Section 1 of four
How this landscape is organized
This is the accessibility work of a learning design practice, gathered in one place. It draws on two branches: Accessibility, which concerns access at the level of an individual person and the obligation an institution holds toward them, and Universal Design for Learning, which concerns designing for the predictable range of learners before any individual request is made. The two are related but not the same, and the arrangement here keeps them distinct while showing where they meet.
Resources are arranged in seven groups by what they are for, rather than by which branch they grow on. A group therefore holds resources from both branches where the question they answer is shared. Each resource names its home branch so the distinction is never lost. Groups are given in alphabetical order, followed by the three engagements that draw on them.
Every resource states the bodies of knowledge it rests on and cites its sources by number to the reference list in Section 4. Every resource on this page is practised; where it is marked as in development, the grounding and sources are settled and the written resource is not yet published.
This landscape zooms into two branches of the learning design practice mapped at andrearobin.com, where the trunk is Groundwork, the learning design method. The contributions here that do not appear on that map are made possible by Fieldwork, the research method practised at Accessible Learning Labs.
Two kinds of relationship are given for each resource. Most related is calculated from sources and themes held in common, and surfaces resources that answer similar questions from different groups. Connected resources are the direct relationships recorded on the map — the resources a reader is likely to need alongside this one.
Section 3 of four
Every resource, in full
Sources are written out in full here as well as numbered, so that following a reference is never necessary to understand an entry.
Rights and obligation
What is owed to a person, and what proactive design does and does not discharge. The legal and ethical architecture within which access decisions are made and defended.
Why Universal Design Never Eliminates Individual Accommodation
The anchor · why both are permanent, and both are skilled
Practised · resource in development
Individual accommodation is not a residue left behind by imperfect design. Human variability has no outer edge, some barriers are the very thing an assessment is meant to measure, and the duty is owed to a person rather than discharged by a process — which is why proactive design and individual accommodation remain complementary, and why the accommodation encounter is skilled professional practice rather than an administrative step.
Group. Rights and obligation
Home branch. Accessibility · Long-settled practice
Grounding. Inclusive design and one-size-fits-one; the duty to accommodate; construct validity
Themes. Accommodation, Access, Variability
Sources
- Reference 10: Inclusive Design Research Centre. The Inclusive Design Guide. OCAD University — the source of the one-size-fits-one principle and the inclusive design framework.
- Reference 35: Connell, B. R., Jones, M., Mace, R., Mueller, J., Mullick, A., Ostroff, E., Sanford, J., Steinfeld, E., Story, M., & Vanderheiden, G. (1997). The Principles of Universal Design, Version 2.0. Center for Universal Design, North Carolina State University.
- Reference 36: British Columbia (Public Service Employee Relations Commission) v. BCGSEU, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 3, 1999 CanLII 652 (SCC) — the “Meiorin” decision, establishing the unified bona fide requirement test and accommodation to the point of undue hardship.
- Reference 37: Messick, S. (1995). “Validity of Psychological Assessment: Validation of Inferences from Persons’ Responses and Performances as Scientific Inquiry into Score Meaning.” American Psychologist, 50(9), 741–749.
- Reference 2: CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, version 3.0.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
The Duty to Accommodate in Learning Design
The legal frame, written for those who build and teach
Practised · resource in development
The architecture within which access decisions are made and defended: the procedural and substantive duty, the unified bona fide requirement test, and accommodation to the point of undue hardship, set in the Canadian frame with the cross-border standards that vendor and partnership work require. It is offered as synthesis for designers, faculty, and institutions; determinations in individual cases rest with accessibility advisors and accommodation offices, and with legal counsel where a matter becomes contested.
Group. Rights and obligation
Home branch. Accessibility · Well established
Grounding. Meiorin and the BFOR test; Accessible Canada Act; BC Human Rights Code; Accessible British Columbia Act; ADA and Sections 504/508
Practised in. Accommodation checklists in a research university's student employment program; human-rights content in inclusion workshops for student leaders
Themes. Accommodation, Policy, Access
Sources
- Reference 36: British Columbia (Public Service Employee Relations Commission) v. BCGSEU, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 3, 1999 CanLII 652 (SCC) — the “Meiorin” decision, establishing the unified bona fide requirement test and accommodation to the point of undue hardship.
