This 2021 study reviewed the experiences of students with disabilities and their professors in obtaining their academic accommodations. The findings were grouped into three main areas:  

1. Reinforced and Naturalized Marginality    

Students with disabilities experienced marginalization which was maintained and naturalized by institutional procedures and through their interactions with faculty.  

Students with disabilities often felt a need to fit with institutional “normative preferences” designed for non-disabled students. This caused some not to seek accommodations or to minimally request what was available. Accepting help was difficult due to their pride in wanting to be viewed as “normal” and a desire to be independent. 

2. Conditional Community Membership 

Interactions between students and their professors demonstrated many ways that students with disabilities experienced a conditional sense of belonging in their post-secondary communities.  

One example involved students using testing centres to write accommodated tests. Learners thought their faculty would be available by email during accommodated exams, so proctors could relay any questions they needed answered. Experiences varied as some professors were willing to communicate, while others refused to acknowledge or reply to exam concerns.  

Students found that if they wanted access to their professors, they were expected to write exams in the class with their peers.  

3. Understanding and Valuing Diversity 

Students found affirmation when instructors encouraged and made themselves available for open conversations about disability and differences. 

Connecting with faculty through shared lived experience emerged as another important validation of student diversity.

View the full study

Please email us at accessible-learning@humber.ca with suggestions for key accessibility-related topics that you would like us to address through the Communiqué. 

Do you have clothing items around your house you want to donate?

Come by and drop them off in one of our many Bazaar in Bloom boxes! The boxes can be found all over campus (in front of the Office of Sustainability, Athletics Office, Business Office, and Academic & Career Success Centre).

These items will be used for our upcoming Eco Closet event happening on November 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This is an amazing way to prolong your clothing's life cycle by thrifting the items at a very low cost and shop more sustainable. This is a market place you will not want to miss.

Dear Humber faculty/staff members,

We are thrilled to announce an exciting opportunity to be the principal investigator for an upcoming project with a community partner. This research project has been ideated to document the experiences and issues faced by diverse Black women living in Northwest Toronto, to inform health policy and program development that improves their access to healthcare information, resources, and services. As a researcher on this project, you will play a crucial role in researching and documenting the experiences of Black women to voice their experiences accessing healthcare. This project will be 3-4 months long.

Available Resources:

• Funding of up to $30,000 is available for the project salaries, including hiring students and materials
• Well-developed project plan
• Project objectives

We believe this is an excellent opportunity for an experienced researcher with expertise in Social Innovation, Black Women's Health, and/or related areas looking to take on a challenging, innovative, and exciting project. If you are interested please forward your:

1. Most recent CV
2. Short description of why you would like to lead this project
3. Short description of your research expertise in this field

Send to ORI’s Project Manager, Manivannan Kannan at manivannan.kannan@humber.ca on or before November 30, 2023. If you have any questions please reach out to Manivannan.

I am pleased to announce that following a very competitive process, Dr. Yasmin Razack was selected from a very strong pool of candidates to lead the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging portfolio as Humber’s inaugural Dean of EDIB starting December 4. In this role, Yasmin will lead the EDIB portfolio and work with myself and the EDIB team to integrate the principles of diversity, inclusion, and equity into all areas of academic, work, and campus life at Humber. 

Yasmin joins us from the Canadian Blood Services (CBS), where she served as the first chief diversity officer to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and Indigenization with intentionality, across the organization and within the broader health landscape. Through her guidance and leadership, CBS developed the first DEI strategy, advanced equitable institutional practices, and further cultivated organizational inclusion.

Yasmin has nearly two decades of progressive leadership experience focused on diversity, equity, and community inclusion. As the director of global citizenship, education, equity and inclusion at Centennial College, she led collaborative initiatives to address systemic barriers for equity-deserving groups and Indigenous communities by collaborating with students, staff, and the wider community in collective action through transformative learning. 

With a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Western Ontario and certification as a professional coach, Yasmin has gained a comprehensive understanding of how to effectively engage diverse communities and shape organizational strategies that combat systemic biases and inequities.

As a DEI strategy developer, she strongly believes in co-creating strategies that foster community inclusion, co-creation, active participation, and recognizes that this work is ever evolving.

Yasmin is known for her commitment to EDIB, encompassing various facets such as leading taskforces related to anti-racism, accessibility, universal design, training, and development, and integrating the principles of anti-oppression. 

I want to acknowledge the dedicated search committee that included: 

• Cheri Tredree, Manager Talent Acquisition
• John Stilla, Senior Dean of FLA
• Ian Crookshank, AVP for Learner and Career Success
• Kimberly Daniels, Manager Equity & Student Life
• Quazance Boissoneau, Manager IE&E
• Shernett Bennett, Library Technician
• Fabian Marks, Faculty, Longo Faculty of Business

Having filled this important position, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the committee for their time, attention, and support. I look forward to their continued support as we work with Yasmin to complete all activities related to the EDI Taskforce, to transition EDI programs into faculty and department operations, and finally to disseminate the final report of the EDI Taskforce.

Please join me in congratulating Yasmin and wishing her success in her new role.

Jason Seright
Vice-President, Inclusion and Belonging.