A guide for faculty and staff: five ways to support institutional accessibility

May 28-June 3 marks National Accessibility Week; an opportunity to celebrate the valuable contributions and leadership of Canadians with disabilities and highlight the work of people, organizations and communities that are removing barriers. At Saint Mary’s, the Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility (formerly the Fred Smithers Centre for Students with Disabilities) is a leader in institutional student accessibility.

This year, the theme for National AccessAbility Week is “Disability Inclusion: From Possibilities to Practice”. As part of our Accessibility Week initiatives, we have developed a guide with five easy steps that faculty and staff can incorporate into their practice to help enhance learner accessibility at SMU.

“With the evolving landscape of accessibility in learning, it is crucial that we take a user-centered approach to modernizing our offerings,” says Kate McHugh, Manager, Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility (FSCSA). “It is also imperative that we equip those on the frontlines of student education and care with knowledge and resources to put our best foot forward in accessibility and accommodation.”

Below are five steps for faculty and staff that can help enhance accessibility across campus.

1.     Familiarize yourself with the Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility

We are a unique team comprised of two accessibility advisors, an education employment advisor, two exam accommodation administrators, several part-time exam and testing invigilators, an accessibility resource assistant and the FSCSA manager. Many on our team experience some form of disability so our varied experiences paired with our cumulative training and backgrounds provide a unique and well-rounded insight into supporting students who experience disability.

Within the scope of FSCSA, we work directly with students in supporting their academic journey, provide various assistive technologies, employment skills and future readiness, access to grants, educational materials and services, exam and testing accommodations and more.

We also work with stakeholders across Saint Mary’s to raise our level of accessibility pan-campus and enhance the experience for all within the SMU community who experience disability. Our efforts extend beyond the SMU walls and into the broader national institutional community. Members from the FSCSA team recently represented Saint Mary’s at the Atlantic Association of College and University Student Services (AACUSS) to present on supporting adaptive exam and testing accommodations in unprecedented circumstances.

2. Understand what is included in the scope of disability

While traditional or commercialized perceptions of disability fixate on mobility impairments, disability covers a wide range of reduced or impaired functions that can present in visible and/or invisible ways and be on a short or long-term basis. Some common disabilities that exist within the institutional landscape include but are not limited to mental illness, learning disability, ADD/ADHD, hearing impairment, visual impairment, mobility impairment, medical condition and autism spectrum disorder. Students registered with the Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility have provided both a detailed application and supporting medical documentation.

The FSCSA provides personalized support for each student based on their individual needs. Since disability can present itself in unique ways for each student, it is of the utmost importance to offer flexibility, options, and customized plans of action for each student. The FSCSA team, and the students it supports, rely on the flexibility and consideration of staff and faculty to achieve an inclusive learning environment that is accessible to all.

3. Take time to evaluate inclusivity

Whether in the classroom, hosting an event, preparing content, developing visual supports, or conducting assessments, there are quick considerations that can help ensure an accessible and inclusive environment. Below are some considerations:

• Work with university resources like the Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility, the Learning Studio and department communications staff to develop accessible course materials, documents and presentations, visual and graphic components, and more.

• When hosting an event or gathering, evaluate physical access of a space, including entrance and exit points of the building and room, accessible seating and accessible washrooms.

• Consider offering a virtual alternative for those unable to attend in person.

• Use inclusive, person-first language. Saint Mary’s provides guidance on inclusive language within the Saint Mary’s Style Guide.

• Add information on disability and accommodation to your course syllabus. Here’s a boilerplate you can copy/paste:
  “If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please ask The Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility to submit your accommodations to your faculty member in a timely manner so that your needs can be addressed. The Fred Smithers Centre determines accommodations based on documented disabilities in the academic environment. Information on requesting accommodations is located on the Fred Smithers Centre’s website. Contact The Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility (902)420-5452 or email fredsmithers.centre@smu.ca for further assistance.”

4. Refer students to the FSCSA as needed

In some instances, a student may not be registered with the Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility for whatever reason but may confide in a staff or faculty member about experiencing a disability. It is important to maintain trust and confidentiality, so please do not seek out FSCSA accommodations on their behalf. Instead, help them feel validated in their experience and provide them with information about SMU accessibility and accommodation to help them make an informed decision on whether to register with the FSCSA.

5. Keep learning

Where capacity permits, take some time to check out additional learning resources. Below are some great options:

• Saint Mary’s Learning Studio – Academic Accommodation resources (including accessible templates for slide decks, PDFs and more!).

• Atlantic OER Pressbooks Network – Accessible Teaching & Learning FAQ

• Atlantic OER Pressbooks Network - Accessible Strategies for Students With Disabilities

• Government of Canada – Inclusive Language Considerations

• Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission – Duty to Accommodate

The Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility team is happy to answer questions, offer guidance and provide resources for faculty and staff, in our shared effort to enhance accessibility for learners. Reach out by phone (902)420-5452 or email fredsmithers.centre@smu.ca, or stop by the offices in the Student Centre, 3rd floor, room 309.

