Indigenous History Month

Indigenous History Month

UBC Pride

Call for Applications: Join UBC’s Accessibility Committee

Now entering its third year of active work, UBC’s Accessibility Committee continues to play a vital role in identifying, removing, and preventing barriers across our campuses. The Committee advises on systemic accessibility issues and helps advance UBC’s commitments to disability inclusion, justice, and compliance with the Accessible British Columbia Act.

We are currently inviting applications for new members to join this important university-wide committee. Students, faculty and staff from both Vancouver and Okanagan campuses are encouraged to apply for several at-large positions.

About the Accessibility Committee

The Accessibility Committee supports institutional change by:

  • Guiding the development and implementation of UBC’s accessibility plan;
  • Providing input on barrier identification and removal;
  • Advising on emerging priorities and practices in accessibility and disability justice.

The committee is made up of  20members:

  • 7 members appointed from key administrative offices;
  • 3 student leaders representing AMS, GSS, and SUO;
  • 10 at-large members selected through this open call, including at least:
    • 2 students
    • 2 faculty members
    • 2 staff members

We strongly encourage applications from individuals with lived experience of disability and from those who are actively engaged in accessibility and disability advocacy.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

In alignment with the Accessible BC Act, committee composition will strive to:

  • Include at least 50% of members who identify as disabled or who support individuals with disabilities;
  • Reflect the diversity of people with disabilities in British Columbia;
  • Include at least one Indigenous member;
  • Reflect the broader diversity of the UBC community.

To support this, applicants are invited to complete a voluntary self-identification survey as part of the application process.

How to Apply

Interested UBC students, staff, or faculty members should:

  1. Review the Terms of Reference to understand the committee’s mandate, expectations, and eligibility criteria;
  1. Complete the online application formby July 8, 2025.

Apply now

Please note: all personal data shared in the application process will be kept confidential and handled according to UBC’s privacy policies.

Update on UBC’s Accessibility Plan

Dear UBC community members,

During this National AccessAbility Week (May 25 – 31), I am pleased to provide an update on UBC’s efforts to support our obligations under the 2021 Accessible BC Act, which require the establishment of an accessibility committee, an accessibility plan and a tool to receive feedback on barriers to accessibility from the campus disability community.

The Accessibility Committee and the Accessibility Planning Team, established in 2023, have been diligently working to progress not only our legislated obligations to meet emerging accessibility standards but also our aspirations towards broader intersectional disability equity, inclusion and justice goals aligned with UBC’s Strategic Equity & Anti-Racism (StEAR) Framework.

These efforts are described in the Report on UBC’s Accessibility Plan.

During this time, the Equity & Inclusion Office (EIO) has also launched a feedback mechanism for the UBC disability community, located within a newly developed online Accessibility Hub. The hub will continue to expand as more accessibility, as well as disability equity, inclusion and justice resources are created and/or curated, and as the site builds links to the network of campus services and supports available for UBC’s diverse disability community.

Currently, an Action Plan is being developed to identify what UBC is doing well and where there are opportunities to improve compliance with new standards and to progress commitments to aspirational goals beyond compliance measures. The EIO has hired a strategist and seconded a project manager to support and sustain accessibility planning, implementation and evaluation work.

As well, the Accessibility Committee, with the guidance of EIO staff and support of a newly hired graduate administrative assistant, is designing a campus consultation process to engage disabled students, faculty and staff to inform the Action Plan. The purpose of the engagement process is to identify persistent barriers to meeting accessibility obligations and ideas for aspirational disability equity, inclusion and justice goals. The aim is to launch the campus engagement in the fall of 2025 and to also report back to the community with an update on the Action Plan.

Finally, we are launching another call for volunteers to serve on the Accessibility Committee. Members of the UBC disability community are invited to apply to fill a number vacancies. Please review the call for applications and, if you have questions, please email accessibility.committee@ubc.ca.

