The McGill Accessibility Strategy (MAS) is entering a new phase, as the University begins translating years of consultation and planning into concrete action.
Presented to Senate in spring 2025, the five-year strategy aims to improve accessibility across all areas of University life for students, staff, faculty and visitors. With an implementation structure now in place, the focus has shifted to turning commitments into measurable change.
For Catherine Roy, Accessibility Advisor at McGill, the move into implementation highlights both the scale of the work and the importance of sustained effort.
“This is a huge endeavour,” she said. “We’re very conscious that while this is a five-year plan, accessibility work is never really done. This is a first iteration.”
Student experience and the power of perspective
Work on the strategy began in 2022 with a cross-University working group and was informed by extensive consultations in 2024. Those helped shape priorities across student experience, the workplace, physical and digital spaces, research and community engagement.
“ Accessibility touches every corner of the University,” said Tynan Jarrett, Director of McGill’s Equity Team. “The response has to be just as broad.”
Implementation of MAS is being led by the Accessibility Strategy Implementation Committee, supported by five subcommittees advancing work in key areas. Each group develops action plans and identifies priorities for the next five years, with early efforts focused on building foundations and aligning across units. The five subcommittees and their priorities:
- Student Experience: focused on accommodations, accessible living and learning environments, Universal Design, career opportunities and mentorship for students with disabilities
- Workforce: focused on disability representation, retention, community building, disability pride and accommodations for staff and faculty
- Spaces: focused on accessible campus buildings, parking, transport and digital platforms and services
- Outreach: focused on partnerships with disability organizations, sector networks, alumni engagement and supporting students through mentorship and scholarship opportunities
- Research and Knowledge: focused on advancing disability-related research, creating opportunities for scholars, building research networks and supporting interdisciplinary programs.
Collaboration and co-ordination
Roy said that balance between ambition and practicality is central to the strategy’s rollout.
“It’s easy to set targets,” she said. “It’s much harder to implement them in practice. We’re being very pragmatic about where we start and how we build from there.”
Given the breadth of the strategy, co-ordination across units is essential. Subcommittees meet regularly to share progress and identify connections between initiatives.
Roy said that level of collaboration has been one of the most encouraging aspects of implementation so far.
“People are stepping up,” she said. “Units are not just participating, they’re taking ownership of different pieces of the work.”
Lina Di Genova, Senior Director of Student Life and Learning and co-chair of the Student Experience subcommittee, said that collaborative approach is key to addressing the complexity of accessibility.
“Accessibility intersects with everything we do,” she said. “Bringing together different perspectives allows us to design better, more responsive solutions.”
The Student Experience subcommittee is currently focused on reviewing accommodation processes and building a shared understanding of existing systems.
“We don’t want to make assumptions,” she said. “We want to understand what’s already in place and where we can improve.”
Lived experience shaping the work
Consultation with members of disability communities played a central role in shaping the strategy and continues to inform its implementation. Representatives of those communities are part of both the main implementation committee and its subcommittees, contributing to discussions, identifying priorities and helping guide decision-making.
“They help us understand where the real challenges are,” Roy said. “That perspective is essential.”
The University is also creating ongoing opportunities for engagement, including annual town halls and targeted consultations.
“These conversations don’t stop with the strategy,” Jarrett said. “They’re part of how we continue to refine and improve the work.”
Building a culture of accessibility
Beyond individual initiatives, the strategy aims to embed accessibility into everyday practices across the University.
“There’s always a compliance piece to this work,” Jarrett said. “But what’s been really encouraging is the cultural shift. We’re seeing people move beyond thinking of accessibility as a checklist. It’s becoming something that’s integrated into how they think about their work.”
Roy said the road ahead is long, but the direction is clear:
“We’re laying the groundwork now, but looking ahead, the goal is to build something lasting, where accessibility is built into how the University plans, decides and designs everything we do.”
Learn more about the McGill Accessibility Strategy.