Apply to serve on UBC’s Accessibility Committee

Apply to serve on UBC’s Accessibility Committee

February 22, 2023

UBC is taking steps to establish an Accessibility Committee to support disability inclusion and guide future direction at the university. Students, staff, and faculty are invited to apply to serve on the inaugural Committee.

The Committee will be tasked with providing on-going guidance and advice to the university on the identification, removal and prevention of barriers to accessibility and to help fulfill the university’s legal obligations and commitments to disability inclusion and justice principles. 

Of the 18-member committee, the UBC Executive will appoint six members for key offices and hold three seats for student leaders representing the Alma Mater Society (AMS), Graduate Student Society (GSS), and Students’ Union of Okanagan (SUO).

Nine at-large UBC community members will be selected through this open call for applications, of which there shall be at least two students, two staff, and two faculty members.

Public sector organizations in British Columbia are required to establish an accessibility committee, an accessibility plan and a build tool to receive feedback on their accessibility. Committed to building a more accessible campus environment and in accordance with the Accessible British Columbia Act, UBC is now undertaking steps to meet these legislated requirements by September 1, 2023.

Application process

Student, faculty, and staff interested in applying to serve on the Accessibility Committee should:

  1. Review the Terms of Reference to ensure alignment of eligibility and interests with the mandate and commitment required;
  2. Submit an online application for consideration by the UBC Executive selection committee. Members will be selected so as to meet the compositional diversity requirements of the Act. 

Please note that the application period closed on March 13, 2023.

Review details related to data collection and privacy

The responses to this questionnaire will be collected and managed by the Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion and the Equity & Inclusion Office (EIO) Data Analysts. Appointees and nominees will also be requested to complete a voluntary demographic self-identification questionnaire imbedded in the online application. 

Record-level data from this application form and questionnaire will be shared with the UBC Executive for the sole purpose of ensuring the compositional diversity of the Accessibility Committee as required under the Act. Record-level data will not be disclosed for any other purpose. Aggregated (non-identifying) data will be shared with the Committee and community for reporting and accountability purposes.  

Personal information is collected in this application and questionnaire under the authority of sections 26(a), (c) and (e) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the purposes of selecting qualified and diverse members of the Committee. Any questions about the collection and use of this information may be referred to the Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion. 

Member appointment and selection

In accordance with the Act and UBC’s Terms of Reference, Committee members will be appointed and selected with consideration of the following compositional diversity goals: 

  1. The members are from the UBC community (student, faculty, and staff) representing both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses; 
  2. At least half of the members are persons with disabilities or individuals who support or are from UBC organizations that support persons with disabilities; 
  3. The members described in (b) reflect the diversity of persons with disabilities in British Columbia; 
  4. At least one of the members is an Indigenous person; 
  5. The committee reflects the diversity of persons in British Columbia.

To the extent possible and as informed by responses to a voluntary self-identification survey, UBC will strive to constitute a committee with at least half of the members identifying as having a disability. 

News and Stories |

Annual employment equity report highlights progress and opportunities towards broader diversity

January 23, 2023

2021 Employment Equity Report provides the most robust dataset on UBC’s workforce demographics to date.   

Based on the November 1, 2021 data snapshot and 19,347 as the total number of faculty and staff at UBC, the survey had a 66 per cent faculty and 79 per cent staff response rate at UBC Vancouver, and 77 per cent faculty and 81 per cent staff response rate at UBC Okanagan. The 2021 survey campaign yielded the highest response rates observed at both UBC Vancouver (74 per cent) and UBC Okanagan (79 per cent) campuses since 2016. That year, the response rates were 68 per cent and 78 per cent, respectively.  

As a voluntary survey, encouraging employee engagement with the survey is critical to obtaining a robust data set. The results, produced by the Equity & Inclusion Office and the Planning and Institutional Research Office (PAIR), provide valuable – but not the only – indicators of UBC’s progress on the Employment Equity Plan and commitments to equity and inclusion.

“The Employment Equity Survey helps us understand progress on diversifying our workforce. It allows us to find areas where we need to continue to enhance the recruitment of faculty and staff from historically marginalized groups,” says Arig al Shaibah, Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion. 

Analysis of 2021 data suggests strong representation of women across UBC’s workforce, when compared with regional and national comparator data, though opportunities to continue to diversify UBC’s workforce across other designated equity groups. For example, people with disabilities continue to be underrepresented across all occupational groups at UBC’s Vancouver campus; however, at UBC Okanagan, representation of this group exceeds the proportion of persons with disabilities available in both the regional and national workforces.  

