CNIB Accessibility Workshops

Schedule

• Day One - In-person - Thursday February 23, 2023

  9:00 AM - 10:00 AM - Welcome and Overview

  10:00 AM - 10:15 AM - Coffee Break

  10:15 AM - 12:30 PM - First Block
  Session 1A: Understanding Artificial Intelligence
  Session 1B: Accessible Coding Camps for Youth with Sight Loss - MOVED TO FRIDAY

  10:15 AM - 1:15 PM - Second Block
  Session 2: Virtual Distractions & Accessibility Challenges

  12:30 PM - 2:30 PM - Lunch 

  2:00 PM - 4:00 PM - Third Block 
  Session 3A: Making Accessible Procurement Work for Canadian Business Owners with a Disability

  3:00 PM - 3:15 PM - Coffee Break 

  2:00 PM - 5:00 PM - Fourth Block 
  Session 4: Virtual Presence in Meetings

  10:15 AM - 5:00 PM - Fifth Block (Runs in 60-minute blocks for the length of the day)
  Session 5A: Virtual Reality Interview Prep Application
  Session 5B: Evaluating Haptic Virtual Reality Displays

   

   

• Day Two - In-person - Friday February 24, 2023

  9:00 AM - 10:00 AM - Panel Discussion: Co-Design, Inclusive Research and the Future of an Accessible Society

  10:00 AM - 10:15 AM - Coffee Break 

  10:15 AM - 1:45 PM - Sixth Block 
  Session 6A: AI, Accessibility, and Discrimination
  Session 6B: Using wayfinding technology for navigating public spaces

  10:15 AM - 1:15 PM - Seventh Block 
  Session 7: 3D Audio Navigation

  12:30 PM - 2:30 PM - Lunch 

  2:00 PM - 4:00 PM - Eighth Block 
  Session 8A: Exploring the Accessibility of Virtual Meeting Platforms 
  Session 8B: Exploring Excellence in Sevice-Delivery for Deafblind Canadians - CANCELLED 

  Session 1B: Accessible Coding Camps for Youth with Sight Loss - MOVED FROM THURSDAY

  3:00 PM - 3:15 PM - Coffee Break 

  2:00 PM - 5:00 PM - Ninth Block 
  Session 9: Cross-sensory Collaboration & Creation Tools

  10:15 AM - 5:00 PM - Tenth Block 
  Session 10A: 3D Virtual Reality Meeting Room 
  Session 10B: Navigating Audio-Based User Interfaces with Controllers

   

• Day Three - In-Person - Saturday, February 25, 2023

  10:15 AM - 1:15 PM - Eleventh Block 
  Session 11: Introducing Voiceover into Digital Play in iPad Education App

  2:00 PM - 5:00 PM - Twelfth Block 
  Session 12: Setting up Foundations for Safe Internet Use and Digital Literacy Skills
• Day Four - Virtual - Thursday, March 2, 2023
  1:00 PM - 5:00 PM - Thirteenth Block 
  Session 13A: Accessible and Inclusive Internships
  Session 13B: Guide Dog Barriers
  Session 13C: To Consent or Not to Consent, that is the Question
• Day Five - Virtual - Friday, March 3, 2023
  1:00 PM - 5:00 PM - Fourteenth Block 
  Session 14A: Sustaining Career Transitions & Future Workplace Trends
  Session 14B: Guide Dog Barriers 
  Session 14C: To Consent or Not to Consent, that is the Question

Workshop Descriptions - Day One

Block One

• Session 1A: Understanding Artificial Intelligence

  Session 1A: Understanding Artificial Intelligence

  10:15 am – 11:15 am
  Facilitators: Akriti Pandey, Mahadeo Sukhai

  This session will facilitate a discussion on Artificial Intelligence, its use in different segments of society, and what the participants think about tools that use AI. The initial session will explore participants’ views on AI, their interaction with AI tools, and their understanding of some of the AI-related terms.

   

Block Two

• Session 2: Virtual Distractions & Accessibility Challenges

  Session 2: Virtual Distractions & Accessibility Challenges

  10:15 am - 1:15 pm
  Facilitators: David Barter, Tamara Crasto, Mariana Mejia, Stephen Murgaski, Ram Puvanesasingham, Peter Coppin

  The objective of this session is to explore and prototype ideas for virtual environments that help reduce distractions and accessibility challenges (for example, unnecessary speech from screen readers, environmental noise, phone notifications, etc).

