Rick Hansen Foundation and PowerED™ by AU partner to offer “Accessible Spaces 101” online course
PowerED™ by Athabasca University (AU) and The Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) are proud to announce the launch of Accessible Spaces 101.
This new course builds on the success of the first-ever online offering of Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ (RHFAC) Training. RHF and PowerED™ have taken the fundamental elements of RHFAC Training to create a new offering open to anyone who has an interest in understanding more about how building design can improve accessibility.
Accessible Spaces 101 is a fully on-demand course, meaning that it is completely self-guided and can be completed in as little as 16 hours or in a time frame that works for the learner. It is for anyone that wants to learn more about accessible spaces but is especially relevant for those working in areas such as human resources, diversity and inclusion, physical and occupational therapy, or property management.
This course examines the impact of the social and physical environment on persons with disabilities and introduces the application of Universal Design for creating meaningful access. Course participants will:
- develop the ability to support the unique capabilities of a diverse workforce and customer base that includes people with disabilities;
- improve decision-making skills relating to improving accessibility in work and living environments, operations, and service delivery; and
- increase value to cross-functional teams by incorporating accessibility into project goals.
“This type of course has been in demand since we launched RHFAC Training in 2017. We are incredibly proud to be able to work together with PowerED™ by Athabasca University on creating and delivering a course which will ultimately allow more people to understand the critical need of accessibility and be empowered to make improvements to ensure all people can equitably access all spaces.”
– Jenny Blome, RHF Manager of Special Projects and course development lead
“Making spaces inclusive for all fits directly with AU’s mission of removing barriers for all learners to increase access to education. This is how we enable the transformation of communities, and this starts by looking at the built environment that surrounds us. Creating a course available to anyone with an interest in making spaces more accessible helps remove some of those barriers – both to education, and to physical spaces. We are so proud to partner with the Rick Hansen Foundation to bring greater awareness to improving accessibility to the workspaces where we spend so much of our time.”
– Jessica Scott, Director of PowerED™
This course will be available starting January 18, 2021. It has no pre-requisites and does not act as a pre-requisite for Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ (RHFAC) Training.
To learn more or to register, visit the Accessible Spaces 101 course webpage.
About the Rick Hansen Foundation
The Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) was established in 1988, following the completion of Rick Hansen’s Man In Motion World Tour. For over 30 years, RHF has worked to raise awareness, change attitudes, and remove barriers for people with disabilities. Visit the Rick Hansen website to learn more.
About PowerED™ by Athabasca University
PowerED™ is an award-winning entrepreneurial unit within Athabasca University, that builds on the university’s rich history of online learning, flexibility, and accessibility. PowerED™ embraces innovation and next-level learning. PowerED™ focuses on assisting organizations to develop and deploy their own digital learning strategies. PowerED™ is committed to providing tangible tools and training to inspire breakthroughs—for individuals, employees, and organizations—with immediate impact. Power for Business. Power for People. Power for Good. Visit the PowerED website to learn more.
