Employee Accessibility Network
Inspired by the community building efforts of McMaster students with disabilities, and in response to provincial accessibility legislation, the Equity and Inclusion Office invites staff and faculty who personally identify with disability-related issues to join the already-established Employee Accessibility Network!
The Employee Accessibility Network (EAN) was formed in response to provincial accessibility legislation. Meetings are hosted monthly by the Equity and Inclusion Office on McMaster’s main campus (with a phone-in option).
Who can attend?
- McMaster employees (e.g., TAs, RAs, student employees, etc.)
- Individuals who identify with disability-related issues (e.g., experience disability, disablement, chronic illness, and/or a health, mental health or addiction concern)
- Those who want to learn more about workplace accessibility and accommodations
- Those who are interested in meeting confidentially with other employees with disabilities to share information and offer suggestions for enhancing accessibility at McMaster
What do we do?
Most meetings include a mix of peer support, consultation, and strategizing related to:
- workplace accommodations
- employment equity
- career advancement
- accessibility in the workplace (e.g., work schedules, parking)
- negotiating disability/disclosure at work
- policy-related discussions
- other topics introduced by members!
Get in touch (confidentially)!
Kate Brown,
Accessibility Program Manager
Equity and Inclusion Office: access@mcmaster.ca
McMaster Accessibility Council
MAC is responsible for ensuring the University’s adherence to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
MAC provides a mechanism for planning, reviewing and evaluating the implementation of the AODA Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation within the University. It is responsible for addressing identified barriers, developing plans for their removal and taking steps to prevent future barriers. MAC will also review work from previous years to determine if all objectives have been met, identify reasons for unaddressed objectives, and specify how these objectives can be re-instituted going forward. MAC reviews its membership on an annual basis to ensure adequate representation from persons with disabilities.
McMaster University introduced its first accessibility plan entitled the McMaster University Accessibility Plan 2012-2025 in compliance with the Ontario Disabilities Act (ODA) in the 2003-2004 academic year. This plan outlines accomplishments that have been achieved over the last few years in terms of the removal and prevention of barriers; however, the list is not exhaustive. McMaster recognizes that individual departments make many efforts to accommodate without necessarily seeking recognition. The university applauds such efforts and encourages continuation of these practices. This document contains a record of known accomplishments as a means of demonstrating its efforts in the removal and prevention of barriers to access for persons with disabilities. The continually expanding McMaster University Accessibility Plan 2012-2025 document is one snapshot in a series of successive plans, and is a model for future accessibility plans. The document retains a progressive plan of activities that forecast full implementation of the AODA standards by 2025. MAC will update this plan annually in order to capture progress made by the University to ensure full compliance with the AODA.
Peer Communities & Support
The groups and communities below exist to support faculty, staff and students with disabilities at the University through peer support and networking, intellectual discussion, and professional development opportunities.
Information Box Group
Employee Accessibility Network
The Employee Accessibility Network is an online and in-person network of employees (faculty and staff) with disabilities at McMaster University. The Network supports peer networking and professional development for members, and acts additionally as an accessibility consultation group to the McMaster Accessibility Council. Please click below to learn more.
MSU Maccess
MSU Maccess is a community, peer support, and advocacy outlet for students with disabilities and disabled students at McMaster University.
Disability & Mad Studies Reading Group
An accessible social and intellectual disability community on campus with a focus on supporting socially, intellectually and practically disabled graduate students at McMaster and people with disabilities who are considering applying to graduate school. Anyone is welcome to participate, including those not affiliated with McMaster.
Disability, Inclusion, Madness, Accessibility, Neurodiversity (DIMAND) Working Group
The Disability Inclusion, Madness, Accessibility, Neurodiversity (DIMAND) Working Group endeavours to identify and recommend to the University, through PACBIC, the prevention and removal of barriers that persons with disabilities encounter on the main campus and other McMaster sites as well as through programs, policies, practices, and services provided by the University. Please connect with the below email address to join!
Services & Programs
Scroll down to view relevant services and programs for accessing support in the areas of academic and workplace accommodation, library accessibility, disability benefits and more!
Contact Us
Student Accessibility Services
Employee Health Services
Library Accessibility Services
Inclusion Initiatives
Please scroll below to check out some of the incredible accessibility, disability and mad-centred initiatives and projects that McMaster community members have created and moved forward at the University.
Information Box Group

Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Update Highlights 2019-2020
The Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Update is a collective campus community publication facilitated through the Equity and Inclusion Office, which highlights and celebrates the Accessibility and Disability Inclusion work that takes place at McMaster University on an annual basis.

Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Update 2018-2019
The Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Update is a collective campus community publication facilitated through the Equity and Inclusion Office, which highlights and celebrates the Accessibility and Disability Inclusion work that takes place at McMaster University on an annual basis

Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Update 2017-2018
The Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Update is a collective campus community publication facilitated through the Equity and Inclusion Office, which highlights and celebrates the Accessibility and Disability Inclusion work that takes place at McMaster University on an annual basis

Open Accessibility: An Illustrated Story of Disability Advocacy at McMaster
Open Accessibility is an accessible comic, created by artist and student, Michelle Sayles, to capture and illustrate a history of disability work and advocacy at McMaster University and to supplement McMaster’s FLEX Forward accessible education resource for instructional staff
McMaster User Testing Report for Web Accessibility Project
The User Testing Report for Web Accessibility Project was created, coordinated, and led by a collaborative partnership of students, staff and instructors with disabilities at McMaster to investigate the testing of an institutional accessibility website for AODA web accessibility compliance