Today@Dal

This year the International Day of people with disabilities falls on December 3^rd and its emphasis is on "Building Back Better: Toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world."

On this day, we invite our Dalhousie community to reflect on ways we all can help remove barriers and promote empowerment for people with disabilities. Our university's commitment toward this goal has led to our participation in various ways.

We have brought together stakeholders across the university aiming to exceed the requirements under the Nova Scotia Accessibility Act, 2017. This large project underway involves six areas of focus: the built environment, teaching & learning, goods & services, information & communication, transportation and employment (https://www.dal.ca/about-dal/accessibility-plan.html).  

This year, we celebrated an important milestone for the built environment as the first East of Ontario institutions to receive the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) (https://www.dal.ca/news/2019/06/21/an-accessibility-first--collaborative-health-education-building-.html). 

Moreover, we created a (dis)Ability Caucus, a space to bring employees with disabilities together and empower them in finding ways that increase the inclusion of people with disabilities across the university.  If you experience a disability, consider joining this group next on Dec. 15, 2020 at 3 pm (https://events-tm.dal.ca/workshop.php?id=3653).

Dalhousie also updated its Employee Accommodation policy which is available to the public by visiting our institutional website (https://www.dal.ca/dept/university_secretariat/policies/human-resources/employee-accommodation-policy.html). Dalhousie now has an Accessible Employment team that provides advice to all staff and faculty members on issues related to accessibility and disability. Accessible Employment assists with workplace accommodations for employees and helps to raise awareness on key topics, in an environment that fosters respect, diversity and independence.

If you have further questions, or you would like any assistance in removing barriers to accessibility during your employment at Dalhousie, please reach out to the Accessible Employment team (accessible.employment@dal.ca). ​