Workshop: Accessibility Strategies for a more Inclusive Canadian Archive

Workshop: Accessibility Strategies for a more Inclusive Canadian Archive

April 2, 2025 - 1-3 pm ET via Zoom

The current rate of disability in Canada is around 27%. This is a rate increase of 5% within the last 5 years. Archives need to be proactive in offering support, employment opportunities, and services to the increasing number of disabled Canadians. Archives in Canada, like much of the world, are currently behind when it comes to discussions around accessibility and implementing best practices in their policies and procedures. This workshop is a starting point to address these accessibility gaps. Language around disability can be interweaving, so also included n this workshop is neurodiversity and chronic illness. this workshop brings a person-centred approach to archival accessibility that not only includes users but also donors, staff, interns and students. The workshop will be centred around themes that include accessible programming, cataloguing, archival digital/physical spaces, training and equitable hiring practices. Note that this workshop is  not meant to be academic in nature, and is instead an opportunity for participants to collaborate on how their institution can better include disabled Canadians, neurodivergent Canadians, and Canadians with chronic illness.

Participants will leave the workshop with some accessibility strategies and action items that they can begin to implement within their own institutions. Current accessibility related resources will be shared.

Instructor: Dr. Michael Marlatt is a disabled film archivist, archival producer, and archival accessibility consultant. He received his PhD from York University's Communications and Culture Program where he examined accessibility gaps in moving image archival education. Michael has previously held archival accessibility workshops with higher education, broadcast archives, government archives, non-profits, and archival professional organizations.

Workshop will be limited to 20 participants.