The Equity Team in the Office of the Provost has been working hard at McGill to create an inclusive learning and working environment, where all students, staff and faculty with disabilities feel welcomed and supported. Here is a summary of the various activities and projects we have worked on in the past year as well as a brief look ahead.
New Accessibility Advisor
Rachel Desjourdy, who had been McGill's inaugural Accessibility Advisor since January 2020, left in spring 2021 to pursue new challenges as Accessibility Lead at CBC/Radio-Canada. We are so proud of Rachel and very thankful for all the ground-breaking work she did at McGill. In July 2021, McGill hired Catherine Roy as our new Accessibility Advisor. Catherine brings over 30 years of experience working on disability and accessibility-related issues, particularly in the fields of employment equity, and access to the built environment and to new technologies.
Workshops
Offering workshops on equity-related issues is a big part of the work of the Equity Team. Education is key in raising awareness, increasing capacity, and helping to improve policy and practice. Over the course of the past year, 20 sessions with significant disability-related content were offered to staff or faculty, including:
- Accessibility in the Classroom
- Accessibility in a Field Course
- How to Become an Inclusive TA
- Accessible Online Facilitation
- Inclusive Facilitation
- Accommodating Employees with Disabilities
- Systemic Barriers Equity Workshop
- ITS Equity Workshop on Microaggressions
- Desautels Equity Workshop on Microaggressions
- Conference: Reflecting on Mental Health: Fostering my Resilience
- Web Accessibility Info Session & Hackathon
- Conference: (Still) Living in Pandemia: Cultivating Resilience
Inquiries
An important aspect of the Accessibility Advisor's work is offering individual information and advising to staff and faculty with disabilities on a myriad of subjects. Whether it's advice on disability disclosure, support for workplace accommodations, requests for clear masks, or guidance on policy, the Accessibility Advisor received over 80 requests over the past year.
Central Accommodation Fund
The Central Accommodation Fund was put in place in May 2020 to streamline and standardize the process for financing workplace accommodations at McGill. This annual fund is managed by the Accessibility Advisor and accepts requests on a rolling basis.
Universal Access Capital Projects (UACP)
The Accessibility Advisor also contributes her expertise to Design Services in order to ensure that projects include accessibility requirements. The Accessibility Advisor supports the UACP Working Group and advises on various construction/renovation projects at McGill. She also manages inquiries into the $2M annual UACP Fund. This work is ongoing.
Collaborations
The Accessibility Advisor collaborates on different projects or initiatives at McGill, from developing educational resources, to participating in steering committees or working groups, or helping on accessibility issues with various departments. The Accessibility Advisor is always ready to lend a hand and ensure accessibility is considered throughout a project's life cycle. Here are just a few examples of collaborations in the last year:
- Developing an Accessibility Roadshow with TLS for faculty
- Contributing to presentations with Digital Communications
- Collaborating on the Interactive Accessibility Network to integrate accessibility data to the McGill Campus Map
- Participating in the Web Accessibility Advisory Committee
- Participating in the Human Resources & Equity Committee
- Participating in the McGill Third Century (M3C) Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Evaluation Committee
- Supporting the Employment Equity Community of Practice
- Supporting colleagues on accessibility matters
Looking Ahead: McGill Accessibility Strategy
In spring 2022, the Equity Team launched discussion around the development of McGill's first Accessibility Strategy. Students, staff, and faculty with disabilities and their allies gathered at the Elizabeth Wirth Music School, or participated online via Zoom, to discuss different issues related to accessibility and disability and to share their vision for ensuring McGill continues its efforts to become a more welcoming and inclusive place for all.
Moving forward, we are convening a Working Group to lead the strategy development, and we are inviting students, faculty, and staff with disabilities to contribute as members of the group. The Accessibility Advisor will be supporting that effort over the summer months and will convene the Working Group in fall 2022 to begin work in earnest on the strategy.
We are excited and optimistic about the potential of the Accessibility Strategy to guide the focus and process of the work and to help us to usher in meaningful and lasting change at McGill. We look forward to the 2022-2023 academic year as one filled with possibilities!