Local accessibility firm Roll a Mile will be presenting two sessions at the 2014 International Summit on Accessibility.
Leaders from around the globe will showcase innovation, celebrate best practices and enable collaborative dialog and action toward accessible and inclusive communities.
The event will focus on a theme of “Making it Happen: Intention to Action” with three primary streams: innovation, technology and accessible communities.
Each stream will address issues of accessibility in education, communication, employment, recreation, mobility health and the physical environment with a special emphasis on employment.
Roll a Mile’s first session, “Accessibility into Perspective” approaches accessibility as a movement of social change, comparing it to historical examples of accommodation and puts accessibility into perspective by analyzing return on investment and evaluating items such as: the societal and economic benefits and opportunities of accessibility and inclusion.
The second session, “The Importance of Accessibility Educational Curricula” will be presented as part of the panel discussion “Accessibility in Higher Education” and address how making teaching accessible is as important as teaching accessibility and how strategic implementation of accessibility into curricula across all disciplines can create a future generation of accessibility minded individuals creating accessible products, services and spaces.
Session speaker and Roll a Mile president Donna Jack says major obstacles to accessibility implementation include lack of awareness and misperception about the costs involved in complying with regulations.
“There is a huge misperception about the true cost,” she says.
“Current regulations under the AODA simply require most businesses to implement accessible customer service policies and procedures, and train staff. It’s really not just about having a ramp, though having a ramp is helpful.”
For more information visit www.accessibilitysummit.ca