Block Three

• Session 3: Making Accessible Procurement Work for Canadian Business Owners with a Disability

  Session 3: Making Accessible Procurement Work for Canadian Business Owners with a Disability

  2:00 pm - 4:00 pm 
  Facilitators: Sheetal Kochhar, Michaela Knot, Andy Livingston
  
  This co-design session will invite members of the community to co-design mechanisms and processes to shape an accessible procurement cycle. Participants will work through each phase of procurement identifying barriers and solutions along the way to innovate not only accessible procurement, but to build accessibility into current procurement policies, practices, and procedures Areas of discussion will include seeking supply chain diversity, responding and evaluating products and services (VPATS), contract language and contracts, risk assessments, as well as the role of accessibility and user-testing alongside the relevance of current standards. Participants will be able outline barriers to engaging with public procurement process for persons with disabilities who own/operate or are considering engaging in public sector procurement, to provide goods and services to their governments.

Block Four

• Session 4: Virtual Presence in Meetings

  Session 4: Virtual Presence in Meetings

  2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
  Facilitators: David Barter, Peter Coppin, Tamara Crasto, Mariana Medjia, Erin Lee, Stephen Murgaski, Ram Puvanesasingham

  Have you ever felt like a bystander attending a virtual meeting? Or perhaps struggled with knowing when it’s appropriate to jump into a conversation? In this session, we will be exploring and prototyping what it means to be “present” in a virtual meeting in the future, through the lens of accessibility and inclusion.

Block Five

• Session 5A: Virtual Reality Interview Prep Application

  Session 5A: Virtual Reality Interview Prep Application

  10:15 am - 5:00 pm (This session runs in 60-minute blocks for the length of the day)
  Facilitators: Ali Raza Syed, Robert Ingino

  Participants will be tasked to operate the VRAI OP interview software on a mobile device (iPad). The user will complete one generic interview and will view their results produced from the artificial intelligence response. A corresponding in-person mock interview and evaluation will also be conducted.

• Session 5B: Evaluating Haptic Virtual Reality Displays

  Session 5B: Evaluating Haptic Virtual Reality Displays

  10:15 am - 5:00 pm (This session runs in 60-minute blocks for the length of the day)
  Facilitators: Robert Ingino, Alvaro Quevedo, Ali Raza Syed, David Barter, Patrick Hung

  Participants will have access to various 3D digital objects that can be experienced with touch, audio, and visuals with the use of a virtual reality headset and haptic glove. The user will be tasked to explore 3D digital objects and describe each key feature felt, and evaluate the labeled information. The user will compare their experience of touching a 3D virtual object to that of touching a real 3D object.

Workshop Descriptions - Day Two

Block Six

• Session 6: AI, Accessibility and Discrimination

  Session 6: AI, Accessibility, and Discrimination

  11:30 am - 12:30 pm 
  Facilitators: Zahra Ahmadi, Arsh Chowdhry, Peter Lewis

  This co-design session will focus on Artificial Intelligence, Accessibility and Discrimination. The session's objective is to understand the perspective and attitude towards AI technology and the associated biases and risk of using them for the sight loss community. Participants do not have to attend the first AI session to be able to attend this session.

• Session 6B: Using wayfinding technology for navigating public spaces

  Session 6B: Using wayfinding technology for navigating public spaces

  11:30 am – 1:30 pm
  Facilitators: Alison Novak
  
  Although the use of technologies to assist with wayfinding is becoming increasingly more common, there is a lack of inclusion of these technologies in Canadian accessibility standards. This session will facilitate a discussion on experiences of technology used for wayfinding. We will explore views on technology use, and barriers to the use of the technology available for wayfinding. This session will invite participants to co-design a core set of recommendations for the inclusion of wayfinding technology within Canadian Accessibility Standards. Outcomes from this session will be summarized in a report shared with our funding organization, Accessibility Standards Canada.

Block Seven

• Session 7: 3D Audio Navigation

  Session 7: 3D Audio Navigation

  10:15 am - 1:15 pm
  Facilitators: David Barter, Tamara Crasto, Mariana Mejia, Ram Puvanesasingham, Steve Murgaski, Zainab Husain, Peter Coppin

  How would you move through a digital 3D audio space? How would you select and interact with digital objects and documents, and make sounds meaningful to you? What other kinds of control would be useful in a 3D sound interface? Touch-based, like a glove? Physical buttons, dials, joysticks? In this session, any and all of these possibilities may be explored through physical making, acting out scenarios, or simply discussing and sharing ideas.

Block Eight

• Session 8A: Exploring the Accessibility of Virtual Meeting Platforms (90 minutes)

  Session 8A: Exploring the Accessibility of Virtual Meeting Platforms (90 Minutes)

  2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
  Facilitators: Devika rani Padam, Mohammed Abid, Raj Kumar Pratap, Marco Cano, Carolina Velasco

  This session aims to develop recommendations on accessible and inclusive virtual and blended service provision models for the Federal Public Service and federally regulated industries in post-COVID-19 Canada.

