{"id":3234,"date":"2010-05-19T10:33:41","date_gmt":"2010-05-19T15:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=3234"},"modified":"2010-05-19T10:38:58","modified_gmt":"2010-05-19T15:38:58","slug":"accessibility-at-universities-is-a-moral-obligation-advocate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2010\/05\/accessibility-at-universities-is-a-moral-obligation-advocate\/","title":{"rendered":"Accessibility at universities is ‘a moral obligation’: advocate"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"rabiapresentation\"

"Disability is one element of the identity that makes a person whole," says Rabia Kedhr, speaking in Brock's Sankey Chamber.<\/p><\/div>\n

As a university student, Rabia Kedhr was accommodated, but she wasn\u2019t always included. And that\u2019s something higher education needs to change, she says.<\/p>\n

In a May 14 speech in Brock\u2019s Sankey Chamber, the well-known accessibility advocate recalled, as a blind student, having to study alone in a room in the library. There was equipment to accommodate her, she said, but she was excluded from the normal study tips, gossip and other student bonding.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one knew why Rabia went back to the secret room in the library,\u201d she said. \u201cWhile the rest of them went to study hall, I missed out on building those relationships. It excludes you from the norm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kedhr\u2019s talk was sponsored by the Office of Human Rights and Equity Services and the University Accessibility Co-ordinator. She recalled an Economics professor who told her that, because of her blindness, \u201cMy style won\u2019t work for you.\u201d In the end, she managed to demonstrate to the university that her poor grade wasn\u2019t because of her ability to learn, but because she wasn\u2019t accommodated.<\/p>\n

She only knew about social events from her friends, she said. The events were mainly promoted through print advertisements, which weren\u2019t accessible to her.<\/p>\n

These are examples of struggles students with disabilities face every day. The province\u2019s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act is part of creating a more accessible world, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEquality in the context of disability means we have to create campus conditions that serve all of us,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to accept that people with disabilities and people without disabilities are, in fact, the same. We have to start from that common ground of belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kedhr is a consultant with DiversityworX, specializing in accessibility and social inclusion. She has more than 15 years of personal and professional experience in accessibility, community development and outreach with persons with disabilities.<\/p>\n

Future decisions on accessibility need to include people with disabilities, she said. And each organization needs \u201cinternal champions\u201d who will fight for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn doing so, you contribute to the ultimate quality of life of every student,\u201d she said. \u201cEducation is the true foundation of peace and prosperity. It\u2019s the bedrock of any civilized society. We have a moral obligation to make it accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Link:<\/strong>
\n\u2022 University Accessibility Planning \u2014 Removing Barriers | Brock University<\/a>
\n\u2022 Human Rights | Brock University<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rabia Kedhr gave examples from her own life of how higher education can be accommodating, but not necessarily inclusive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3235,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,1],"tags":[96,151],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3234"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3234"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3234\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3237,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3234\/revisions\/3237"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}