- Reference 29: Accessible Canada Act, S.C. 2019, c. 10.
- Reference 38: Human Rights Code, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 210. Province of British Columbia.
- Reference 30: Accessible British Columbia Act, S.B.C. 2021, c. 19. Province of British Columbia.
- Reference 39: Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.; Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Sections 504 and 508, as amended.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
Essential Requirements and the Limits of Flexibility
What a standard genuinely requires, articulated in advance
Practised · resource in development
The most demanding judgment in the field: when flexibility preserves what is being measured, and when it alters it. This resource supports programs in articulating their essential requirements before any dispute arises — separating what a standard genuinely requires from what it has inherited by convention — so that the reasoning is available to everyone who later needs it.
Group. Rights and obligation
Home branch. Accessibility · Well established
Grounding. Construct validity; constructive alignment; bona fide academic and technical standards
Practised in. Job-posting revision in a research university's student employment program; a 2026 documentary study of essential requirements in post-secondary job postings
Themes. Accommodation, Assessment, Alignment
Sources
- Reference 37: Messick, S. (1995). “Validity of Psychological Assessment: Validation of Inferences from Persons’ Responses and Performances as Scientific Inquiry into Score Meaning.” American Psychologist, 50(9), 741–749.
- Reference 40: Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design (Expanded 2nd ed.). ASCD.
- Reference 36: British Columbia (Public Service Employee Relations Commission) v. BCGSEU, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 3, 1999 CanLII 652 (SCC) — the “Meiorin” decision, establishing the unified bona fide requirement test and accommodation to the point of undue hardship.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
International and Regional Disability Rights Instruments
The layer above domestic duty
Practised · resource in development
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its General Comments, and the Marrakesh Treaty, together with the regional instruments — the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the Inter-American Convention. It explains why accessibility obligations converge across jurisdictions rather than arising independently in each, and supplies the vocabulary required to work with partners outside Canada.
Group. Rights and obligation
Home branch. Accessibility · Well established
Grounding. UDHR (1948); CRPD (2006); Marrakesh Treaty (2013); regional human rights instruments
Themes. Policy, Standards, Access
Sources
- Reference 44: United Nations (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- Reference 23: United Nations (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
- Reference 45: World Intellectual Property Organization (2013). Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled.
- Reference 46: European Union (2012). Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, 2012/C 326/02.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
Canadian Accessibility and Accommodation Law for Learning Designers
Two separate instruments, in plain language
Practised · resource in development
The Accessible Canada Act, the Accessible British Columbia Act and the BC Human Rights Code duty to accommodate, written for learning designers and faculty. Human rights law and accessibility legislation are separate instruments with different mechanisms, different scope and different remedies, and the distinction determines what an institution owes and to whom. It sets out what binds a public post-secondary institution in British Columbia, where obligations differ for private training providers, and includes the Ontario legislation for comparison.
Group. Rights and obligation
Home branch. Accessibility · Well established
Grounding. Accessible Canada Act; Accessible British Columbia Act; BC Human Rights Code; CRPD
Themes. Policy, Access, Accommodation
Sources
- Reference 29: Accessible Canada Act, S.C. 2019, c. 10.
Accessible Canada Act, S.C. 2019, c. 10https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/a-0.6/
- Reference 30: Accessible British Columbia Act, S.B.C. 2021, c. 19. Province of British Columbia.
- Reference 38: Human Rights Code, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 210. Province of British Columbia.
- Reference 36: British Columbia (Public Service Employee Relations Commission) v. BCGSEU, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 3, 1999 CanLII 652 (SCC) — the “Meiorin” decision, establishing the unified bona fide requirement test and accommodation to the point of undue hardship.
British Columbia (Public Service Employee Relations Commission) v. BCGSEU, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 3, 1999 CanLII 652…https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/1999/1999canlii652/1999canlii652.html
- Reference 60: Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, S.O. 2005, c. 11. Province of Ontario.
- Reference 61: CAN/ASC-EN 301 549:2024. Accessibility Requirements for ICT Products and Services (EN 301 549:2021, IDT). Accessibility Standards Canada, published 31 May 2024, available free of charge.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
From Accommodation to Proactive Inclusive Design
The field's defining reframe
Published resource
Shifting from retrofitting access for individuals after the fact to designing inclusively from the start, so fewer barriers are ever built in. It states the paradigm shift the field rests on, plainly.
