Connecting with Everyone: AODA Compliance for Professional Communicators

Tuesday, December 3, 12 to 1 p.m. ET, Zoom

Effective communication is inclusive communication. With the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) coming into full effect on January 1, 2025, now is the time for us to act. As professional communicators, ensuring that your messages reach everyone, regardless of ability, is a legal obligation and an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

This 60-minute session will explore practical ways to integrate accessibility into your communications strategies, from accessible design and content creation to digital media and public relations practices.

You’ll leave equipped with tools and insights to ensure your messages resonate with every audience, enhancing engagement, trust, and brand loyalty.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the core principles of AODA and how they apply to communications strategies.
• Learn practical tips for making written, visual, and digital content accessible.
• Identify common accessibility barriers in communications and best practices to overcome them.
• Gain confidence in using accessibility tools and resources to meet compliance requirements.
• Discover how accessible communications create more inclusive, engaged, and loyal audiences.

Speaker/Facilitator Bio:

Matisse Hamel-Nelis (she/her) is an award-winning Métis communications and digital accessibility consultant based in Toronto. With extensive public relations experience, Matisse is a part-time professor at Durham College, where she developed and now leads the Public Relations Graduate Certificate program.

Matisse is the founder and host of PR & Lattes, a podcast and blog that provides a platform for communications professionals to share insights and ideas on public relations, marketing, and accessibility. Matisse is deeply committed to fostering inclusion and accessibility in all her roles.

Certified as an Accessible Documents Specialist (ADS) and a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) through the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, Matisse is a respected authority on accessibility in digital communications.

Questions or accessibility requests? Email toronto-idea@iabc.to.

Event is open to all Canada IABC chapters

• $15: IABC members ($16.95 with HST)
• $30: Non-members ($33.90 with HST)

REGISTER HERE