On Dec. 3, McGill marked the UN’s annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities for the first time, reflecting the University’s commitment to advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and increasing accessibility.
Laverne Jacobs, a law professor at the University of Windsor and alumna of McGill, gave the keynote address on Disability Equality as an Ethical Project of Inclusion, an event that featured live captioning and ASL interpretation.
Paul Tshuma, a published poet, hosted an online interactive creative writing workshop titled Empowering Voices of Disability Pride through Creative Writing, which guided participants in exploring how writing can amplify voices and perspectives.
The celebration was organized by McGill’s Equity team under the theme of Disability Pride.
“This is a historic event at McGill,” said Christopher Manfredi, Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic), in his opening remarks prior to Jacobs’s talk. “This celebration is part of our larger commitment to advancing the work of EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion), and in particular, increasing accessibility for persons with disabilities.”
Part of that commitment includes the development of a McGill Accessibilities Strategy, which was the subject of several consultation sessions held earlier this fall.
Keynote address
Jacobs is the first Canadian to be elected to serve on the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Her talk touched on her life’s journey since graduating from McGill and her personal experience of disability as a wheelchair user, and then focused on how various legal mechanisms have been used to implement equality rights for persons with disabilities, particularly in the contexts of transportation and post-secondary education.
“The path that I have travelled has brought me through some adversity but has also given me the opportunity to become a stronger lawyer and scholar, and an advocate for persons with disabilities,” said Jacobs. “I’m delighted to share what I’ve learned in order to contribute to our collective pursuit of disability equality and inclusion.”
Her speech was followed by a Q&A session and closing remarks from Accessibility Advisor Catherine Roy.
“Events like this one help us collectively dismantle those barriers by fostering understanding, empathy and, most importantly, action,” said Roy. “Your presence affirms the importance of the conversations we’ve had, the ideas we’ve exchanged and the connections that we’ve strengthened tonight.”
Additional speakers at the keynote address included Elder Michael Loft, who offered The Words That Come Before All Else; Tynan Jarrett, Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; Prof. Shari Brotman, Interim Chair for the McGill Board of Governors’ Subcommittee on Persons with Disabilities; and Robert Leckey, Dean of the Faculty of Law. The event was MCed by Shanice Yarde, Associate Director, Anti-Racism and Equity Education.