“Making progress will require that we more systematically embed equity and inclusive excellence practices through search and selection processes”, says Arig, as she points to a number of initiatives designed to support these efforts – the JEDII STEM Series and the Hiring Equity course, designed to build individual and unit-level understanding of and capacities for inclusive hiring, and the special programs to recruit among under-represented groups. “We also need to make more visible our commitment to accessibility and accommodation supports available to prospective and existing employees with disabilities.” 

With respect to racialized employees, the data suggest that UBC’s Vancouver campus workforce exceeds national labour market availability but falls short of regional availability, while at the Okanagan campus, the workforce exceeds regional and falls short of national availability. As well, the data suggest a need to further diversify UBC’s workforce at senior leadership levels. 

“As part of our ongoing commitment to Antiracism and racial equity, there is a focus on increasing the representation of racialized employees at all levels, with an emphasis on closing equity gaps for Black faculty and staff”, says Arig. “Complementary efforts focused on supporting the experience, development, advancement, and retention of marginalized faculty and staff at UBC are equally important”, highlighting opportunities to nominate and include greater numbers of racialized faculty and staff in emerging leaders’ development programs, to apply an equity lens to the design and delivery of leadership development programs, and to better support and mentor existing racialized leaders. 

“While we focus on recruitment practices, we recognize that the quality of workplace experiences and a sense of belonging is critical to retention and success of those who are here.” 

Arig also notes that “in addition to this data, we gather insights from community members through various feedback mechanisms and forums. Employment equity survey data adds to those important qualitative data points by offering a comprehensive, university-wide quantitative overview – both are important to our efforts to assess systemic barriers and disparities in proportional representation, and undertake  workforce planning efforts.”  

The annual report also highlights key initiatives underway to advance the UBC’s Employment Equity priorities, most notably the goal of improving employment equity data collection, analysis and reporting. 

2021 marked the first time these data were centrally collected via Workday, its implementation a component of UBC’s Institutional Renewal Program. “I’m now part of the 2022 count,” reflects Arig, on completing the survey as part of her recent onboarding tasks in Workday. “The survey takes just a few minutes to complete yet is tremendously impactful to our aim to enhance data-informed decision-making”.  

While UBC’s employment equity data is typically released earlier in the year, the publication of 2021 data was delayed due to enhancements to data collection, management and analysis systems and processes, and the longer than expected time required to reconcile historical and new datasets. Following the 2021 reporting cycle, we expect that forthcoming reports will be available earlier in the year.  

Processing and analysis of 2022 employment equity survey data is currently underway and an annual report forthcoming in 2023.  

Employees can complete or update their survey responses at any time by resubmitting the survey at this live link. 

Units and leaders that are looking for specific employment equity data can submit a request for consultation with our office. 

Primary program / implementation team 

Designated Groups

Defined in the federal Employment Equity Act, designated groups include women, indigenous peoples, racialized peoples and people with disabilities. While people with minoritized gender identities and sexual orientations are not identified in the Act, UBC recognizes that people with diverse sexual and gender identities may also have experienced discrimination in the above areas and has sought to additionally gather this data.

Explore more terms in our glossary.

News and Stories |

JEDII STEM Series: A step on the path to a just, equitable and inclusive UBC

January 11, 2023

Title reads Equity and Inclusion in Action: JEDII STEM Series with a trio of people talking

 “This was all new to me when I started. […] I just wanted to help people and help make change. […] I think that is the most important core feeling, and as long as you have that, the rest of it you can learn.”  

Dr. Annie Ciernia, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine on starting out on JEDII work

So often we have a desire to help others but lack a clear path forward. After all, what can an individual do to change an institution as large as UBC?

It turns out, there’s quite a lot.

UBC has many resources and initiatives designed to support individuals and units motivated to embed justice, equity, decolonization, Indigenization, and inclusion (JEDII) into their policies, practices and behaviors. However, it can be daunting to get started doing this work in a large institution and with consideration of the many decentralized efforts already underway – particularly when doing so alone or perhaps without any local foundations to build on. To better support community members interested in advancing JEDII, the Equity and Inclusion in Action: JEDII STEM Series was launched in the summer of 2021.

Created by the Equity & Inclusion Office and co-facilitated by Skylight: Science Centre for Learning and Teaching, the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, and the Faculty of Medicine Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, the series brings together faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students who lead and support JEDII initiatives in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields so that they can access a cross-campus network of ideas, resources and expertise. 

