Modernizing Digital Accessibility Education in Ontario
3:55 pm - 4:40 pm · Room 2
This session presents key findings from the Enabling Change funded paper, Modernizing Digital Accessibility Education in Ontario for an Accessible Economy and Workforce. The research examines growing demand for digital accessibility skills, gaps in current education and training pathways, and the importance of applied, disability informed learning. The paper was informed by an environmental scan, stakeholder consultations, and collaboration with post secondary institutions, industry partners, and the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). The session also briefly highlights how organizations, including CNIB, are responding to the findings by exploring applied approaches that support accessibility practice within workplaces.
Speakers
Sheetal Kochhar
Lead Accessibility, CNIB
Sheetal Kochhar is the Lead Accessibility at CNIB, where she advances inclusive practices across business systems and digital platforms. A former educator with over 15 years of experience, Sheetal holds a master's degree in science and a Bachelor of Education. Her transition into accessibility and research was shaped by her lived experience with vision loss. She is a member of CNIB's IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) team and contributed to research on inclusive procurement and supply chains, supported by Accessibility Standards Canada. She has also contributed to provincial research initiatives funded by the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility.
Ana Sofia Barrows
Director of Accessibility and Inclusion, CNIB
Ana Sofia Barrows (she/her) is the Director of Accessibility and Inclusion at CNIB. Her work has focused primarily on building inclusive practices across organizational systems, with a secondary focus on research related to accessibility in the workplace. Her experience spans academic, regulatory, and corporate environments, with an emphasis on accessibility, inclusion, and systems-level change. Ana Sofia has taught at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, including programs for business leaders, public sector directors, and upper-year undergraduate students. She regularly speaks at conferences and contributes to publications focused on accessibility and inclusion, and has shared perspectives through multiple channels such as CBC Radio and On the Money.
Michaela Knot
Lead Research Operations and Strategy, CNIB Research
Michaela Knot is a qualitative health researcher and accessibility expert who coordinates various projects on the CNIB Research team. She has over 15 years of research experience with mixed methods, patient reported outcomes research, participatory action research and codesign. She was involved in the first cohort of the Rick Hansen Accessibility Certificate course at Vancouver Community College and has undertaken PhD work in medical anthropology in health equity and disability. At present she is the lead research and strategy operations on the team. As part of the role, she has coordinated multiple Accessibility Standards Canada projects and health research related to medical devices, transportation, service delivery and accessibility. As part of the CNIB Research team she also supervises students on accessibility, research ethics and fostering responsible research practice with people with disabilities and accountability of research and data towards lived experience.