Accessibility isn’t just about technology. It’s about participation.

After nearly twenty years as an assistive technologist in higher education, Ronald G. Leblanc discovered that the biggest barriers students face are rarely caused by disability alone. More often, they are the result of educational systems that were never designed with human diversity in mind.

In Participation by Design, Leblanc challenges the traditional focus on accommodations and assistive technology, inviting readers to see accessibility through a new lens: meaningful participation. Drawing on real-world experience, systems thinking, and the practical realities of higher education, he introduces the Participation → Barrier → Pathway (PBP) Framework—a simple but powerful way to understand why barriers exist and how institutions can redesign them.

Rather than asking, “What technology does this student need?” this book asks a more important question:

“What is preventing this student from participating?”

Written for assistive technologists, disability professionals, faculty, instructional designers, librarians, administrators, and anyone committed to creating more inclusive learning environments, Participation by Design offers a thoughtful vision for the future of accessibility—one where inclusion is built into education from the very beginning, not added afterward.

Who this book is for:

• Assistive Technologists
• Accessibility Advisors
• Disability Services Professionals
• Faculty
• Instructional Designers
• Librarians
• Educational Technologists
• Accessibility Consultants
• University Administrators
• Graduate students in education