Moving forward can feel good, but looking back can be heartening, too.
Just ask Dr. Judy MacDonald, co-chair of the Dalhousie (dis)Ability Caucus for Faculty and Staff, who has seen the university come a long way on accessibility since joining Dal's School of Social Work as a faculty member in 1999.
"At that time, there were only about two women that I remember at Dal that were disability advocates," she said in remarks at a launch event for third-annual Dalhousie Accessibility Week this past Monday (Nov.25).
"We've come a long way in 25 years. We have passionate and dedicated people here at Dal working to make our institution more accessible and we are confident that with adequate resources, we'll continue to dismantle ableism and truly make Dal an accessible and inviting place for disabled persons."
In 2022, Dal released its first Accessibility Plan, which outlines steps the university will take in six key areas to achieve the 2030 provincial goal of being fully accessible.
Quenta Adams and Orla McDevitt, co-chairs of the university's Accessibility Advisory Committee, provided updates on progress made over the past year in each of these areas at the campaign launch. (See the bottom of this article for a snapshot of progress points in each area).
The launch event was followed by a flag-raising on the Studley Quad.
A week of learning
More than 100 people participated in programming during Accessibility Week (Nov. 25-29) this year.
The campaign, which first began in 2022 and takes place in the lead up to the International Day for Persons with Disabilities on Dec. 3 each year, has become an engaging and integral part of the university's efforts to enact change.
"This week really is designed to build awareness around accessibility and also to call out for other people to ensure that they are also being reflective in their work in making this institution more accessible," said Adams, who is Dal's assistant vice-provost, student engagement and success.
Activities ranged from virtual lunch-and-learns on meaningful access in built environments and creating inclusive workplaces for individuals with low vision or blindness to primers on the university's new Able After Dal program and an open house with the Dalhousie (dis)Ability Caucus for Faculty and Staff.
Having a voice
The (dis)Ability caucus served as an important focal point at this year's launch event.
Dr. MacDonald, who is also assistant dean of equity and inclusion in the Faculty of Health, highlighted the importance the group that she co-chairs with Tereigh Ewert, a senior educational developer in Dal's Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT), and Michelle Mahoney, accessibility officer at the University of King's College.
She noted that it is the only disability caucus at a Canadian university that caters to both staff and faculty. "That's critically important to us in order to provide voice across the employment sector of this university," she said.
Dr. MacDonald's point was echoed by her co-presenter at the launch event, Tiffany MacDonald, a career and recruitment specialist with Dal's Management Career Services who has lived experience with a disability.
She recalled bouncing from contract to contract at Dal before she joined the caucus and found the support she needed to seek a permanent role.
"I cannot tell you how amazing it felt to be in this room of my peers who understood my experience and have lived experience themselves, who could make me immediately feel comfortable," she said. "Like I could drop the mask and be myself and talk about my real challenges and experiences."
Points of progress
Below, you'll find a selection of progress points delivered at this year's Accessibility Week launch. A full list will be published in the coming weeks on Dal's Accessibility Plan website:
Built Environment
- Established accessibility criteria in three Facilities Management Design Guideline documents to enhance accessibility for built environment projects
- Developed a digital all-gender and accessible washroom map
- Established snow removal procedures that prioritized accessible entrances
- Developed and released Dalhousie's first Shelter-in-Place Program
- Installed emergency maintenance communication signage in all accessible washrooms across all four campuses.
Teaching, Learning, and Research:
- Developed student staff training programming to include accessibility-related resources
- Created an Accessibility in Course Design Policy taskforce and advisory group
- Launched a Student Accommodation Policy review taskforce.
- Kick-off for Able After Dal, a career-transition program for students entering the workforce or students seeking work-integrated learning experiences
- Developed and adopted a document focusing on accessible event practices
Goods and Services:
- Provided accommodations to students and staff working and living in residence such as standing desks, larger beds, and emotional support animals.
- ITS continued to research and investigate increased use of virtual lab environments that will provide Dalhousie-imaged computer environments without requiring the student to come to a physical lab in a building on campus.
- Dalhousie Arts Centre completed a draft guideline for accessible guest experiences as the leading component of a new guest experience standard and has registered as a participating venue with the Easter Seals Canada's Access2 program.
- Management and supervisory staff participated in EDIA foundations training.
Information and communication:
- Provided accessible communications to Housing and Campus Connections students and staff in a format that met their needs.
- Completed a pilot program for the use of Microsoft Co-pilot within Dalhousie's email, Teams and other parts of the Microsoft suite. The Co-pilot tool brings a new level of accessibility to the faculty, students and staff.
Transportation:
- Initiated repairs on the Agricultural Campus and renewed repairs on the Halifax Campuses
- Created accessible street crossings, widened pedestrian sidewalks, installed tactile attention indicators, and upgraded accessible parking stalls on Cumming Drive and Horseshoe Crescent
- Created an accessible exterior approach and building entrance for Jenkins Hall, including a re-graded and widened sidewalk
- Renewed MacRae Library parking lot, that includes wider accessible crossings, additional accessible parking, and upgraded signage
- Renewed exterior pedestrian sidewalks including stair removals, ramp renewals, and sidewalk repairs around the Life Sciences Centre
- Repaired damaged sidewalks across all campuses
Employment:
- Human Resource's Accessibility, Accommodation and Wellness (AAW) unit has formed a partnership with the Canadian Accessibility Network (CAN) at the Carleton Institute
- 39 employees (high priority medical needs) have secured a family doctor as of the end of Summer 2024, due to a collaboration with Student Health & Wellness
- The myDal HR website was significantly redesigned to centralize services to ensure ease of use, accessible features, and to provide a wide range of internal and external resources and content
- Accessibility, Accommodation and Wellness has provided on-going financial support for Occupational Therapy students who will continue to perform job site assessments and focus on injury prevention
