organized events such as speaker series, discussion groups, conferences, and awareness campaigns.
4.3 Develop and maintain a central online resource promoting all information around accessibility and accommodations for faculty, staff, and students.
4.4 Audit all non-academic educational/training programs currently in use and ensure that their content is accessible to faculty, staff, and students.
4.5 Review and create policies and procedures, ensuring that all content, systems, and communications are accessible upon initial development and distribution.
4.6 Communicate and develop processes for creating accessible documents and communication material for all employees and students. Activities include:
Informing and supporting employees about how to produce material in accessible formats;
Providing guidelines to assist with creating and maintaining accessible websites;
Developing clear and simple processes for requesting accessible formats;
Ensuring all educational, training resources or materials are provided in accessible formats, upon request; and
Ensuring feedback processes are accessible to persons with disabilities.
4.7 Ensure educational programming regarding safe evacuation during emergencies includes accessible information and is embedded in existing educational campaigns during safety orientations and other initiatives.
4.8 Develop an on-campus tour program for students to identify accessible routes in exterior and interior environments.
4.9 Increase awareness across Dalhousie about both the experience of disability and the importance of accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
4.10 Develop awards for focused work in accessibility (for faculty, staff, and students).
4.11 Ensure new websites, web content and software, in general, conforms to established accessibility guidelines.