Refocusing Our Approach to Service Delivery Gladys Loewen, Consultant Heather Mole, McGill University

Core Beliefs Human variation is natural and vital in the development of dynamic communities Inclusion and full participation are a matter of social justice Used with permission from Project ShIFT, Lane Community College, Oregon

Core Beliefs Design is powerful and profoundly influences our daily lives Disability is a social/political category that includes people with a variety of conditions who are bound together by common experiences

Core Beliefs Good design is essential for achieving inclusion and full participation Creating usable, equitable, sustainable, and inclusive environments is a shared responsibility

Picture of man in wheelchair at bottom of seven steps leading to polling station

Picture of young man in wheelchair looking up the stairs that lead into the bus Picture of a young woman in a wheelchair next to a bus with no ramp

Bus Access What is the problem? Who owns the problem? Who has the power to resolve the problem? In the ideal world, how would this situation be resolved?

Exam Accommodation How many steps does it take to get an exam accommodation?

How comparable are the steps disabled students and nondisabled students must take to write an exam?

Exam Accommodation What is the problem? Who owns the problem? Who has the power to resolve the problem? In the ideal world, how would this situation be resolved?

Spheres of influence

Full participation & inclusion requires ● Relocating the ‘problem of disability’ primarily from the individual with an impairment to the design of the environment. ● Removing the emphasis on sorting and labeling that currently dominates our practices. ● Promoting the design of environments that anticipates diverse users and thus minimizes the need for retrofit and individual accommodations. ● Collaborating with and encouraging all members of the campus community to share in the responsibility for creating welcoming and inclusive environments.