Dr. Arig al Shaibah
Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion

Fonteyn Li

Administrative Coordinator

Campus:
UBC Vancouver

Pronouns:
He/ Him/ His

Bio

Fonteyn brings a strong background in administration, customer service, and office operations. Originally from Hong Kong, he studied Tourism and gained experience in both marketing and administrative roles before moving to Canada three years ago. Since then, he has contributed to UBC in various roles, including with Hiring Solutions and most recently as an Administrative Assistant in the Department of French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies.

In his current role, he supports the IIP&E team, the broader EIO office, and the StEAR Enhancement Fund by providing key administrative support to help ensure smooth day-to-day operations. His experience and dedication make him a valuable asset to the team.

Outside of work, Fonteyn enjoys traveling, exploring new places, and sports games!

Email:
fonteyn.li@ubc.ca

Address:
Brock Commons South Building
4024-6180 Walter Gage Road
Vancouver, BC V6T1Z1

Asian Heritage Month

Jewish Heritage Month

Expressing care for Filipino/a/x community members

I wish to express our shock and sadness in hearing of the horrific event at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival in Vancouver that killed several Filipino/a/x community members and injured many more.

We are thinking about the families of all of those who lost loved ones and all members of the Filipino/a/x community  who are experiencing the psychological trauma of this devastating event. We join in mourning the loss of these precious lives and in thinking about how to best care for dear colleagues and friends at UBC.

As a reminder, students, faculty and staff requiring mental health support may contact the following resources:

Dr. Arig al Shaibah
Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion

Connie Yuchun Wu

Communications Specialist

Campus:
UBC Vancouver

Pronouns:
She, her, hers

Bio

Connie provides communication support across the office, ranging from communications planning to execution.

She brings over five years of experience in communications in the higher education space. Before joining EIO, she has worked with the School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) and the Department of Asian Studies, and holds a Bachelor of Media Studies from UBC. Connie is passionate about creating meaningful connections through inclusive communication. Connie previously served as a committee member on the Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) Committee at SPPH.

Email:
connie.wu@ubc.ca

Address:
Brock Commons South Building
4024-6180 Walter Gage Road
Vancouver, BC V6T1Z1

Steadfast in addressing inequities and advancing excellence

Among the days of significance acknowledged in March are three that are particularly meaningful in this moment in time: International Women’s DayInternational Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and International Transgender Day of Visibility. I invite you to visit the specific pages for each of these observances to learn more and explore related events and resources.

These commemorative days remind us of global norms established to safeguard and promote the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people and, in the current context, emphasize the need to counter the intensification of misogyny, racism and transphobia. They highlight the renewed imperative to remain steadfast in addressing systemic racial and gender inequities in society and, by extension, our institutions.

We are in a dystopic moment where disinformation and misinformation about marginalized communities and social betterment movements are fueling a rise in intergroup conflict and distrust. These dynamics contribute to inaccurate descriptions, interpretations and evaluations of the goals and benefits of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) priorities on campus.

EDI is fundamentally about promoting opportunity, access, and belonging for all students, faculty and staff. These are goals that every contemporary Canadian university that seeks to be globally relevant and impactful should aspire to – not because it is the nice thing to do (benevolence) or the thing we must do (compliance) – but because it is the right and vital thing to do to advance academic excellence. This understanding is supported by a preponderance of evidence that the broadest diversity of people and perspectives, when provided equitable and inclusive opportunities to participate in the life and work of the university, can stimulate creativity and innovation – the preconditions for excellence in research, teaching, service, and governance.

UBC’s mission statement includes three related core values that underpin its vision “for a better world” and its purpose “to foster global citizenship and advance a sustainable and just society”: respect for “different people, ideas and actions”; excellence, or “the quality of striving to be, and being, outstanding”; and the academic freedom to “express ideas through respectful discourse and the pursuit of open discussion, without risk of censure”.

Enduring commitment to access, equity and inclusion signals to historically, persistently and systematically marginalized (HPSM) groups and EDI champions that they are valued not only because of their intrinsic worth but also because of their essential contributions to advancing excellence in research, teaching, service, and governance at UBC.

Dr. Arig al Shaibah,
Associate Vice-President, Equity & Inclusion