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How the Toolkit was Developed
- Initiation and scoping
The project began by clarifying the problem the toolkit needed to solve. The group considered the barriers that instructors and students may encounter throughout a course, the practices that could be adapted across disciplines, the supports already available at Western, and the areas in which educators needed a range of options rather than a single prescribed method.
The group reviewed recommendations from the Postsecondary Education Standards Development Committee that had been identified as priorities by the Accessible Western Working Group. It also examined existing Western resources, scholarly and evidence-informed guidance, and examples from other institutions.
This review helped identify the toolkit’s priority content areas and confirmed the need for a modular resource that users could consult in any order, beginning with the practices most relevant to their work.
- Collaborative content development
The toolkit was created using a collaborative development model. Contributors selected topics connected to their professional, disciplinary or lived expertise and developed each practice using a shared content structure.
In addition to content development, we convened a subgroup, the Accessibility Mindsets Groups, who focused on ensuring that the toolkit was reflective of and would work in support to different orientations to Disability and Accessibility.
Each practice was designed to include:
- a plain-language explanation of the practice and why it matters;
- practical actions, options and examples that can be adapted to different courses and teaching contexts;
- an evidence-based or pedagogical rationale;
- relevant policy or legislative context; and
- reflection questions and links to related Western supports and resources.
An internal two-pass review strengthened the content before it was shared for broader consultation. The first review, conducted by a minimum of 2 project team members, focused on substance, accuracy, completeness, and perspectives that may have been missing. The second review, conducted by a minimum of 2 project leads, focused on consistency, plain language, usability, cross-references, and alignment across the complete toolkit.
The toolkit’s shared framing, glossary and contributor information were developed alongside the individual practice pages.
- Designed as a flexible website
The team selected a website format so that users would not be required to move through the toolkit in a fixed sequence. The website is designed to support browsing, provide multiple entry points, and help users make connections among related practices.
This flexible format also allows the toolkit to grow and change as new evidence, resources, practices and accessibility needs emerge. Website design and digital development are being supported by Western’s Instructional Technology Resource Centre.