Through monthly educational sessions, the series is designed to build a sense of community across STEM and enhance a sense of self-efficacy and solidarity amongst people working on JEDII initiatives. The series facilitates sharing of resources, knowledge and expertise, and supports the development of a deeper understanding of some of the systemic barriers to JEDII within STEM in order to coordinate action across different units. It also provides an opportunity to surface difficult topics and work through challenges together. 

“It’s been helpful to know who is working on what on campus. It’s really nice to see representation of different schools, different departments, different faculties who are coming together and talking about different efforts that they’re working on,” says Dr. Maria Tokuyama, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Science. 

22 sessions have been hosted since 2021, with past discussions covering topics such as what actions individuals and departments can take to recruit and retain equity-deserving groups and ways to integrate trauma-informed practices in teaching and supervising. A total 1928 registrations were received across all events. While many of the discussions are centered on the experiences of people from equity deserving groups, allies are encouraged to attend, with an understanding that it is everyone’s responsibility to create a more just, equitable and inclusive university.  

While the series originated from a desire to better support individuals and units, it demonstrates UBC’s commitments to inclusion in action. For example, the series supports the advancement of several Inclusion Action Plan goals: recruitment, retention and success, system change, capacity building, and learning, research and engagement. It also aligns with UBC’s strategic plan’s theme of inclusion, and strategies such as great people, thriving communities, and inclusive excellence. 

To date, the network has engaged over 682 participants across 18 faculties, as well as administrative units across UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan. 

In addition to the JEDII STEM Series, women or gender-diverse persons who identify as an Indigenous, Black and/or Person of Colour, can also join the IBPOC STEM Network for community-building opportunities. 

News and Stories |

Roadmap for Change: Implementing anti-racism commitments at UBC

December 19, 2022

Events, News and Stories |

IBPOC STEM Network provides a forum to gather, build community, and find support

December 15, 2022

Participants of the August IBPOC STEM Network lunch at Great Dane Coffee at UBCV

“Through this gathering, I saw the faces of the voices I heard who spoke on racism and gender bias in the workplace. As a woman of color, I witness how their stories reverberate in my own walls and cry out for change and a total overhaul of sys temic racism and biases that have characterized our occupational relations and circumstances for so many years.”
– An attendee of IBPOC STEM Network Social.

In the wake of the 2021 shootings targeted at Asian women in Atlanta, a group of UBC women and gender-diverse faculty, staff, postdocs and graduate students who self-identify as IBPOC came together to create a community and safe space for people who share these identities. The IBPOC STEM Network has since been meeting regularly, and more than 120 participants across 13 faculties as well as administrative units have participated in the initiative so far.

“We’ve primarily focused this network on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) because faculty and leadership across these fields is still mostly comprised of men” said Maï Yasué, Interim Director, Equity, Partnerships, and Engagement at the UBC Equity & Inclusion Office. “There are a lot more women in junior staff roles and amongst students, but within STEM generally IBPOC women are still a minority – even here in Vancouver.” 

As a result, this means that, for example, trainees, junior faculty and staff, and even those in leadership roles who identify as IBPOC women or gender-diverse persons often face limited options for empathic mentoring and support. This lack of support can lead to feelings of isolation, reduce a sense of belonging, and negatively impact retention and performance.  

“In STEM, there may be limited opportunities to find mentors or role models who self-identify as IBPOC.” said Dr. Yasué.  

“Creating affinity spaces like this one which provide support and validate experiences can help people feel seen…it is critical to cultivating a sense of belonging and inclusion within UBC.” 

Many of the event topics were developed in response to specific needs identified by the members of the network, including topics focused on enhancing wellbeing, cultivating a greater sense of belonging, mentorship, building greater self-efficacy, supporting retention and initiatives that mobilize justice, equity, decolonization, Indigenization and inclusion within units. Overall, four virtual sessions and five in-person social events were held over 2021 and 2022. 

Emerging to meet specific community needs, the IBPOC STEM Network also reflects growing institutional aspirations and commitments to support diverse communities. This includes, for example, the UBC Strategic Plan Strategy 3: Thriving Community, Inclusion Action Plan action related to providing inclusive spaces, and several Anti-racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force recommendations related to supporting IBPOC communities and experiences.  

Additionally, conversations that occurred through the IBPOC STEM Network have helped spur broader changes in policies and practices and JEDII capacity-building programming through other capacity-building efforts such as the EDI Action Network and the JEDII STEM Series. 

