Regulating the Digital Domain

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About RtDD

Regulating the Digital Domain (RtDD) project focused on addressing the persistent challenges and disparities that people with disabilities face in accessing information and communication technologies (ICT) and digital tools.

From 2023 to 2026 the RtDD team:

worked to uncover root causes of barriers,
focused on systemic issues that support digital exclusion,
identified potential ways to interrupt and eliminate, improve or prevent barriers from becoming worse
enhanced the accessibility of digital tools, content, transactions, and computer-mediated processes (using two or more electronic devices for a process) for people with disabilities.

The RtDD goal was to significantly improve digital inclusion and ICT accessibility for the full range of people with disabilities. To make improvements, the project addressed the design of a regulatory system that focuses on the challenges of regulating within the digital domain. The project findings informed Accessibility Standards Canada on greater accessibility to digital tools, content, transactions and/or computer-mediated processes.

The Six Challenges

The RtDD team will design and propose regulatory approaches and systems that:

address the diversity and complexity of accessibility needs, including the needs of small minorities and outliers,
are suited to the exponential rates of change of ICT and designed to proactively prevent emerging barriers,
support and require integrated accessibility approaches over segregated approaches to support interoperability and benefits to all users,
support rather than constrain accessibility innovation,
do not create incentives for the perpetuation of the problem,
engage and empower people with disabilities and their communities to shape regulatory requirements, inform methods of meeting requirements, identify regulatory gaps, and continuously refine the regulatory system.

In the project, these six challenges were addressed through the development of three model approaches. These models were created through a series of co-design research activities with experts with lived experience of disability.

The Models and How We Got There

How the models were developed:

1. Learning how standards and regulation work

The research began with a game-based learning activity. Participants explored the standards development process, identified where participation can be difficult, and began imagining how the system could be more inclusive.

2. Identifying lived experiences of digital barriers

The next phase focused on barriers experienced in websites, devices, kiosks, learning platforms, customer service systems, automated decision tools, and other digital environments. These examples showed that accessibility failures are often systemic. Digital tools may appear technically compliant but still be difficult or impossible to use when accessibility is not built into planning, design, development, testing, procurement, and ongoing maintenance.

3. Re-imagining digital accessibility regulation

A third phase invited advisors to re-imagine digital accessibility regulation. Using a structured co-design method, participants generated eleven possible approaches, including process-based regulation, inclusive learning, integrated accessibility, meaningful involvement of people with disabilities, and accessibility testing sandboxes. These ideas helped shape the direction of the models.

4. Developing and refining three model approaches

The project then moved into three working groups focused on systemic standards and processes, education and capacity building, and innovation and emerging technologies. Each group developed one model approach. Community members and advisors later reviewed short overview videos and provided feedback that helped refine the models, improve clarity, and strengthen the role of lived experience expertise.

What the Models Emphasize

Together, the three RtDD models move beyond one-time compliance checks. They focus on building systems that can learn, adapt, and improve over time. The models emphasize organizational capability, inclusive education, responsible innovation, meaningful participation, and the central role of people with disabilities in designing, testing, governing, and improving digital technologies.

Model 1: Inclusion Process Pathway

The inclusion process pathways model helps organizations understand how to strengthen their accessibility practices, and the evidence it generates can demonstrate meaningful progress to regulators.

Model 2: Inclusive Learning Framework

The Inclusive Learning Framework is a flexible and practical guide for embedding accessibility into lesson plans and teaching approaches across any subject matter.

Model 3: Digital Inclusion Framework for Developers

The Digital Inclusion Framework for Developers is a process-based framework for inclusive innovation that integrates accessibility throughout the development lifecycle.