IDEA-STEM Consulting Inc.

What IDEA-STEM Consulting Inc. does

IDEA-STEM Consulting Inc. is a disability-led professional services firm founded in 2020 and headquartered in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The company helps organizations in STEM, healthcare, education, and employment embed accessibility and anti-ableism into their core systems through consulting, training, applied research, and thought leadership, rather than treating accessibility as an HR or DEI cultural add-on. Its service portfolio is structured around three progressive consulting packages (Seed, Bloom, Thrive) plus custom collaborations, complemented by training programs (workshops, webinars, masterclasses, train-the-trainer models), speaking engagements, and a research and evaluation practice that produces bilingual, multi-format deliverables.

The company operates with a small team (1-10 employees) and leverages a proprietary five-pillar methodology — Audience-Centered Design, Interactivity, Co-Design, Real-Time Response, and Relational Practice — applied through Universal Design and disability-justice frameworks. Its client base is concentrated in Canadian public-sector and institutional buyers, including the Federal Government of Canada (notably through the Inclusive Science and Accessible Laboratories initiative and the Federal Accessible Science Labs project submitted to Accessibility Standards Canada on 2025-10-31), the University of Toronto Scarborough, and Ontario Tech University. Co-founder Mahadeo Sukhai also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Ontario Tech's Trustworthy AI Lab.

Revenue is generated primarily through fee-for-service consulting engagements billed on multi-year contracts with customized, quote-based pricing, supplemented by training fees, speaking honoraria, and royalties from an Elsevier-published book. The company does not disclose revenue, has not raised institutional funding, and has no disclosed software product or technology platform — its "technology" is its consulting methodology and the lived-experience expertise of its disability-led team.

Name

IDEA-STEM Consulting Inc.

Legal name

IDEA-STEM Consulting Inc.

Website

https://idea-stem.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IDEA-STEM Consulting Inc. is a disability-led Canadian consulting firm that helps governments, universities, healthcare organizations, and STEM employers embed accessibility and anti-ableism into their systems through tiered consulting packages, training, research, and speaking engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Consulting

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD), Engineering Design & Project-Based Learning Programs (EDAMADAB)

Keywords

• Accessibility consulting
• Disability inclusion services
• Inclusive design strategy
• Anti-ableism training
• STEM accessibility advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: IDEA-STEM offers tiered consulting packages (Seed, Bloom, Thrive) that provide accessibility audits, policy development, strategic planning, and multi-year accessibility frameworks. Pricing is customized based on scope, duration, and organizational needs.
2. Training Programs: The company delivers training programs including workshops, webinars, masterclasses, professional development tracks, and train-the-trainer models for STEM, education, healthcare, and employment sectors.
3. Speaking Engagements: Revenue is generated through speaking engagements in various formats including panels, presentations, fireside chats, dialogues, and roundtables for diverse audiences from classrooms to boardrooms.
4. Publications: The company generates revenue through the sale of their published book 'Creating a Culture of Accessibility in the Sciences' published by Elsevier, available for purchase through their website and retail channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IDEA-STEM is a disability-led consulting organization that helps governments, educational institutions, healthcare organizations, and STEM employers embed accessibility and anti-ableism into their systems through tiered consulting packages (Seed, Bloom, Thrive), training and professional development programs, speaking engagements, and applied research and evaluation services. The firm operates almost entirely on lived experience of disability combined with regulatory and sector expertise, delivering customized multi-year engagements plus discrete workshops, webinars, and masterclasses.

Product overview

IDEA-STEM Consulting Inc. is a disability-led consulting organization that offers a portfolio of professional services rather than a software product. Its core offerings include three progressive consulting service packages (Seed, Bloom, and Thrive), training and learning programs, speaking engagement services, and research and evaluation capabilities. The company also publishes educational resources including the book 'Creating a Culture of Accessibility in the Sciences' and delivers the Federal Accessible Science Labs Project in partnership with University of Toronto Scarborough. Services are delivered through customizable engagements grounded in lived experience, anti-ableism principles, and Universal Design methodology, targeting governments, educational institutions, researchers, and businesses in STEM, healthcare, and education sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seed Package – Foundational Engagement

