Accessibility Training Program Design & 12-Month Roadmap for an Ontario Municipality
Generic accessibility training delivered to everyone is, in practice, useful to almost no one. Seven role-based programs. One organisation.
Project Overview
A large Ontario municipality engaged Accessibility Partners to assess its current accessibility training and design a comprehensive capability-building program. The municipality had some training in place. It was inconsistent, outdated, and not designed with specific roles in mind — delivering the same content to document creators, web editors, communications staff, and IT teams regardless of what each group actually needed to know.
The Training Gap Challenge
The gap between what staff knew and what they needed to know varied substantially by role. A communications officer creating public-facing documents had different training requirements than a web developer implementing WCAG fixes, who had different requirements again from an IT administrator managing accessible procurement. One-size-fits-all training was not closing that gap.
Our Role-Based Training Design Approach
We began with a comprehensive training needs assessment, reviewing existing materials, platforms, and accessibility toolkits currently available to staff. From that foundation, we designed seven role-based training programs:
- Introduction to Document Accessibility
- Accessible Word Documents
- PDF Accessibility with Adobe Acrobat
- Web Accessibility and WCAG
- Accessible Forms
- Advanced Training for Accessibility Champions
- Ongoing Support Sessions
We delivered a 12-month phased implementation roadmap with RACI matrices defining roles and responsibilities for each program. We also recommended establishing an internal Accessibility Centre of Excellence to sustain the program beyond the initial rollout.
Project Snapshot
Industry
Municipal Government
Location
Ontario, Canada
Compliance Standard
AODA
Key Result
7 programs · 12-month roadmap
Training Program Results
Services Used
Legislation: AODA
Talk to Us About Training Programs
Every engagement we take on is led by a credentialed senior consultant, not delegated to junior staff after the proposal is signed. We hold Government of Canada Standing Offer #1 national ranking, $5M errors and omissions insurance, and twelve years of experience across federal, provincial, municipal, and private-sector clients.
If your organisation’s current training is generic, outdated, or not reaching the right people with the right content, we would welcome the conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
+
Why does accessibility training need to be role-based rather than delivered to everyone the same way?
Different staff roles have different accessibility responsibilities, so training needs to match actual daily tasks.
+
What is an Accessibility Centre of Excellence and why does a municipality need one?
It is an internal group or resource hub that helps maintain long-term accessibility knowledge and support.
+
What does a 12-month accessibility training roadmap typically include?
It usually includes training phases, role-based sessions, timelines, responsibilities, and ongoing support plans.
+
How do you assess what accessibility training staff actually need before designing a program?
We review existing workflows, tools, training materials, and staff responsibilities before building the program.