Author: Mihai Covaser
Whether you are a new undergraduate or a seasoned PhD student, navigating disability advocacy at the post-secondary level is not easy. Even once you’ve applied, been accepted, secured funding and found accommodations, the sudden and unexpected are never far away. Sometimes, even with the best preparation, conflict still arises around disability, and it is important to have a toolkit ready for when it does.
Who can I turn to?
First and foremost, it is important to familiarize yourself with the various offices that operate in a post-secondary institution and offer services on which students and staff rely. Not only can many of the usual avenues (such as accessibility advisors, Deans’ offices etc.) be overcrowded and difficult to reach, but often, the most efficient and effective path to change involves those who are directly responsible for the issue at hand. For example, accessibility advisors often have no say over a university’s-built environment, even if they are responsible for securing the accommodations necessary for you to be able to access it. If you encounter a problem with a winter walkway, a notorious flight of stairs or an out-of-service elevator, the best place to go for a rapid solution is often the Facilities office. These are the university employees responsible for the maintenance of university grounds and structures. Each university has a Directories page that lists its offices and staff (add link?). Remember, if you are looking to solve a particular problem at your school, consider that the more relevant departments you get involved in, the more quickly you may see results.
Communities of Care
Many post-secondary institutions today also benefit from what are called “communities of care”. These are often student- and/or staff-led groups that host meetings to discuss issues with peers with lived experience, raise money to pursue accessibility projects, or simply act as a point of contact and referral. For example, UBC has the Disability United Collective (DUC) and the Disability Affinity Group (DAG) that support students and staff with disabilities and even have active roles in drafting UBC’s Accessibility Plan. For those looking for more one-on-one advice, Residence Advisors (RAs) on campus, academic advisors, and even professors can be great resources to tap into. Communities of care excel in providing more personalized and informal support by advocating for people with disabilities on campus or offering tools for those looking for ways to self-advocate. These groups are often called upon in times of less serious concerns, or preemptively, to ensure that a situation does not escalate. However, sometimes a more formal (even legal) intervention is required to properly resolve an accessibility conflict, which is where Equity and Inclusion services come into play.
Human Rights and Equity
In the more severe cases of inaccessibility and exclusion, it may be necessary to invoke the rights granted to you by both the provincial and federal levels of government. The BC Human Rights Code enumerates 15 protected grounds against which an institution cannot discriminate:
- Disability (a.k.a. duty to accommodate)
- Indigenous identity, ancestry, color, place of origin, race
- Age, family status, marital status, political belief, religion
- Sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression
- Criminal conviction (unrelated to employment)
In these cases, a Human Rights Office (HRO) can support you in seeking information or informal resolutions as well as conducting formal investigations into discrimination. The process may look different at each university, but in general you can expect to be greeted by a Human Rights Advisor who has expertise in these kinds of situations. They can inform you on whether you have a claim to discrimination and how to proceed, depending on who is involved and the severity of the concerns. In addition, Equity and Inclusion offices can offer training and education, consultation services, and access to events and resources to guide you throughout your post-secondary experience as someone with a disability. Even if you are unsure of how to proceed with a situation that seems mild or want to learn more about your rights and how to exercise them, this is a great place to find support and resources. For an example, including information on confidentiality, click on this page from UBC’s Equity and Inclusion Office.
It bears mentioning that these experiences are never easy and escalating has costs. Whether you are talking to a professor one-on-one, taking an issue to your student union or the Office of the Ombudsperson, or pursuing a full legal case, these decisions will impact you and your academic experience. In general, seeking your right to accessible education will never reflect negatively on you or your academic standing. However, what is most important is that you always seek advice and support from those who are trained to provide it. Dealing with accessibility concerns is difficult enough to do with help, not to mention on one’s own or on bad advice. [For links to further resources, visit our webpage.