The UN has designated December 3 as International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and this year’s theme is: amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future.
Over the course of the year, Niagara College has worked to advance accessibility in various ways, including listening and learning from the lived experiences of those with disabilities. Recapped below are some of our recent initiatives.
Disability Awareness Week
From October 7 to 11, departments collaborated to offer learning opportunities for students and employees.
Faculty and staff listened to the experiences of NC students with a broad range of disabilities in a panel format on October 8. Daniel, Krysa, Jack, and Dave – representing a wide range of NC programs, including Broadcasting, Child and Youth Studies, International Business, and Human Resources, and disabilities – shared their perspectives, offering a window into their life at college. The panel sought to help inform employees and help them empathize with the unique challenges experienced by students with disabilities.
Read more on the Disability Awareness Student Panel.
Employees also took part in a range of learning sessions, including:
- Academic Ableism and its Alternatives with Jay Dolmage
- Defining, Understanding, and Talking About Disabilities
- Disability Justice
- Letters of Accommodation: Understanding their Development & How to Support Students
- Disability Awareness Week: Now what?
Learn more about the sessions.
Project Refresh and new pathway
This summer, the College began construction of the prototype classroom and gathering spaces at both campuses, prioritizing inclusion and accessibility in the design and construction choices. Furniture selections will also center around ensuring the spaces are fully accessible.
Learn more about Project Refresh.
This fall, the College also unveiled a new accessible pathway at Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Formerly a gravel walkway, the new paved pathway was carefully designed with accessibility in mind to ensure it can be used by all members of the College community, connecting Glendale Avenue to the main entrance.
Learning opportunities
Educators at NC immersed colleagues in their made-at-NC virtual reality (VR) learning tool, holding two sessions for employees to don an Oculus Quest II VR headset and step into simulations designed to foster learning about the experiences of those with disabilities.
This fall, faculty and staff attended a session on creating accessible Word documents and PowerPoint sessions with the CAE.
Accessibly Hub
The College’s Accessibility Hub continues to be an organization-wide resource with articles, checklists, videos, and resources with straight-forward recommendations for those seeking to simplify the creation of accessible web content, learning materials, and experiences for students or anyone with a disability.
This year on December 3, we invite you to consider how we can embrace the movement’s slogan, Nothing About Us Without Us, and elevate and amplify the voices of people with disabilities.
