Community Guidelines

Last Updated: October 15, 2025

Our Community Discussions are a space for learners, professionals, and advocates to connect, share insights, ask questions, and support one another in creating more accessible and universally designed spaces. We’re committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive, and productive environment for all members.

These Community Guidelines help us maintain a positive space where everyone feels welcome to participate and learn. By engaging in our Community Discussions, you agree to follow these guidelines.

Our Values

Respect: We treat all community members with dignity and respect, regardless of background, experience level, or perspective.

Inclusivity: We welcome diverse voices and experiences. Universal design is for everyone, and so is our community.

Professionalism: We maintain professional standards in our interactions, even when we disagree.

Growth: We’re all here to learn. We support questions, curiosity, and constructive dialogue.

Safety: We prioritize creating a safe environment where members feel comfortable sharing and learning.

Expected Behavior

Do:

Be respectful and courteous

  • Treat others as you would want to be treated
  • Acknowledge that people have different perspectives and experiences
  • Disagree thoughtfully and constructively

Stay on topic

  • Keep discussions relevant to universal design, accessibility, and related professional topics
  • Post in the appropriate course discussion area
  • Use descriptive subject lines when starting new threads

Share constructively

  • Provide helpful, actionable feedback
  • Share resources and knowledge that benefit the community
  • Ask questions—there are no “silly” questions here

Respect privacy

  • Do not share others’ personal information without consent
  • Keep client, patient, and workplace information confidential
  • Do not share legally protected health information (PHI/HIPAA-protected data)
  • Be mindful of professional boundaries

Give credit

  • Acknowledge sources when sharing others’ ideas or work
  • Respect intellectual property rights
  • Attribute quotes and external resources appropriately

Report concerns

  • If you see content that violates these guidelines, report it to us at [email protected]
  • Help us maintain a positive community by speaking up

Don’t:

Harassment and discrimination

  • Do not harass, bully, or discriminate against other members
  • Do not make personal attacks or insults
  • Do not use hate speech or promote discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic

Inappropriate content

  • Do not post profanity, vulgar language, or name-calling
  • Do not share pornographic, sexually explicit, or sexually suggestive content
  • Do not post content that depicts, displays, or suggests violence
  • Do not share content that exploits or abuses children in any way

Harmful or illegal activity

  • Do not encourage or promote illegal activities
  • Do not share content intended to harm, threaten, or intimidate others
  • Do not post malicious links, viruses, or malware
  • Do not attempt to hack, phish, or compromise other users’ accounts

Spam and commercial activity

  • Do not post spam, junk content, or chain messages
  • Do not advertise products or services without our explicit permission
  • Do not use the community solely for self-promotion
  • Do not repeatedly post the same content across multiple discussions

Privacy violations

  • Do not share personal information about others without their consent
  • Do not share legally protected health information (PHI)
  • Do not impersonate others or misrepresent your identity or affiliations
  • Do not share others’ private messages or communications

Intellectual property violations

  • Do not post copyrighted content without permission
  • Do not share course materials outside of their intended use (see our Copyright Policy)
  • Do not plagiarize or claim others’ work as your own

Disruptive behavior

  • Do not intentionally derail conversations or create conflict
  • Do not post off-topic content repeatedly
  • Do not make false or misleading claims to manipulate discussions

Professional Conduct

Many members of our community are licensed professionals, including occupational therapists and other healthcare providers. We expect all members to:

  • Maintain professional boundaries appropriate to their discipline
  • Follow their professional code of ethics when participating in discussions
  • Not provide specific medical, legal, or professional advice to individuals in the community
  • Respect client/patient confidentiality at all times
  • Acknowledge their scope of practice and not represent themselves as experts outside their area of qualification

Important: Community Discussions are for educational purposes and general professional development. They do not replace professional consultation, licensure requirements, or individual client/patient assessment.

Content Ownership and Use

Your Content:

  • You retain ownership of content you post in Community Discussions
  • By posting, you grant The UD Project an unrestricted, unlimited license to use, display, and distribute your content (see our Copyright Policy for details)
  • You are responsible for ensuring you have the right to share any content you post

Our Content:

  • Course materials and content created by The UD Project remain our intellectual property
  • Do not copy, distribute, or reproduce course materials outside of permitted uses
  • See our Copyright Policy for complete terms

Moderation and Enforcement

We reserve the right to:

  • Remove content that violates these guidelines
  • Edit or move posts to appropriate discussion areas
  • Issue warnings to members who violate guidelines
  • Temporarily suspend or permanently ban members who repeatedly violate guidelines or engage in serious violations
  • Report illegal activity to appropriate authorities

Our moderation process:

  1. First occurrence: Content removal and/or friendly reminder about guidelines
  2. Second occurrence: Formal warning and content removal
  3. Third occurrence or serious violation: Temporary suspension or permanent account termination

Serious violations (harassment, illegal content, protected health information sharing, threats of violence) may result in immediate account termination without prior warning.

Appeals: If you believe your content was removed in error or your account was suspended unfairly, you may contact us at [email protected] within 30 days to request a review.

Reporting Violations

If you encounter content or behavior that violates these Community Guidelines:

Report to us at: [email protected]

Include in your report:

  • The specific post or user involved
  • Date and time of the incident
  • Description of the violation
  • Any relevant screenshots (optional but helpful)

We review all reports and will respond within 3-5 business days. We take reports seriously and will investigate thoroughly while maintaining confidentiality.

Accessibility in Our Community

We strive to make our Community Discussions accessible to all members:

  • Use clear, plain language when possible
  • Add alt text or descriptions when sharing images (this is a work in progress with the software developers; we can’t set them yet)
  • Use descriptive link text instead of “click here”
  • Break long posts into paragraphs for easier reading
  • Be patient with members using assistive technologies

If you encounter accessibility barriers in the community, please contact us at [email protected].

Your Responsibilities

By participating in Community Discussions, you agree to:

  • Follow these Community Guidelines
  • Comply with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
  • Take responsibility for the content you post
  • Respect the intellectual property of others
  • Report violations when you see them
  • Help maintain a positive, productive community environment

Legal Terms

These Community Guidelines supplement our Terms of Service. For complete legal terms regarding:

  • Prohibited uses and content
  • Intellectual property rights
  • Account termination procedures
  • Liability and indemnification

Please see our Terms of Service.

Updates to These Guidelines

We may update these Community Guidelines periodically to reflect community needs and platform changes. Updates will be posted here with a revised “Last Updated” date. Continued participation in Community Discussions after updates constitutes acceptance of the revised guidelines.

Questions or Concerns

If you have questions about these Community Guidelines or need clarification about what’s acceptable, please contact us:

Email: [email protected]
Phone: (540) 908-3473

We’re here to help create a welcoming, productive community for everyone.