• Session 1B: Accessible Coding Camps for Youth with Sight Loss

  Session 1B: Accessible Coding Camps for Youth with Sight Loss

  2:00 pm  – 3:00 pm
  Facilitators: Jennifer Cardenas Castaneda, KahChoo Ooi

  This session aims to provide accessible technology such as haptic technology and Microsoft’s Code Jumper with Braille for visually impaired youth to learn computer programming. In this session we will: (1) Improve the accessibility of computer programming logic knowledge to youth with visual impairments by making visual block coding accessible for all by haptic technology with Code Jumper; and, (2) Provide an interactive platform for youth with visual impairments to have access to both a digital and physical means of block-based coding from a cognitive perspective approach.

Block 9

• Session 9: Cross-Sensory Collaboration & Creation Tools

  Session 9: Cross-Sensory Collaboration & Creation Tools

  2:00 pm - 5:00 pm 
  Facilitators: Tamara Crasto, David Barter, Mariana Mejia, Erin Lee, Steve Murgaski, Erin Lee, Zainab Husain, Ram Puvanesasingham, Peter Coppin

  Cross-sensory tools to (co)create digital content could revolutionize digital literacy, remote/hybrid work and digital engagement with the wider community. What approach would you take to making a tool that lets you build websites, applications, and shareable media? How do you work and create digital content with others, in a remote/hybrid environment? In this session we will explore and prototype these ideas.

   

Block 10

• Session 10A: 3D virtual reality meeting room

  Session 10A: 3D virtual reality meeting room

  Facilitators: Robert Ingino, Alvaro Quevedo, Ali Raza Syed, David Barter, Patrick Hung

  Participants will experience a 3D digital space where they can hear, chat, and interact with other virtual participants. This experience will be most similar to that of Microsoft Teams or Zoom, but in a 3D digital environment. The participant will have access to a digital 3D virtual reality meeting room with the use of a virtual reality headset. The user will be asked to recall the direction of heard 3D audio, and to discuss their experience of the various virtual reality user interfaces within the experience.

• Session 10B: Navigating Audio Based User Interfaces with Controllers

  Session 10B: Navigating Audio-Based User Interfaces with Controllers

  Facilitators: Robert Ingino, Alvaro Quevedo, Ali Raza Syed, David Barter, Patrick Hung

  The participant will be asked to use two different controllers to navigate a virtual reality menu. The menu will include various user interface elements such as buttons, sliders, and toggles that are commonly found on everyday digital applications. The user will be asked to wear a virtual reality headset, and comment on their user experience as they navigate through each audio based interface element. The goal is to determine how the controller affects the overall user experience when navigating a digital menu.

Workshop Descriptions - Day Three

Block Eleven

• Session 11: Introducing Voiceover into Digital Play in iPad Educational App

  Session 11: Introducing Voiceover into Digital Play in IPad Educational App

  10:15 am - 1:15 pm
  Facilitators: Kathy Beitz, Naveen Benjamin, Laura Loupa, Christina Clarke, Michaela Knot, Chelsea Reys

  Families in this session will be guided through a series of IPad apps being developed to teach VoiceOver skills for those ages 2 and up.  In these hands-on play-based sessions, parents and children will experiment with some of the key Voiceover skills and gestures.  Some of the skills and gestures will include, swiping, single-tap, and overall orientation to the iPad.

Block Twelve

• Session 12: Setting up Foundations for Safe Internet Use and Digital Literacy Skills

  Session 12: Setting up Foundations for Safe Internet Use and Digital Literacy Skills

  2:00 pm - 5:00 pm 
  Facilitators: Kathy Beitz, Michaela Knot, Naveen Benjamin, Chelsea Reys

  Digital literacy skills are an important initiative in education and employment. However, how do digital literacy skills intersect with safe internet use and assistive technologies? Youth and adults will engage in a conversation and activities addressing important skills and competencies required for the development and fostering of digital literacy skills across all age groups. Key priorities will be identified and help finalize the development of a new curriculum for digital literacy in Canada for children and youth with disabilities.

Workshop Descriptions - Day Four (Virtual)

Block Thirteen

• Session 13A: Accessible and Inclusive Internships

  Session 13A: Accessible and Inclusive Internships

  1:00 pm - 2:30 pm 
  Facilitators: Mahadeo Sukhai

  TBA

• Session 13B: Guide Dog Barriers

  Session 13B: Guide Dog Barriers

  3:00 pm - 5:00 pm 
  Facilitator: Peter Field

  This co-design session will pick up from issues raised in the current Gide Dog Access project funded by accessibility Standards Canada. While researching guide dog barriers, several themes have emerged which require more in-depth research. These include:

  1) Conflict between rights: dog allergies and religious freedoms. How can these conflicts be satisfactorily resolved?