Student perspective: experiencing disability and enhancing accessibility

Madison (Maddy) Brophy is a fourth-year student majoring in English and minoring in Psychology at Saint Mary’s. She also lives with an invisible disability—epilepsy—which presents in the form of grand mal or tonic-clonic seizures.

Maddy Brophy, fourth-year student

As someone who experiences disability, Brophy has the right to certain academic accommodations, but she almost didn’t register with the Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility after starting at Saint Mary’s due to the invisible nature of her disability.

“I had to get over my own misconceptions and barriers of what disability means,” explains Brophy. “I was diminishing my own experience because I didn’t feel like my disability was enough to warrant accommodation.”

Brophy’s academic experience became unpredictable due to her epilepsy. Seizure flare-ups and recovery medication can often leave her forgetful, disoriented and extremely fatigued, making it difficult to maintain academic consistency at times. Eventually, Brophy registered with the Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility (FSCSA) and was immediately put at ease.

“There were so many aspects of experiencing disability and suffering in silence that I had never considered,” notes Brophy. “The FSCSA team helped me feel validated in my experience and not only taught me about my rights but also taught me how to advocate for myself and my needs.”

“Accessing the accommodations available as a student with a disability has been of paramount importance to my university career,” describes Brophy, whose academic experience greatly improved with the support of the FSCSA. “It has made me realize how crucial institutional accessibility is to so many.”

With an ignited passion for student accessibility, Brophy recently secured a role with Student Affairs and Services (SAAS) as a Communications Assistant, supporting the development of student-centric communications with an emphasis on enhancing the digital accessibility of content. Working jointly with Communications and the Fred Smithers Centre, Brophy will spend the summer auditing SAAS web pages, updating content and making recommendations to raise the level of accessibility to meet or surpass Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

“There are so many barriers faced by people who experience disability,” shares Brophy. “I’m excited to be on a team that works to reduce those barriers and make our little corner of higher education more accessible to all.”

In reflecting on her own journey as a student with a disability, Brophy has an important message to share for current and future students. “The supports are here for YOU. Your experience is valid and there is no shame in asking for the support that SMU has made available for students who experience disability.”

To learn more about student accessibility and accommodations, visit The Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility. 

SMU community rallies to assist Fred Smithers Testing Centre during building closure

With exams swiftly approaching, the unexpected closure of the Student Centre in early December required some quick thinking from the team at the Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility (FSC). 

A student uses Dragon speech recognition software, one of the supports provided by the Fred Smithers Centre.

The FSC offers a myriad of accommodations and is notably accessed for its testing and exams supports. On any given week, the testing centre supports between 50 to 75 test accommodations; a number that jumped to more than 350 during the first week of exams.  

With the testing centre unable to open, the FSC team turned to the Saint Mary’s community for support and were welcomed with open doors by areas in the Atrium and the Sobey School of Business, among other locations on campus. Faculty were incredibly supportive of the last-minute changes.   

“The students who [were] affected by the damage to the FSC will have had approved exam accommodations,” says Dean of Science, Lori Francis. “We have the responsibility to provide said accommodations to the point of undue hardship, which is a very high bar indeed.”  

The FSC team successfully assisted all students with approved exam accommodations, using the alternate locations across campus. The students were patient and flexible with the changes, and appreciative of the resource spaces. "I actually found the [Secunda Marine] Boardroom to be pretty relaxing,” said one student. “It was a nice space to write my exam."  

Students requiring specific technology supports such as the Dragon speech recognition software device were able to defer exams until they were able to regain access to the testing centre, which re-opened on December 19. One student who used the headset and speech-to-text supports noted that the Dragon software has been helpful in allowing him to focus on the content of his responses rather than worrying about the grammatical intricacies of writing them out.  

“The Fred Smithers Centre team is extremely grateful to the wider SMU community for all the help received during the closure,” says Kate McHugh, Manager of the Fred Smithers Centre. “From offers of physical space, flexibility in timing, and even treat drop-offs, the FSC felt incredibly supported by our colleagues across campus.”  

For information on student accommodations, visit the Fred Smithers Centre for Student Accessibility page.  

Accessibility Week at Saint Mary's

Join the Fred Smithers Centre as we celebrate Accessibility Week at Saint Mary's from March 21 to 25, 2022. The Fred Smithers Centre will offer virtual events exploring how to create accessible environments, accessibility in higher education and the post-COVID-19 world, and more. For a full list of events please see below.

Learn more about the Centre and the services we offer.

