Hosted by the OCUL Accessibility Community, this free online symposium explores critical topics shaping accessibility in the post-secondary library landscape.
Event Registration and Overview
Around the world, post-secondary libraries are recognizing accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities as a shared priority. In Ontario, 2025 was intended to mark a compliance milestone for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). However, much work remains to be done.
The Accessibility Symposium 2.0 will feature presentations and discussions that reflect on the progress made over the past 20 years and envision a more ambitious and inclusive future for accessibility in academic libraries.
- Dates and times: June 17, 18 and 19, 2025, 9:30 am-12:30 pm Eastern Time
- Format: Online via Zoom
REGISTER for the Accessibility Symposium
This online event is free to attend and open to participants in Ontario and beyond. Captions will be available throughout the presentations.
The Symposium will be recorded and available to view after the event.
Event Agenda
Tuesday, June 17
| Time | Presentation | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30-9:35 am | Welcome to the Accessibility Symposium 2.0 | OCUL Accessibility Community Co-chairs |
| 9:35-9:45 am | Opening remarks | Mark Robertson, OCUL Chair and Dean of Libraries, Toronto Metropolitan University |
| 9:45-10:45 am | Keynote | Amanda Leduc |
| 10:50-11:15 am | Cracking the Mask: From “Advocating as Student” to “Advocating for Students” in my Early Career | Emma Bullerwell |
| 11:20-11:45 am | No, Really, Which Search Engine Do I Use? Making a Guide for Finding Accessible Documents | Caitlin Malone |
| 11:50 am-12:30 pm | Panel Discussion | To be announced |
About Amanda Leduc
Amanda Leduc is a writer, speaker, and disability rights advocate. She is the author of the non-fiction book Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space (Coach House Books, 2020), which was shortlisted for the 2020 Governor General’s Award in Nonfiction, and the novels The Centaur’s Wife (Random House Canada, 2021) and The Miracles of Ordinary Men (ECW Press, 2013). Her latest novel, Wild Life, is now out with Random House Canada.
Amanda holds a master's degree in Creative Writing from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland (2008), and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Philosophy from the University of Victoria, BC (2006). She speaks regularly at festivals, conferences and events across Canada, the US and Europe on accessibility, inclusion and disability in storytelling, and contributes regularly to publications across Canada, the US and the UK.
Wednesday, June 18
| Time | Presentation | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30-9:35 am | Welcome | |
| 9:35-10:00 am | Reversing the Gaze: Finding the Friction Points in Accommodation | Heather Hill and Kevin Oswald |
| 10:05-10:30 am | Beyond the Default: A Starter Kit for Implementing Database Accessibility Icons | Carling Spinney and Angélique Roy |
| 10:35-11:00 am | Streamlining Access: The Development and Implementation of the ACE Self-Declaration Form | Ellen Olsen-Lynch and Allison Ridgway |
| 11:05-11:30 am | Teaching Digital Accessibility in the Digital Humanities: Some Semi-Successful Approaches | Elliott Stevens |
| 11:35 am-12:25 pm | Empowering Inclusive Learning: Leveraging Accessibility Metadata in Ontario's Post-Secondary Libraries | Madeline Rothberg, Christopher Carr and Charles LaPierre |
Thursday, June 19
| Time | Presentation | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30-9:55 am | Fat Accessibility Concerns in Academic Libraries: A Primer | Roger Chabot |
| 10:00-10:25 am | Perceived and Unperceived Barriers to Access for Gaming Library Collections | Michelle Goodridge |
| 10:30-10:55 am | Integrating Accessibility into Database Procurement Processes | Carli Spina and Rebecca Oling |
| 11:00-11:50 am | From Concept to Creation: Developing an Open Access Resource for Accessible Library Teaching | Anna Flak, Katie Harding, Katie Merriman, Matt Fesnak and Nancy Waite |
| 11:50 am -12:15 pm | Accessible Archives: Why we don’t have them and why AI isn’t helping | Mark Pellegrino |
| 12:15-12:30 pm | Closing remarks |
Please note: Agenda is subject to change ahead of the Accessibility Symposium
For More Information
For questions about the Accessibility Symposium 2.0 or submitting a proposal, please email accessibilitysymposium2025@gmail.com.
The Accessibility Symposium 2.0 is organized by:
- Carli Agostino, Carleton University
- Michael R. Clark, University of Waterloo
- Eva Lu, Queen's University
- Megan McMeekin, University of Ottawa
- Sonya Panangaden, Toronto Metropolitan University
- Mark Weiler, Wilfrid Laurier University