  2) role of RCMP and local police: Time and time again RCMP and police do not know the law, or how to enforce it, regarding guide dog access. Inconsistent laws across the country exacerbate the problem. How big is this problem and what actions can be undertaken?

  3) Ineffectiveness of human rights process as recourse: Very little recourse exists with respect to satisfactorily resolving complaints and making successful complainants whole. The current human rights process is long, cumbersome, and places a burden on the complainant. What is wrong with the current resource process(es) and what would be a more effective process? 

  4) pros and cons of legislation:  While legislation can protect, it can also restrict the freedom and movement of guide dog handlers. What is the right balance to strike between protection and freedom?

  5) Role of public education: Current research points to this being the most effective mitigation strategy, but questions remain about how and who should take the lead. Research is truly the best mitigation strategy and how should it be implemented/evaluated.

  6) Fraudulent guide and service dogs. Guide and service dog handlers report that in recent years the legitimacy of their working dogs is increasingly being called into question as so-called “fake” or fraudulent working dogs result in more stringent certification and identification requirements for all guide and service dog handlers. Research how big is the problem and what are some possible solutions.

• Session 13C: To Consent or Not to Consent, that is the Question

  Session 13C: To Consent or Not to Consent, that is the Question

  3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
  Facilitators: Andrew Livingston, Mahadeo Sukhai, Michaela Knot

  There is much information about privacy and data in the media. The purpose of this project will explore individual experiences in providing consent in various aspects of daily life. The ultimate goal will be to draft best practices to maintain and achieve accessible and inclusive consent for individuals experiencing sight loss. What are the mechanisms required to help ensure that individuals with sensory disabilities can have the same expectation of privacy and confidentiality in all aspects of their daily activities, whether at the bank or at the grocery store?

Workshop Descriptions - Day Five (Virtual)

Block Fourteen

• Session 14A: Sustaining Career Transitions & Future Workplace Trends

  Session 14A: Sustaining Career Transitions & Future Workplace Trends

  1:00 pm - 2:30 pm 
  Facilitators: Mahadeo Sukhai, Michaela Knot

  We will have a conversation on how to navigate career transitions across one's career journey and what skills and decisions are required whether someone is moving from school to work, transitioning into a new role, exploring self-employment, new forms of work arrangements, and exiting the workforce.

• Session 14B: Guide Dog Barriers

  Session 14B: Guide Dog Barriers

  3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
  Facilitator: Peter Field

  This co-design session will pick up from issues raised in the current Gide Dog Access project funded by accessibility Standards Canada. While researching guide dog barriers, several themes have emerged which require more in-depth research. These include:

  1) Conflict between rights: dog allergies and religious freedoms. How can these conflicts be satisfactorily resolved?

  2) role of RCMP and local police: Time and time again RCMP and police do not know the law, or how to enforce it, regarding guide dog access. Inconsistent laws across the country exacerbate the problem. How big is this problem and what actions can be undertaken?

  3) Ineffectiveness of human rights process as recourse: Very little recourse exists with respect to satisfactorily resolving complaints and making successful complainants whole. The current human rights process is long, cumbersome, and places a burden on the complainant. What is wrong with the current resource process(es) and what would be a more effective process? 

  4) pros and cons of legislation:  While legislation can protect, it can also restrict the freedom and movement of guide dog handlers. What is the right balance to strike between protection and freedom?

  5) Role of public education: Current research points to this being the most effective mitigation strategy, but questions remain about how and who should take the lead. Research is truly the best mitigation strategy and how should it be implemented/evaluated.

  6) Fraudulent guide and service dogs. Guide and service dog handlers report that in recent years the legitimacy of their working dogs is increasingly being called into question as so-called “fake” or fraudulent working dogs result in more stringent certification and identification requirements for all guide and service dog handlers. Research how big is the problem and what are some possible solutions.

• Session 14C: To Consent or Not to Consent, that is the Question

  Session 14C: To Consent or Not to Consent, that is the Question

  3:00 pm - 5:00 pm 
  Facilitators: Andrew Livingston, Mahadeo Sukhai, Michaela Knot

  There is much information about privacy and data in the media. The purpose of this project will explore individual experiences in providing consent in various aspects of daily life. The ultimate goal will be to draft best practices to maintain and achieve accessible and inclusive consent for individuals experiencing sight loss. What are the mechanisms required to help ensure that individuals with sensory disabilities can have the same expectation of privacy and confidentiality in all aspects of their daily activities, whether at the bank or at the grocery store?

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