Group. Rights and obligation
Home branch. Universal Design for Learning · Well established
Grounding. Universal Design for Learning; inclusive design principles
Themes. Access, Variability
Sources
- Reference 47: Meyer, A., Rose, D. H., & Gordon, D. (2014). Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice. CAST Professional Publishing.
- Reference 2: CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, version 3.0.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
Eliminating Construct-Irrelevant Barriers in Assessment
Measuring capability, not obstacles
Published resource
Removing features of an assessment that get in the way of demonstrating mastery without being part of what is measured, so results reflect capability rather than incidental barriers. It works alongside assessment designed as experience.
Group. Rights and obligation
Home branch. Universal Design for Learning · Well established
Grounding. Construct validity; UDL action & expression
Themes. Assessment, Access
Sources
- Reference 37: Messick, S. (1995). “Validity of Psychological Assessment: Validation of Inferences from Persons’ Responses and Performances as Scientific Inquiry into Score Meaning.” American Psychologist, 50(9), 741–749.
- Reference 2: CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, version 3.0.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
Accessible Job Design for Student and Early-Career Employment
Essential requirements, applied to postings
Practised · resource in development
A job posting is an essential-requirements document for employment, and it excludes in the same ways admissions documents do: bodily methods written where capabilities were meant, availability clauses nobody has justified, credentials standing in for skills. This resource works with the people who write postings — supervisors, hiring managers, program staff — to revise expectations toward what the role genuinely requires, and pairs the revision with the onboarding and supervision supports that make the revised role real.
Group. Rights and obligation
Home branch. Accessibility · Well established
Grounding. Construct validity (Messick); the bona fide requirement test (Meiorin); disclosure burden
Practised in. A research university's student employment program ($6M+, 900 campus employers, 3,000 student employees): supporting supervisors in revising job postings and expectations for accessibility, with accommodation checklists in onboarding toolkits; a 2026 documentary study of essential requirements in post-secondary job postings
Themes. Access, Equity, Assessment
Sources
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
How a University Accommodation Policy Works
Three British Columbia policies read side by side
Practised · resource in development
Human rights law states the duty to accommodate; a university’s policy determines how that duty is carried out. The challenge for instructors and designers is to locate their own obligations in it. This resource reads the accommodation policies of three British Columbia universities side by side: the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria. It compares them on five questions: who is eligible, what documentation is requested, who decides, what an instructor is responsible for, and how a disagreement is resolved. It is written so that a policy can be treated as the brief a course design has to satisfy.
Group. Rights and obligation
Home branch. Accessibility · Well established
Grounding. UBC Policy LR7; SFU Policy GP 26; UVic Policy AC1205; BC Human Rights Code; Meiorin (SCC, 1999)
Themes. Policy, Accommodation, Access
Sources
Most related, by shared source and theme
- The Duty to Accommodate in Learning Design — Access, Accommodation, Policy · 2 shared sources
- Canadian Accessibility and Accommodation Law for Learning Designers — Access, Accommodation, Policy · 2 shared sources
- Working with Accommodation Offices and Access Advisors — Access, Accommodation, Policy · 1 shared source
- The Interactive Process in Learning Settings — Access, Accommodation, Policy · 2 shared sources
- The Case Law Behind Accommodation in Education — Access, Accommodation, Policy · 1 shared source
Connected resources
The Case Law Behind Accommodation in Education
Six decisions, and what each one settled
Practised · resource in development
The duty to accommodate in education rests on a small number of Supreme Court of Canada decisions. The challenge for people who are not lawyers is to know what each one settled. Meiorin (1999) set the test for whether a standard is justified. Grismer (1999) applied that test to services and required individual assessment. Eldridge (1997) held that equal access to a public service can require positive measures. Renaud (1992) made the search for accommodation a shared responsibility. Hydro-Québec (2008) clarified the standard of undue hardship. Moore (2012) defined the service owed as meaningful access to general education. This resource states each holding in plain language, with the practical question it answers and what it means for the design of a course or an assessment. It is synthesis for people who teach and design, and it is not legal advice.