Quantifiable outcome

• Evidence-based approach drawing on more than 60 research papers and government reports
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Toronto ScarboroughcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2025Principal research partner for the Federal Accessible Science Labs project. Dr. Irena Creed of University of Toronto Scarborough served as Principal Investigator, with IDEA-STEM as research team. The project developed bilingual, multi-format resources to support accessible laboratory design across Canada.
• Accessibility Standards CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2025Government oversight body to which the Federal Accessible Science Labs project was submitted. Accessibility Standards Canada develops accessibility standards and measurement frameworks under the Accessible Canada Act to move toward a barrier-free Canada by 2040.
• Ontario Tech University - Trustworthy AI LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOntario Tech University's Trustworthy AI Lab is a research laboratory led by Canada Research Chair Peter Lewis in the Faculty of Business and Information Technology. IDEA-STEM co-founder Mahadeo Sukhai serves as Adjunct Professor and COO of IDEA-STEM. The lab explores how to make the relationship between AI and society work better, with research on critical AI literacy and trust in AI systems.
• Ontario Tech University - Digital Life InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner listed on IDEA-STEM's website as part of their collaborative ecosystem focused on digital life and accessibility research.
• Natural Resources Canada - Inclusive Science and Accessible Laboratories (ISAL) InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISAL is a pilot project led by Natural Resources Canada that demonstrates efforts to address accessibility in laboratory environments. The project selects and upgrades specific sites through an accessibility lens, with IDEA-STEM contributing expertise to this initiative.
• Laboratories CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year, multi-department renewal strategy for federal laboratories. IDEA-STEM's recommendations align with Laboratories Canada's work on modern, accessible, and sustainable laboratories. Laboratories Canada is implementing repeat-able design frameworks across five science hubs.
• CSA Group (Canadian Standards Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSA Group co-branded the Accessible Design for the Built Environment (CAN/ASC B651) standard with Accessibility Standards Canada. IDEA-STEM's recommendations reference this standard for federal lab accessibility.
• Science in BrailleminorOthers
• Canadian Disability Participation Project 2.0minorOthers
• Inclusive Design for Employment Access (Vraie-Idee)minorOthersCommunity partner organization focused on inclusive design for employment access, supporting IDEA-STEM's mission in workplace accessibility.
• ElsevierminorOthersAcademic publisher of IDEA-STEM co-founder Mahadeo Sukhai's book 'Creating a Culture of Accessibility in the Sciences', available for purchase through Elsevier's retail and distribution channels.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Knowbility: Knowbility is a nonprofit accessibility organization that provides training, consulting, and community programs, including the Accessibility Internet Rally for students. Its mix of education, training, and accessibility consulting is closely comparable to IDEA-STEM's service portfolio.
• Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC): IDRC at OCAD University is a leading research and consulting center on inclusive design and accessibility. Like IDEA-STEM, it combines applied research, training, and sector-specific accessibility work, though it operates as an academic research center rather than a private consulting firm.

Broad incumbents

• The Rick Hansen Foundation: The Rick Hansen Foundation is a Canadian disability-focused organization offering accessibility certification (RHFAC), training, and consultation. It overlaps with IDEA-STEM in Canadian accessibility consulting and training, but operates at a much larger scale and broader scope.
• March of Dimes Canada: March of Dimes Canada delivers disability services, accessibility programs, and employment support across the country. It is comparable to IDEA-STEM in its Canadian disability-inclusion focus but operates from a larger, established nonprofit model with a broader service portfolio.
• Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital: Holland Bloorview is a leading pediatric rehabilitation and disability research hospital in Toronto. Its research, training, and accessibility mandate align with IDEA-STEM's evidence-based approach to disability inclusion in education and healthcare settings.
• Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB): CNIB is a large Canadian nonprofit serving people who are blind or partially sighted, where IDEA-STEM co-founder Mahadeo Sukhai previously served as Head of Research & Chief Accessibility Officer. CNIB shares thematic overlap in accessibility advocacy and services though it is significantly larger and broader in mandate.
• Level Access: Level Access is a large, established accessibility consulting and technology firm serving enterprise and government clients with audits, training, and digital accessibility services. It overlaps with IDEA-STEM in training and accessibility strategy but is broader in digital/Web accessibility tooling.

Regional players

• Canadian Disability Participation Project (CDPP 2.0): CDPP 2.0 is a Canadian research network on disability participation and physical activity, already listed as a community partner of IDEA-STEM. It is comparable in accessibility research and community engagement but is academic rather than a private consulting firm.

Emerging players

• The A11Y Project: The A11Y Project is a community-driven open-source effort to raise accessibility awareness and share resources. While it overlaps with IDEA-STEM's training and awareness-building objectives, it is a free resource rather than a paid consulting firm.

Others

• Science in Braille: Science in Braille is a community partner listed on IDEA-STEM's ecosystem that adapts scientific materials for blind and low-vision audiences. It is comparable in spirit and overlapping partnership network but focuses specifically on accessible science content rather than consulting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ideastemcanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/idea-stem-canada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IDEA-STEM Consulting Inc.