LET’S was contacted by a person who had previously attended 1 of our workshops. They work at UBC and work with students, both online and in person. They inquired into the cost and process of our accessibility audits. Following our conversation, they proposed it to their management team and sought out funding. Happily, their application for the Move-U Grant was approved.
Interestingly, this accessibility audit was completed all online. LET’S’ advisor was given a series of videos of a UBC staff person walking around their environment. LET’S then made suggestions based on the videos. It was an interesting way
to do an accessibility audit.
Following are grant application details which lay out the work we did.
Description of your project:
Our unit, Student Support & Advising, supports students throughout their time at UBC – mostly with matters concerning finances. We see students here in Brock Hall at the Advising Centre and the Welcome Centre. This project would pay for the [Live Educate Transform Society] to do a walking/strolling tour of the space to make suggestions on what we can do to make it more accessible to users of the space (students and staff alike). This would be a collaborative and engaging process between the experts and our unit.
Description of how your project will support the various
frameworks and plans
• Wellbeing Strategic Framework: promotes health and wellbeing where all people, including those with physical and other disabilities (staff and students) can flourish, by creating community, making the space more accessible. Of
note, any recommendations would fall outside of the scope of this work – for example, purchasing armless chairs). This activity is in line with the WSF in the areas of collaborative leadership, mental health & resilience, social connection,
built & natural environments and physical activity, in particular.
• Inclusion Action Plan: this plan operationalizes inclusion. From the plan “the emerging research in unequivocal: diversity enhances innovation and inclusive spaces are required to ensure that diverse teams are able to collaborate effectively.
• Indigenous Strategic Plan: By further this unit (and UBC’s) commitment to accessible spaces, we can make our spaces more inclusive to those, paying particular attention to how inclusivity is anti-colonial and lifts up Indigenous ways of being and communities. The Western medical model of disability is very othering and very exclusive. By bringing the SSA team together, we can further underscore the importance of inclusion with diverse people, perspectives, bodies and abilities.
Explanation of how your initiative will have a sustainable or long-lasting impact on the UBC community: This initiative would contribute to creating a more engaged,
active and connected workforce, in having those staff members feel empowered to advocate for those with accessibility/disability considerations, and lay the groundwork for some longer lasting changes (with the suggestions that
come from LET’S). This will lay the groundwork in our efforts to make our spaces, and UBC, a more inclusive place for people with differing abilities. As mentioned, we can take this work and further build on it at the conclusion of the initiative.
As there will be recommendations from LET’S in terms of what we can do to make the space more inclusive, I will look for F through our unit for those items/actions. Over the last number of years, our team has been together less (for obvious reasons) so this will act as a team-building exercise,
where we can learn individual exercises and actions and build
community. Notably, we can share this with our wider networks and communities and make long lasting change at UBC. It starts with the individual and can radiate out by making personal and systemic changes. This would contribute to making UBC a more accessible space, for those with varying abilities, body sizes, etc. and ultimately all of us. There is heightened awareness to those who are more “able-bodied” and it is crucial that those who have the ability and resources to foster meaningful change for those who face additional barriers. I would like to thank the committee for not only reading my application but for offering these grants and being a catalyst for change at UBC!