UBC’s Accessibility Committee delayed the publication of an Accessibility Plan, which was due for completion by September 2023, leading to criticism from Disability Affinity Group (DAG) and the Disability United Collective (DUC).
The plan is mandated by the Accessible BC Act signed into law in 2021. It is meant to be an institution-wide plan to identify and prevent barriers to individuals in and interacting with UBC.
In November, the People, Community & International Committee of the UBC Board of Governors issued an update to relay their recent progress.
In the past, the DAG voiced disappointment regarding their exclusion from the planning process. They wrote that the university did not ask their input on selecting new co-chairs or on revising their terms of reference.
The terms of reference govern the Committee's composition and mandate, and they are issued by the UBC executive.
The membership composition terms state the Committee does not require the inclusion of any individuals with lived experience with disability, and the group expressed frustration at the rejection of changes they advocated for.
“A core principle of Disability Justice is ‘Nothing About Us Without Us.’ … Allies are important, and ableism impacts all of us — however, to truly surface and understand the barriers that Disabled people face, we must support Disabled people to lead this work,” wrote the DAG in a statement to The Ubyssey.
Nicole Gareau-Wilson was named Committee’s co-chair by UBC without the input of DAG.
“While we are thrilled that Nicole Gareau-Wilson was selected, we strongly oppose the way in which this was done ... both co-chairs should be selected by the at-large members and be someone with both lived experience and professional expertise."
Regular DAG meetings with Dr. Arig al Shaibah, associate vice-president of equity and inclusion, however, have recently been established. The DAG noted their gratitude and hopes “for a more fruitful relationship moving forward.”
The DAG, though, wrote they still “do not feel that the DAG has been or is being meaningfully consulted by the UBC executive, despite Arig al Shaibah's significant efforts to facilitate such engagement.”
In a statement to The Ubyssey, al Shaibah wrote that changes to the terms of reference were in progress and would be published once both co-chairs of the Committee are announced, which she expected by the end of 2023. As of January 2024 though, the remaining co-chair seat remains unfilled.
The development of an Accessibility Plan will only begin once “both co-chairs [are] in place," according to al Shaibah.
The DAG wrote it is disappointed with the timeline and feel as if “there is no plan” as the focus has been on fixing “the egregiously poor structure” of the Accessibility Committee (AC).
“Had UBC used the years of advance notice they had to establish the AC effectively and consulted with the DAG, as we repeatedly asked them to do, these and many other issues could have been resolved and addressed long before the Terms of Reference were finalized.”
DUC, an AMS resource group, echoed many of the DAG’s concerns.
In a statement to The Ubyssey, writing it "[echoes] DAG’s concerns about the terms of reference and urge UBC to require lived experience with a disability from at least half of the Committee’s membership."
The DUC has also petitioned for a disability task force as a part of [their] Access4All campaign. The DAG called for a dedicated Disability Task Force in a 2022 petition.
“The Accessibility Committee is intended to deliver on … mandated standards ... Disabled people are owed better. We need a Disability Task Force because, in order to do right by disabled people, UBC needs to invest the institutional resources,” wrote the DAG.