News and Stories |

Remarks: Unifying Perspectives on the Revolution in Iran

December 14, 2022

The following remarks were delivered by Arig al Shaibah, Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion, on December 13, 2022 at the SFU Goldcorp Center for the Arts as part of a Women, Life, Freedom event. This community-led event was organized in response to the human rights situation and events taking place in Iran.

—

Thank you, Dr. Tamir Moustafa.

Good evening, friends and collegues,

First, let me start by acknowledging and honoring the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations on whose unceded and ancestral territories we are gathering this evening. 

This evening we will hear from distinguished guests who will speak on the subject of human rights in the context of the events taking place in Iran, however, the principles compelling us to gather here transcend nations – globally and locally. These are the principles advocated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. That is, to say that every human on this planet should be entitled to dignity, equality, and freedom.

And, furthermore, that the notions of choice and self-determination are core human rights principals.

I reject the cultural relativism argument that says universal human rights are irrelevant because they do not account for cultural differences. I believe that, while the international human rights system is imperfect, the cultural relativism argument can easily be misused to dismiss the notion that fundamental rights and freedoms must extend to women, ethnically minoritized groups, and members of marginalized gender identity and sexual orientation communities – no matter their cultural background or faith.

As a Racialized, Muslim, Queer, Woman and member of the Yemeni Diaspora in Canada, I know on a visceral level the psychic and physical harms, as well as the looming threat of lethal violence, that accompanies extreme misogynistic and homophobic attitudes and beliefs. I am keenly aware of the ways that Islamic doctrines are, in my view, distorted, in ways that facilitate state sanctions gender inequity and gender-based violence. 

I feel a sense of humility and gratitude towards the peoples of Iran, and particularly women, who are relentlessly protesting against the regime there, in the face of violence. These efforts inspire and empower others in the region.

Having worked in academia for the past 20 years, I am attuned to the importance of teaching, research, and service in the areas of human rights, and the mission of higher education to influence social betterment and social justice locally, nationally, and globally. Universities Canada, the collective voice of Canadian universities has released a statement condemning the Iranian regime’s violence on university campuses as a profound challenge to the free exchange of ideas which is an essential component of human rights. 

With that, I’ll introduce the for distinguished panelists and tonight’s moderator who will engage us in a free exchange of ideas:

Nazanin Afshin-jam MacKay

Nazanin is an international human rights and democracy activist, author, public speaker and President and co-founder of “Stop Child Executions” organization. She holds a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science from UBC, holds top honors in her Master’s Degree in Diplomacy with a concentration in International Conflict Management at Norwich University in Vermont and in 2016 the University of Western Ontario conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws. In 2006 Nazanin successfully ran an international campaign to save the life of a juvenile sentenced to death in Iran for stabbing a man in self defense that tried to rape her. From that experience, she authored The Tale of Two Nazanins published in 2012 by Harper Collins and since published in several languages around the world. 

Ava Homa

Ava Homa is an award-winning novelist, a seasoned journalist, and a human rights activist. Her bylines have appeared in publications such as the Globe and Mail, Literary Hub, Toronto Star, Literary Review of Canada and more. She has spoken about human rights across North America and Europe, including at the United Nations, Geneva. Her debut novel Daughters of Smoke and Fire, the story of a Kurdish woman’s search for justice and freedom, won the 2020 Nautilus Book Award. 

Elle Toussi 

Elle is an Iranian-American cross platform journalist. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Society of Professional Journalists’ International Community, that works diligently to address the safety of journalists, advocating for press freedom globally and providing training for journalists within their network. Her investigative work can be seen on NY Times, BBC and various media outlets.

Soushiant Zanganehpour 

Over the past 15 years Soushiant has been involved in organizing several human and civic rights advocacy initiatives that gained national and international recognition and the support of the highest elected officials in Canada. He has worked with Article19, Freedom House, United4Iran, as well as global human rights leaders including Dr. Ahmad Shaheed (The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran), Dr. Shirin Ebadi, and others, writing reports highlighting the role of foreign companies in aiding internet censorship in Iran, and delivering capacity building workshops to citizen journalists to safely get critical information out of Iran.

Also, we are pleased to have Negar Mojtahedi join us as the moderator on tonight’s panel.

Negar Mojtahedi is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist at Global News. Her first documentary ‘My dream goes all the way to Iran’ is a powerful portrait of the Iranian expatriate, an immigrant population that is often misunderstood and misrepresented.

