Services

Work with Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA

Donna J. Jodhan believes that changing the law is only the first step, and every service on this page starts from that belief. Real progress comes when policies become everyday realities, so that people with disabilities can live, work, travel, learn and create without barriers.

Based in Toronto, Donna brings decades of lived experience and accessibility expertise to her work, together with her legal training, in keeping with her guiding philosophy: turning policy into progress for people with disabilities.

Whether you need a website reviewed, a town hall hosted, a workshop taught or a dinner mystery written for your next event, you will find the details and rates below.

Donna’s Experience and Recognition

Donna does not describe accessibility from the outside. Blind since birth, she knows it firsthand, and she has spent decades turning legal victories into practical, lasting change.

• A landmark accessibility victory.
  In 2010 the Federal Court ruled in Donna’s favour in Jodhan v. Canada (Attorney General), 2010 FC 1197, finding that inaccessible federal government websites violated section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Federal Court of Appeal upheld that ruling in 2012.
• A coalition builder.
  Donna founded Barrier-Free Canada in 2014 and led a coalition steering committee of more than 25 disability organizations in the campaign for what became the Accessible Canada Act, passed in 2019. She testified before Parliament in October 2018.
• Hands-on accessibility work since 2001.
  Through Sterling Creations, her Toronto consulting firm, Donna provides accessibility consulting, inclusive design and assistive technology training.
• Current advisory roles.
  Donna serves on the Air Canada Accessibility Advisory Committee, for a three-year term that runs from December 2023 to January 2027. She also serves on the Canadian Transportation Agency Accessibility Advisory Committee.
• Education in business, technology and law.
  Donna holds a law degree (LLB) from the University of London, conferred in 2022, and a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University. She earned her MBA at McGill University in 1981, becoming one of the first blind Canadians to do so. She is an Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP) and a certified French-to-English translator from the University of Toronto.
• Recognized for her contribution.
  Her honours include the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Award (2022) and Person of the Year from the Canadian Council of the Blind (2017). The Council of Canadians with Disabilities gave her its National Award for Valued Contribution to the Disability Rights Movement (2010), and the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians gave her its Unsung Hero Award (2008). Backbone Magazine named her one of its Top 15 Canadians in Digital Technology.

Find the Right Service

Donna’s services are grouped into six areas, and more services with rates on request follow at the end. Find the area that fits your needs, then go to the heading with the same name.

• Disability Legal Support Services
  For people and organizations involved in disability-related cases and advocacy.
• Engagement and Communication Services
  For organizations holding roundtables, town halls or other structured public engagement.
• Consulting and Advising
  For organizations and government bodies working on strategy and policy development, including committees and advisory groups.
• Podcast Management
  For anyone who wants help producing a podcast, from concept to publication.
• Workshops and Camps
  For youth and families, including high school students and young adults moving on to life after school.
• Dinner Mystery Evenings
  For hosts of social, corporate and community events, including dinners and parties.
• Also Available: Rates on Request
  For anyone looking for a speaker, accessibility consulting, assistive technology training or sight loss coaching.

Disability Legal Support Services

These services support people and organizations involved in disability-related cases and advocacy. They draw on Donna’s lived experience as a blind person, her accessibility expertise and her legal training.

Donna is a law graduate, not a lawyer. She does not provide legal advice or legal representation. If you need legal advice, please speak with a lawyer.

Donna earned her law degree (LLB) from the University of London in 2022. She has also brought a disability rights case of her own: in 2007 she launched a constitutional challenge against the Government of Canada over inaccessible federal websites, and won in the Federal Court in 2010.

