Pathway 2 of 6

Pathway 2: Foundations

Learn how accessibility honours our human rights.

By Beth Stark, M.S.Ed., CPACC,Educator and Consultant.Inclusive Learning Systems, UDL, Accessibility

Also available as: PDF of Foundations (3 pages, 131 KB) Google Doc of Foundations (opens in a new tab)

Ready-to-use activityActivity: POUR Barrier SortAn activity to identify barriers, sort them by the four POUR principles, and find ways to reduce them.

Accessibility is a big topic and there is a lot more to explore beyond what is here. Technical checklists can help with fixes. Treating accessibility as a human right gives the learning purpose and (hopefully) keeps it going.

Foundations Resources

A. Redefining Accessibility Advocacy: Progress Over Perfection (opens in a new tab)

A blog post by Meryl K. Evans, a CPACC-certified accessibility consultant and TEDx speaker who was born profoundly deaf. Meryl explains that accessibility does not have to be all or nothing. The progress over perfection approach encourages people to take small, consistent steps towards inclusion rather than waiting until everything is perfect. A practical and encouraging read for anyone just getting started or feeling overwhelmed.

B. Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (opens in a new tab)

The full text of Article 9 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which sets out the legal right to accessibility for people with disabilities worldwide. It covers access to the physical environment, transport, information, communications technology, and public services. This document is a starting point for understanding accessibility as a human right.

What about UDL? Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (opens in a new tab) establishes the right of all people with disabilities to inclusive education at every level. The Committee's General Comment on Article 24 identifies Universal Design for Learning as a core approach to making education accessible and adaptable for all students.

C. Web Accessibility Perspectives Videos (W3C WAI) (opens in a new tab)

A series of short videos from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative showing real people using the web with different access needs. Each video focuses on one accessibility feature, such as captions, keyboard navigation, or colour contrast, and shows both why it matters and who it helps. Use it to build empathy and understanding before you get into technical detail. All videos include captions and audio descriptions.

D. WeCo Accessibility Resources: Free and Low Cost (opens in a new tab)

A library of no-cost and low-cost accessibility resources from WeCo, a disability-owned digital accessibility company based in Minnesota. The library brings together third-party resources, articles, and guides on web accessibility, document accessibility, mobile accessibility, and assistive technology. Written and maintained by accessibility specialists who live with disabilities themselves.

E. Accessibility Basics (NCADEMI) (opens in a new tab)

This resource covers nine core skills for creating accessible digital content. Each skill has its own dedicated page with clear, plain-language guidance. The nine areas covered are alt text for images, captions, clear writing, colour use, headings, links, lists, tables, and text contrast. It is a hands-on starting point for educators and content creators who want to know what to do and why.

F. Is It Accessible? Questions to Ask Before Selecting Educational Materials (PDF) (opens in a new tab)

This short, "go-to" guide from CAST explains the four POUR principles. POUR stands for Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. This opens as a PDF.

G. Glossary of Terms (opens in a new tab)

This plain-language glossary from Make Things Accessible covers the most common terms, acronyms, and abbreviations used in digital accessibility. It is useful for anyone who wants to understand the language before diving into more technical resources.