And now, I turn things over to Negar.

WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM

(ZAN, ZENDEGI, AZADI)

News and Stories, Remarks by the AVP | ,

Arun Mohan

December 13, 2022

Director, Human Rights

Campus: UBC Vancouver

Pronouns: he, him, his

Bio

Arun is grateful to return to UBC to help the EIO fulfill its mission to nurture and protect equity, diversity and inclusion in the UBC community and amongst its members. He has worked with a diverse range of rights-holders and stakeholders, and has experience in legal practice, research, and conducting mediations, investigations, and hearings.

He also brings personal lived/living experience, and has community experience working with equity, diversity, and inclusion principles. These experiences have given him a deep understanding of human rights and administrative law; interpreting and applying legislation, regulations and policies; applying a trauma-informed approach; working within tight time constraints; and being flexible and adaptable in an ever-changing work environment.

Email address: arun.mohan@ubc.ca

Address:

Brock Commons South Building
6180 Walter Gage Road
Vancouver, BC V6T1Z1

Human Rights Team, Leadership Team, Our Team, UBC Vancouver Team |

The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women

December 6, 2022

Days of Significance |

Arig al Shaibah, Ph.D.

November 30, 2022

Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion
Honorary Associate Professor, Educational Studies

 

Campus: Pan-institutional oversight for UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan
Pronouns: She, her, hers
 

Bio

Dr. Arig al Shaibah is UBC’s Associate Vice-President, Equity & Inclusion (AVPEI). As a member of the Provosts’ and President’s leadership teams, Dr. al Shaibah works across all Executive portfolios to champion strategic equity and anti-racism priorities and advance inclusive excellence at UBC. She also oversees the university’s Equity & Inclusion Office, with teams on the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

Dr. al Shaibah completed a Bachelor of Science (Life Sciences), a Master of Public Administration, and a Doctorate in Education (Cultural and Policy Studies). In addition to her administrative appointment at UBC, she holds an Honorary Associate Professor role with the Department of Educational Studies in UBC’s Faculty of Education, and teaching courses in the Higher Education (HIED) and Educational Administration and Leadership (EDAL) Programs. Prior to joining UBC, Dr. al Shaibah served as McMaster University’s inaugural Associate Vice-President Equity & Inclusion and was an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Department of Sociology and and Instructor in the Arts & Science Program. At Dalhousie University she was Vice-Provost of Student Affairs and Interim Executive Director for the Human Rights & Equity Services, and was Adjunct Professor with cross appointments in Sociology & Anthropology, Gender & Women’s Studies, and Public Administration. And, at Queen’s University, her alma mater, she held leadership roles as Manager of Faculty Advancement and Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, and she was an Adjunct faculty member and instructor cross appointed to Gender Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Dr. al Shaibah describes herself as a scholar-practitioner. Her academic and profession work has been grounded in a deep interest in the study and practice of policymaking, viewed through a critical-oriented and globally-engaged lens. Her interdisciplinary scholarly works, teaching and professional practice have focused broadly on examining policy-based structural inequities (primarily gender and racial inequities) and specifically on higher education policy, politics and practices as they relate to educational access and success, international mobility and internationalization at home (I@H), equality and human rights, intercultural and intergroup relations, as well as equitable leadership, administration, governance, and organizational change paradigms and practices.  

In 2021, Dr. al Shaibah received the Angela Hildyard Recognition Award in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion granted by the Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada, recognizing exceptional leadership in fostering and furthering institutional equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Read the latest communications from the AVP.

Email:
arig.alshaibah@ubc.ca
Meeting Requests: vanessa.hogan@ubc.ca 

Address:

Brock Commons South Building
4009-6180 Walter Gage Road
Vancouver, BC V6T1Z1

Leadership Team, Our Team, UBC Vancouver Team |

Elsie Achugbue

November 30, 2022

Director, Institutional Initiatives

Campus:
UBC Vancouver
 
Pronouns:
She, her, hers

 

Bio

Elsie is a planner, evaluator, manager, researcher and writer with 20 years of experience promoting equity and empowerment in community and economic development and city and regional planning. Elsie maintains a deep and consistent commitment to equity and social justice and to facilitating and amplifying recognition, respect, and representation of difference. 

Phone:
604–827–3347
 

Address:
Brock Commons South Building
6180 Walter Gage Road
Vancouver, BC V6T1Z1

Institutional Initiatives Planning & Evaluation team, Leadership Team, Our Team, UBC Vancouver Team |