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Accessibility at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

Accessibility Plan

Aligned with the Equity Compass and informed by the perspectives and needs of ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV students, faculty and staff with disabilities, the Accessibility Plan describes the changes needed to transition towards a more accessible university. Through the Accessibility Secretariat and Committee and the Equity Office, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV will refine the plan each year, responding to the provincial standards and community feedback. An annual implementation plan will define milestones and responsibilities, supporting both resource allocation and reporting.

The initial action program spans five (5) years, with the most pressing steps highlighted upfront. While improvements in academics, operations and environment will ultimately inspire culture change, we also highlight actions to foster more directly a culture of inclusivity and care.

Accessibility Committee

In response to the  and to meet the goals of the Equity Compass, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV has created its first pan-university Accessibility Committee in 2023. The purpose of the Accessibility Committee is to:

  • assist the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV in identifying attitudinal, physical or architectural, information or communication, systemic/organizational, technology, and sensory barriers;
  • raise awareness about accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities;
  • set internal accessibility standards;
  • increase accessibility within the organization;
  • provide support, information, and education related to accessibility and inclusion;
  • encourage feedback about accessibility issues;
  • develop an action plan guided by the Equity Compass and interim Accessibility Action Plan; and
  • explore the development of an Accessibility policy and review existing policies.

Much gratitude to the work of the Accessibility Steering Committee who provided valuable advice and input into the design of the Accessibility Committee and process for adding members. The purpose of steering committee, comprised of members of the EDI Advisory Council, the Centre for Accessible Learning, and the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV , was to consider composition of future accessibility committee, decide on process of selection of committee members and drafting a terms of reference for the committee, and providing feedback on an interim action plan on accessibility that provide guidance to the Accessibility Committee in creating a three-year plan for ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV.

COMPOSITION

The Accessibility Committee is a mix of appointed positions and at-large members who were selected following an open call for expressions of interest. Please note appointed members are still being added to the committee and this list will be updated as membership grows. The Accessibility Committee has representation from alumni, students, staff, and faculty. 

The members of ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV’s inaugural Accessibility Committee are:

Executive Sponsor

  • Yabome Gilpin-Jackson, Vice President, People, Equity and Inclusion

Secretariat

  • Laya Behbahani, Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Staff Initiatives

Co-Chairs

  • Sean Heaslip, Alumni & Staff Member, Health and Counselling
  • Jennifer Sanguinetti, Associate VP, Facilities and Capital Planning

Appointed Members

  1. Bradley Thomas, Facilities, Surrey
  2. Brian Stewart, Chief Information Officer
  3. Jackie Davie, Associate Director, Organizational Health Office, Organizational Health
  4. Ebony Magnus, Associate Dean, Academic Engagement, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Library
  5. Fereshteh Rashed, Director of Access and Equity, Graduate Student Society
  6. Jennifer Sanguinetti, Associate VP, Facilities and Capital Planning
  7. Treena Chambers, Indigenous Student Life Coordinator, Indigenous Student Centre
  8. Mat Cocuzzi, Associate Director, Facilities Services, Vancouver Campus
  9. Megan Tweedie, Director, Human Rights Office
  10. Seth Greenham, Acting Director, Centre for Accessible Learning (Director of the Multifaith Centre)
  11. Fiona Shaw, Associate Director, Inclusive Teaching, Centre for Educational Excellence
  12. Nicole Dorssers, Executive Director, Alumni, VP Advancement & Alumni Engagement
  13. Rebecca Sum, Faculty and Leadership Development Specialist

At-Large Members

  1. Bahar Zandrazavi, Faculty of Education
  2. Dr. Elina Birmingham, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education
  3. Dr. Inna Stepaniuk, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education
  4. Jonathan Mendel, Department of Psychology
  5. Julianne Piper, Graduate Student, Faculty of Health Sciences
  6. Julie Jones, Research Commons Librarian, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Library
  7. Kristen John, Department of Chemistry
  8. Mark Pickup, Professor, Department of Political Science
  9. Parm Gill, Instructional Designer, Online and Blended Learning, Center for Educational Excellence
  10. Rita Steele, Staff Member, Manager, Sustainable Operations, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Sustainability
  11. Sean Heaslip, Alumni & Staff Member, Health and Counselling
  12. Sylvia Richardson, Library
  13. Vicki Parnell, Department of Psychology
  14. Zoreen Nuraney, International Services for Students
  15. Brianna Price, Accessibility Coordinator, SFSS/¶¡ÏãÔ°AV DNA

Have Feedback?

¶¡ÏãÔ°AV community members (students, staff, faculty, partners, and visitors) are invited to share their experiences with accessibility at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV.

For Accessibility Committee Members

Questions

If you have any questions, please email access@sfu.ca.

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