Margaret Sanderson was a trailblazer in her role as Brock University's accessibility co-ordinator. Her last day at Brock was Sept. 4.

Margaret Sanderson, a trailblazer in her role as Brock’s University accessibility co-ordinator, is taking another plunge.

For Sanderson, that typically would involve a body of water and a wetsuit or scuba gear, but this time it involves a career move to Sheridan College in Oakville as Manager, Diversity and Inclusion, in the Centre for Respectful and Healthy Workplaces. Her last day at Brock was Sept. 4.

Sanderson joined Brock in 2006. She has shepherded Brock through the compliance requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, which was passed in 2005. The AODA legally requires persons and organizations to identify, remove and prevent barriers that keep a person with a disability from participating fully in society because of his or her disability.

Working closely with Facilities Management and other departments, Sanderson has helped to ensure that everything from campus buildings and learning spaces to websites are accessible, and that students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests with visible and invisible disabilities are welcomed to campus.

“It has been really satisfying to collaborate with staff and faculty from all across campus,” she says. “Tangible improvements in the built environment, like door operators and accessible ramps, have been a big part of the process, and it’s wonderful to observe a heightened sense of awareness around removing attitudinal barriers.”

Her last few days at Brock included speaking to nursing students about AODA requirements and accessibility.

“This has to be the best part of my work – seeing the faces of students light up,” she said. “A very nice way to say farewell.”

Kim Meade, Vice-provost and Associate Vice-president, Student Services, said at a going-away gathering that Sanderson “has left a wonderful legacy” at Brock.

“We have moved ahead in leaps and bounds in terms of accessibility and inclusion because of Margaret,” said Meade. “We have established community and internal partnerships, and we have made Brock a leader in accommodating persons with disabilities.”

As a result of the career shift, Sanderson will be able to connect more often with her parents, who live near the Sheridan campus. She also plans to reconnect with colleagues, friends and family in the area. For the first few months, she will commute to Oakville from her Niagara-on-the-Lake home.

One of her first tasks will be to check out swimming pools in Oakville. Sanderson, a masters swimmer, competed in July with 900 other swimmers in Canada’s largest open-water swim in Okanagan Lake, B.C.

She promises to visit Brock, including Convocation next year when her son graduates.