• Document Reviews and Reports
  A thorough review of your case documents from an accessibility and lived-experience perspective, followed by a detailed written analysis with recommendations.
  Rate: $150 USD per hour
• Website Reviews and Reports
  An evaluation of websites for accessibility and for compliance with recognized accessibility standards, with a written report of the findings.
  Rate: $200 USD per hour
• Expert Testimony
  Donna is available to testify on accessibility and disability-related subject matter, virtually or in person.
  Virtual: $250 USD per hour
  In person: $500 USD per hour, plus travel expenses
• Witness Reports
  Preparation and submission of expert witness reports for court or tribunal proceedings.
  Rate: $300 USD per hour
• On-Demand Consultation
  Consulting and advisory support, as needed, on accessibility and the lived experience of disability in ongoing or emerging disability-related cases. This is not legal advice.
  Virtual: $250 USD per hour
  In person: $500 USD per hour, plus travel expenses

Engagement and Communication Services

Donna helps organizations foster inclusive and effective dialogue through structured public engagement. Bringing many organizations to one table is work she has done on a national scale: in 2014 she founded Barrier-Free Canada and convened a steering committee of more than 25 disability organizations, drafting principles for federal accessibility legislation.

• Facilitation of Roundtables and Town Halls
  Skilled moderation designed to ensure meaningful participation and balanced discussion.
  Virtual: $250 USD per hour
  In person: $500 USD per hour, plus travel expenses
• Event Setup and Hosting
  End-to-end management of town halls, from planning and logistics to hosting and participant engagement.
  Planning: $200 USD per hour
  Virtual hosting: $250 USD per hour
  In-person hosting: $500 USD per hour, plus travel expenses
• Post-Event Reporting
  Comprehensive reports summarizing the discussion, the outcomes and actionable insights.
  Rate: $300 USD per hour

Consulting and Advising

Donna contributes to strategic and policy development initiatives, bringing the perspective of lived experience to that work.

She served on the Elections Canada Advisory Group for Disability Issues, and received an award from Elections Canada for that service in 2018. She also served on the Canadian Human Rights Commission Accessibility Advisory Committee, and is a former President and Second Vice-President of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians.

• Committee and Advisory Group Participation
  Serving as an advisor or committee member, offering informed perspectives and evidence-based recommendations.
  Virtual: $250 USD per day
  In person: $500 USD per day, plus travel expenses

Podcast Management

Donna has hosted and produced Podcasts By Donna Jodhan since 2024. Her shows include Remarkable World Commentary, Ask Donna: Advocacy in Action, Ask the Sight Loss Coach, Ask the Scam Watcher and Dining with Donna.

Podcast Management covers all aspects of producing your podcast, from concept to publication, backed by that hosting and production experience.

• Guest Sourcing and Interviewing
  Identifying and engaging relevant, inspiring guests for your audience.
  Rate: quoted on request
• Production Oversight
  Managing the whole process, from recording through editing to delivery of finished, professional-quality episodes.
  Rate: $200 USD per hour

Workshops and Camps

Young people with disabilities deserve every opportunity to build skills, confidence and a sense of community. Since 2024, Donna has been an instructor at the Envisioning Youth Empowerment (EYE) Retreat, teaching Advocacy 101 and Entrepreneurship 101 to blind and vision-impaired youth.

In 2024 she also launched “Transitioning to a New World,” a mentorship programme for youth with disabilities. Through the services below, Donna designs and delivers educational and developmental experiences for youth and families.

• Virtual and In-Person Workshops
  Interactive sessions tailored to specific learning or development goals.
  Virtual: $250 USD per hour
  In person: $500 USD per hour, plus travel expenses
• Weekend Camps
  Hosting camps for parents, and for young adults and high school students transitioning to life after school, focused on skills, confidence and community connection.
  Virtual: $500 USD per day
  In person: $1,000 USD per day, plus travel expenses

Dinner Mystery Evenings

Since 2014, Donna has written, voiced and produced original audio mysteries as “Detective DJ.” The stories feature a blind detective and are designed to entertain sighted and blind audiences alike, while helping to combat bullying.

She also hosts her own interactive “court’s in session” dinner mystery fundraisers, with proceeds supporting children’s camps and toy drives. The services below bring creativity and entertainment to your own social and corporate events.