Group. Rights and obligation
Home branch. Accessibility · Well established
Grounding. Meiorin (1999); Grismer (1999); Eldridge (1997); Renaud (1992); Hydro-Québec (2008); Moore (2012)
Themes. Policy, Accommodation, Access
Sources
- Reference 36: British Columbia (Public Service Employee Relations Commission) v. BCGSEU, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 3, 1999 CanLII 652 (SCC) — the “Meiorin” decision, establishing the unified bona fide requirement test and accommodation to the point of undue hardship.
British Columbia (Public Service Employee Relations Commission) v. BCGSEU, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 3, 1999 CanLII 652…https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/1999/1999canlii652/1999canlii652.html
- Reference 87: British Columbia (Superintendent of Motor Vehicles) v. British Columbia (Council of Human Rights), [1999] 3 S.C.R. 868 — the “Grismer” decision, carrying the Meiorin test into services and requiring individual assessment.
- Reference 89: Eldridge v. British Columbia (Attorney General), [1997] 3 S.C.R. 624 — sign language interpretation as a condition of equal access to a public service.
- Reference 56: Central Okanagan School District No. 23 v. Renaud, 1992 CanLII 81 (SCC), [1992] 2 S.C.R. 970 — the shared responsibility of every party to the accommodation process.
Central Okanagan School District No. 23 v. Renaud, 1992 CanLII 81 (SCC), [1992] 2 S.C.R. 970https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/1992/1992canlii81/1992canlii81.html
- Reference 88: Hydro-Québec v. Syndicat des employé-e-s de techniques professionnelles et de bureau d’Hydro-Québec, section locale 2000 (SCFP-FTQ), 2008 SCC 43, [2008] 2 S.C.R. 561 — what undue hardship does and does not require.
- Reference 86: Moore v. British Columbia (Education), 2012 SCC 61, [2012] 3 S.C.R. 360 — meaningful access to education as the service a student is owed.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
Accommodation When the Learner Is Also an Employee
Two duties, two processes, one person
Practised · resource in development
Student employees, teaching assistants, co-op and practicum students, and medical residents are learners and workers at once. The challenge is that the duty to accommodate applies to both relationships, and the education and employment processes may be administered by different offices. This resource sets out which process applies to which part of a person’s work, what an academic accommodation does and does not carry into a workplace, how supervisors and placement hosts are involved, and how repeated disclosure can be avoided. For the designer, it covers the onboarding and placement materials that carry an accommodation across. It pairs with accessible job design, which removes barriers before any individual request is made.
Group. Rights and obligation
Home branch. Accessibility · Emerging
Grounding. The unified test (Meiorin); shared responsibility, including unions (Renaud); undue hardship (Hydro-Québec); BC Human Rights Code
Practised in. Accommodation checklists in onboarding toolkits in a research university’s student employment program (900 campus employers, 3,000 student employees)
Themes. Accommodation, Policy, Equity
Sources
- Reference 36: British Columbia (Public Service Employee Relations Commission) v. BCGSEU, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 3, 1999 CanLII 652 (SCC) — the “Meiorin” decision, establishing the unified bona fide requirement test and accommodation to the point of undue hardship.
British Columbia (Public Service Employee Relations Commission) v. BCGSEU, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 3, 1999 CanLII 652…https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/1999/1999canlii652/1999canlii652.html
- Reference 56: Central Okanagan School District No. 23 v. Renaud, 1992 CanLII 81 (SCC), [1992] 2 S.C.R. 970 — the shared responsibility of every party to the accommodation process.
Central Okanagan School District No. 23 v. Renaud, 1992 CanLII 81 (SCC), [1992] 2 S.C.R. 970https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/1992/1992canlii81/1992canlii81.html
- Reference 88: Hydro-Québec v. Syndicat des employé-e-s de techniques professionnelles et de bureau d’Hydro-Québec, section locale 2000 (SCFP-FTQ), 2008 SCC 43, [2008] 2 S.C.R. 561 — what undue hardship does and does not require.
- Reference 38: Human Rights Code, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 210. Province of British Columbia.
Most related, by shared source and theme
Connected resources
Every resource on this page reflects applied work carried out with learners, design teams, and partner organizations, and is grounded in the scholarship listed above. An interactive version of this map presents the same content as a navigable diagram.