Community of Practice and Care: Accessibility in Teaching and Learning

DESCRIPTION

We warmly invite graduate students and postdoctoral educators to join a community of practice and care (CoPC) on the theme of accessibility in teaching and learning. This program will be grounded in the principles of radical care, disability justice, and slow academia. This virtual space has been designed to foster connection amongst graduate students, offering a supportive, collaborative environment for pedagogical exploration and capacity building.

What to expect

During lightly facilitated, biweekly online gatherings in the winter semester, we will seek to do the following:

  • Build networks of care
  • Explore strategies for proactively building accessibility into our courses
  • Identify ways that the Universal Design for Learning framework can support accessible and engaging teaching / learning communities
  • Cultivate sustainable and collaborative teaching practices
  • Identify and collate campus resources that support pedagogy and well-being

Possible topics of conversation include practical strategies for designing accessible courses and classrooms, the intersections between accessibility and accommodations, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Sessions will be lightly structured, with optional readings or reflections to deepen our collective engagement. We welcome you to co-create this community with us.

Upon registration, you will receive a link to a Qualtrics survey to introduce yourself and identify possible meeting times. We will finalize the schedule and reach out once registration closes, based on scheduling that works for the greatest number of participants. We anticipate that our first meeting will be held in mid to late January 2026. The deadline for registration is Monday, January 5, 2026

CoPC Information

Offered

Winter term: January to April 2026 (Registration is open until January 5th by 4:00pm)

Audience

Graduate students and Postdoctoral scholars interested in creating more inclusive learning environments at Western.

How to Join

Register for the Community of Practice and Care through the Centre for Teaching and Learning.

Registration Instructions

Here are the steps to register for the CoPC: Accessibility in Teaching and Learning for Winter term 2026:

  1. Login to Western Connect using your Western username and password.
  2. Go to the Event Calendars section and select the Centre for Teaching and Learning calendar.
  3. Select the event you wish to register in. Details and a description of the program will appear.
  4. Select the Register on Waiting List button. You will receive an automated confirmation email to your Western email account.
  5. To complete your registration to be considered for enrolment, complete the registration form found in your automated waitlist confirmation email. If we do not receive a completed registration survey by the January 5th deadline, you will not be considered for enrolment.

Due to limited enrolment, we are not able to accept everyone who completes the registration process. If a spot does not become available for you, we encourage you to register for the next CoPC.

If you have any questions or problems registering for an event, please consult our help guide or contact ctl@uwo.ca.

You may also be interested in these programs:

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