• Custom Story and Game Design
  Writing and producing personalized mystery plays, interactive stories and themed game shows.
  Virtual: $1,000 USD for a three-hour evening
  In person: $2,000 USD for a three-hour evening, plus travel expenses
• Event Production
  Full creation and delivery of engaging, team-building experiences for dinners, parties and community gatherings.
  Virtual: $1,000 USD for a three-hour evening
  In person: $2,000 USD for a three-hour evening, plus travel expenses

Also Available: Rates on Request

Donna’s work reaches beyond the six areas above. The services below have no published rate and are quoted on request.

• Speaking Engagements
  Donna welcomes invitations to speak on disability rights, digital accessibility and inclusive policy reform.
  Rate: quoted on request
• Accessibility Consulting
  Through Sterling Creations, Donna offers accessibility consulting focused on inclusive design, digital accessibility and website usability testing. Written evaluations of websites for accessibility and compliance are listed separately, with a rate, under Website Reviews and Reports.
  Rate: quoted on request
• Assistive Technology Training
  Through Sterling Creations, Donna offers training on the NVDA, JAWS and Dolphin screen readers and on iOS accessibility, including VoiceOver on iPhone and iPad. She has been an Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP) since 2020.
  Rate: quoted on request
• Sight Loss Coaching
  Coaching for people of all ages living with sight loss, drawing on Donna’s decades of lived experience to build confidence, independence and assistive technology skills.
  Rate: quoted on request

How Rates Work

Clear information makes for a good start, so here is how the rates on this page are shown.

• Currency.
  All rates are in US dollars, shown as USD after each amount.
• Rates are hourly, daily or per evening.
  Each service entry shows which applies. Dinner mystery services are priced for a three-hour evening.
• Virtual or in person.
  Some services have separate rates for virtual and in-person delivery, and those entries list both rates.
• Some services are quoted on request.
  Guest Sourcing and Interviewing is quoted individually, and so are speaking engagements, accessibility consulting, assistive technology training and sight loss coaching. Write to Donna to ask for a quote.

Accessible Formats on Request

Services about access should be accessible to everyone who uses them. Every document relating to these services is available in alternate accessible formats on request.

How to Get Started

Whether you are a government body, a company, an educator, a community group or a family, Donna would like to hear from you.

Write to Donna at donna@donnajodhan.com to ask about any service, request a quote, invite her to speak, arrange a media interview or request information in another format. Please do not include confidential case details in your first message. To help her understand what you need, please include:

1. The service or services you are interested in.
2. Your location, and whether you would like virtual or in-person delivery for services that offer both.
3. Your preferred dates or timeline.
4. A few words about yourself or your organization, and what you hope to achieve.

Donna’s personal motto is “making things better than possible,” and it is the spirit in which every service on this page is offered.

Let’s build a barrier-free future together!

Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA
Global Leader In Disability Rights, Digital Accessibility, And Inclusive Policy Reform
Turning policy into progress for people with disabilities.

Connect With Me:

🌍 Website: https://donnajodhan.com
📧 Email: donna@donnajodhan.com

✏️ Blog (1): https://donnajodhan.com/blog
✏️ Blog (2): https://donnajodhan.com/sterling1
✏️ Blog (3): https://donnajodhan.com/sterling2
✏️ Blog (4): https://donnajodhan.com/blogspot

🛒 Etsy: https://donnajodhan.com/etsy

🎙️ Podcasts (Web): https://donnajodhan.com/podcasts
🎙️ Podcasts (Apple): https://donnajodhan.com/podcasts-apple
🎙️ Podcasts (Amazon): https://donnajodhan.com/podcasts-amazon
🎙️ Podcasts (Spotify): https://donnajodhan.com/podcasts-spotify
🎙️ Podcasts (iHeart): https://donnajodhan.com/podcasts-iheart-radio

💬 Facebook: https://donnajodhan.com/facebook
💬 LinkedIn: https://donnajodhan.com/linkedin
💬 X1 (Formerly Twitter): https://donnajodhan.com/x1
💬 X2 (Formerly Twitter): https://donnajodhan.com/x2

📽️ YouTube: https://donnajodhan.com/youtube
🛜 RSS: https://donnajodhan.com/feed