Strengthening Accessibility & Inclusion within Professional Programs

Strengthening Accessibility & Inclusion within Professional Programs is an annual, free virtual conference hosted by the U of T accessibility offices (St. George Campus, University of Toronto Mississauga, University of Toronto Scarborough) and the Office of the Vice-Provost Students. It explores the enhancement of equity, accessibility and inclusion within professional programs, specifically in practicums and experiential learning settings.

The University of Toronto is a founding member of the Canada Accessibility Network (CAN), a national collaboration to advance accessibility for persons with disabilities through research, design and innovation, education and training, policy, employment, and community engagement. The UTM, UTSC and St. George Campus Accessibility Offices of the University of Toronto are proud to host this conference, and have it serve as part of our contribution to the critical efforts of this network.

The conference includes several presentations by U of T professional program faculty, staff and students on a range of creative strategies and accommodations that facilitate success for students with disabilities in professional programs.

This year’s conference will take place from June 15-17, 2022.

The keynote speakers are:

• Feranmi Okanlami, M.D., M.S. from the University of Michigan
• Blake Charlton, M.D., an Interventional Cardiologist at the Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute
• Kevin Stoddart, MSW, PhD, RSW, Director Redpath Centre, Toronto, ON

Each of the keynote speakers will discuss a reimagining of their professions to be more inclusive and accommodating.

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Federal Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion will also provide a recorded message for the conference.

Conference sessions

• Accommodation, Academic Remediation, Learning Skills and Stepping Out/Back into Academic Programs: A discussion and case studies on navigating interventions and supports when working with students with disabilities in professional programs
• Critical Legal Cases in Professional Faculty Accommodations: A review (with Sari Springer)
• Universal/Inclusive Curriculum Design for Professional Faculty Programs: Basic principles, best practices and case study from the Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto
• Adaptive Technology in Professional Placement Settings: A review of best practices and case studies in assessing needs and choosing adaptive technology to support students with disabilities in professional placement settings
• Navigating Intersecting Identities – A Student Panel Discussion: Navigating professional programs and practice as a BIPOC student who also identifies as having lived experience of “disability”
• Clinical Sites, Academic Programs and Accessibility Offices: Roles, responsibilities and best practices in working together
• Student Panel: An unscripted student discussion on the current landscape of accessibility and inclusion in professional programs and practice: challenges and opportunities

Past conference recordings