Accessibility – Carleton University

Accessibility at Carleton

Carleton University has an extensive and dynamic history of making its campus and courses increasingly accessible to students with disabilities and is committed to being the most accessible campus in Canada, as underscored in our Strategic Integrated Plan (SIP) and Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA).

To lead Carleton’s commitment toward a fully accessible and inclusive campus, the SIP recommended the creation of a Coordinated Accessibility Strategy. The seven broad themes in the strategy (Coordination and Leadership, Education and Training, Information and Communication, Physical Campus, Employment and Employee Support, Student Support Services, and Research and Development) also chart the university’s past and present efforts, based on a long-standing history of overcoming challenges to inclusion and accessibility.

Defining Accessibility

“Accessibility is best defined as the provision of flexibility to accommodate each [individual’s] needs and preferences when used with reference to persons with disabilities, any place, space, item or service, whether physical or virtual, that is easily approached, reached, entered, exited, interacted with, understood or otherwise used by persons of varying disabilities, is determined to be accessible.”

-United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Division for Social Policy and Development,  Accessibility and Development Mainstreaming disability in the post-2015 development agenda

Our Policies

The campus-wide policies on accessibility are guided by the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity and apply to students, faculty and staff, contractors and visitors or guests. Further, Part III of Carleton’s Human Rights Policies and Procedures outlines the university’s obligation and the responsibility of all members of the campus community to accommodate students with disabilities.