Student Accessibility Services is hosting its second annual end-of-year celebration to honour students, staff and faculty. This year’s celebration will take place on Thursday, March 26, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the second-floor conference facility in the Second Student Centre on York University’s Keele Campus.
The theme of this year’s event is Celebrating Accessibility: Past, Present and Future. The Student Accessibility Services celebration features a keynote talk and the event is also an opportunity to recognize faculty and staff who have championed the work underway in Student Accessibility Services.
This year’s keynote talk will be given by Marian MacGregor, executive director of the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion at York University. “Historically people with disabilities have been excluded from participating in society and ignored in academic settings – except for the rarest examples,” said MacGregor in remarks to YFile as she set the context for her keynote talk.
In her talk, MacGregor will discuss the importance and benefits of inclusion. “As we have come to understand disability as part of the continuum of human existence and not a deviant variation, rather than something that needs to be cured, fixed or pitied, there is a recognition that we must alter, adjust or accommodate to allow for full participation for people with disabilities,” said MacGregor. “The result is a richer, more engaged and engaging academic experience for all involved.”
The 2019 celebration, which was held March 21, 2019, was the pilot for what will now be an annual event. The celebration featured an inspiring keynote address Professor Lorin Schwarz of the Faculty of Education and an address from Dean Wardak who is an undergraduate motivational speaker. Student Accessibility Services also took time to honour 29 faculty and staff members and it paid tribute to the Office of Student Community Relations (OSCR).
Honoured at the 2019 event were the following University community members:
- Amal Awini
- Andrea Prieur
- Andrew Hvizd
- Aryn Martin
- Celia Popvic
- Cleofe Kruetzmann
- Deborah Best
- Deirdre Cappelli
- Derek Jackson
- Detlev Zwick
- Dunja Baus
- Eric Kennedy
- Gillian Parekh
- Jenny Pitt-Clark
- Joanna Holiday
- Joel Ong
- Katherine DiLorenzo
- Kenneth Ramalall
- Lara Ulbaldi
- Marianna Colalillo
- Regina Schuller
- Ron Ophir
- Susan Henders
- Susan Pogue
- Susy Riberiro
- Sylvia Spizzirri
- Tanya Talor-Cherry
- Tina Rapke
- Yvonne Simpson
- Staff in the Office of Student Community Relations
To learn more about this year’s event or to inquire about attending, contact Eugenie Choi, accessibility counsellor, Student Accessibility Services, by email at eechoi@yorku.ca.
Supporters of the 2019 event included the following at York University: The Career Centre; Health Education and Promotion Team; Student Accessibility Services; and the Faculty of Education Community Practicum Team.
More about Student Accessibility Services
Student Accessibility Services provides academic accommodation and support to students with disabilities in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Policy on accessible education for students with disabilities and York University Senate Policy on Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities.
Student Accessibility Services provides support to:
- students with temporary or permanent disabilities;
- students enrolled in full-time or part-time studies at York’s Keele Campus;
- students registered in undergraduate or graduate studies, and
- students enrolled in the School of Continuing Studies.
Students registered in programs at York’s Glendon Campus should contact Accessibility, Well-Being and Counselling at Glendon regarding supports and services.