The Fred Smithers Centre strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. All events will have sign language interpreting and real-time transcription. Please email fredsmithers.centre@smu.ca for other accessibility requests and specific accommodation

Schedule of Events

Keynote Speaker, Cynthia Bruce

Monday, March 21 
noon-1:00 p.m. 
Virtual Event: Zoom

Join us as we welcome keynote speaker Cynthia Bruce as she details her experience supporting accessibility legislation and exploring the future of accessibility in a post-COVID world.

Accessing Mental Health & Accessibility Services as an International Student

Tuesday, March 22
1:00-2:00 p.m. 
Virtual Event: Zoom

Discussion and workshop to material to focus on barriers to access, methods of support, philosophical differences and beliefs. This event is open to student, staff and faculty.

The Fred Smithers Centre strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. All events will have sign language interpreting and real-time transcription.

Welcome to the Student Success Centre

Wednesday, March 23
10:00-11:00 a.m. 
Virtual Event: Zoom

Welcome to the Student Success Centre – the new hub for support for student learning! Please join us with guest speakers Amy McEvoy, Manager of the Student Success Centre and Emma Sylvester, Learning Strategist as they discuss their new positions within the Student Success Centre.

The Fred Smithers Centre strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. All events will have sign language interpreting and real-time transcription.

Pathways to Accessible Employment: The SEI Program

Wednesday, March 23
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Virtual Event: Zoom

Are you a student looking for employment but not sure where to start? Look no further! Join this interactive session to learn more about the Student Employment Initiative Program and Wage Subsidy (SEI). SEI is a program that supports students with disabilities in securing employment with on and off-campus employers, gaining volunteer experience, and developing their professional skills and competencies.

The Fred Smithers Centre strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. All events will have sign language interpreting and real-time transcription.

Accessibility & The Physical Environment

Thursday, March 24
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Virtual Event: Zoom

Join guest speaker Matthew Glynn, an engineer in Halifax NS and a former student of the Fred Smithers Centre as he discusses his experience of engineering, accessibility and the physical environment. A session for faculty, staff and students.

Enable the Environment

Friday, March 25
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Virtual Event: Zoom

Facilitators Jennifer Green, Manager of the Fred Smithers Centre and Jennifer Webb, Educational Developer, Learning Experience will define what an enabling environment is and provide practical guidance and instruction on how to make your classroom or space an enabling environment. A session for faculty and staff.

Saint Mary’s researcher recognized for contributions to Accessibility Act

Dr. Linda Campbell (back row, far left) and other members of the Bill 59 Community Alliance

Over the past year-and-a-half, Saint Mary’s University professor Dr. Linda Campbell has worked diligently to improve a very important bill to the province of Nova Scotia through a partnership called the Bill 59 Community Alliance. Their work on Bill 59, otherwise known as the Accessibility Act, has helped to ensure that the bill addresses the needs of Nova Scotians with disabilities.

Dr. Linda Campbell (right) with Amberlin Hines, a deaf student from Gallaudet University who visited Saint Mary’s in 2015.

Recently their hard work was recognized by the Partnership for Access Awareness when they were awarded this year’s Mel Hebb Hourglass Action Award for their contributions to Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Act. The Partnership for Access Awareness bestows the Action Award annually during National Access Awareness Week to celebrate individuals who promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in Nova Scotia.

Lauded by the Honorable Graham Steele as a “remarkable example of effective citizen action,” the Bill 59 Community Alliance helped to make Nova Scotia more inclusive by bringing together high-level civil servants and advocates from diverse backgrounds.

Dr. Campbell recalls the first meeting with the Premier’s Office, in which the Alliance shared their concerns and recommended solutions.

“It was an informative meeting. The Premier’s Office staff was attentive and thoughtful, and we left the room feeling positive about the way forward.”

This meeting led to an invitation from the Executive Council Office to join key players in redrafting the bill. The result, the Accessibility Act, received significant praise. Key features of the bill include a 2030 deadline for Nova Scotia businesses, organizations, and governments to provide barrier-free access to buildings, and a detailed implementation plan to ensure targets are met.

"As an environment scientist, my first priority is to advocate for healthy environments; however, often I must advocate for access before I can even speak about the environment,” says Dr. Campbell. “This two-step process means that others lose access to the knowledge and expertise that I can offer. Establishing a strong Accessibility Act allows people like me to focus on our jobs and careers. "

Bill 59 received Royal Assent on April 28, 2017.

Dr. Linda Campbell is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Environmental Science and Acting Chair of the School of the Environment. She carries out international-level research on environmental contaminants and freshwater ecosystems, has published extensively on these issues, and is frequently consulted by governments and private businesses.

As one of only two Deaf professors in the world doing aquatic research, Dr. Campbell mentors deaf students and has published on the issues facing Deaf academics. She also co-led an interactive sign language place name project at Saint Mary’s University.

 In addition to her work with the Bill 59 Community Alliance, where she co-represented the Deaf community, Linda sits on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Hearing Society and Gallaudet University in Washington DC, the only Deaf liberal arts university in the world.