Why Accessibility Matters

Mohawk College is committed to providing equitable access to information that responds to diverse learning styles. Instructional materials need to be inclusive and accessible to everyone. Mohawk College has policies that help staff and faculty meet the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). 

The AODA Act aims to identify, remove, and prevent barriers for people with disabilities. This act became law on June 13, 2005 and requires that all public-facing documents are accessible. There are costly penalties for non-compliance.

Make your content available in more than one format. For example, when you have a picture in your document, make sure there is a textual summary of the picture's informational content available for persons with a visual disability who use screen readers such as JAWS. If your content is auditory in nature, provide closed captioning.

In partnership with Accessible Learning Services, and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, this guide is a how-to for creating accessible documents. Navigate the tabs along the top of this guide for more information.

Mohawk College is committed to providing inclusive services, programs, and opportunities that are accessible and welcoming to persons with disabilities. The College supports and upholds the principles of equity and inclusion and ensures we are meeting legislative requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities (AODA) Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code Accessible Education for Students with Disabilities Policy. The College commits to providing these services programs and opportunities in a manner that:

  • Respect the person's dignity and independence and ensure that reasonable efforts are made to provide equitable access
  • Allows for flexibility and understanding that some methods may not work for all persons
  • Are as integrated as fully practicable into the method of service delivery
  • Allows students with disabilities to benefit from programs, materials and opportunities based on their own needs and self-determination
  • Ensure unhindered and respectful access to programs, services and opportunities
  • Provide as much notice as possible regarding tests, assignments, exams and support students in a confidential manner

It is the responsibility of all management, staff and faculty in the Mohawk College community to:

  • To follow and carry out the college's accessibility policies and procedures
  • To be aware of and be trained to better understand the purpose and intent of the accessibility policies and to implement the procedures effectively
  • To know how to provide service in various manners or to know which departments to connect with for additional support
  • To be familiar with accessibility language and definitions
  • To make best efforts to ensure that their classroom is accessible

Learn More

Accessible Content Checklist

Need more help?

Accessible Learning Services

General Inquiries
 als@mohawkcollege.ca

 accessibility@mohawkcollege.ca

Request Alternate Format (non-students)
 alstechnician@moahwkcollege.ca

Please contact your Faculty Liaison Librarian for more assistance.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a curriculum design, development, and delivery framework used to create inclusive and accessible learning environments. While UDL is not explicitly tied to accessibility, the result of UDL implementation is improved access for all learners. Mohawk College is committed to the implementation of UDL and you can learn more about our implementation and access resources through the UDL webpage.