Accessibility

U of T grad discovers a passion for accessibility research and design

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 18:28:58 +0000

U of T grad discovers a passion for accessibility research and design

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 10/28/2024 - 14:28

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Alexander Parent (seated in blue shirt) helps adapt toys for children with disabilities at a Dis/Usability workshop held in the Faculty of Information’s Makerspace

Ann Brocklehurst

Topic

Our Community

Convocation 2024

Accessibility

Faculty of Information

Subheadline

Alexander Parent, who has a mild form of cerebral palsy that affects the right side of his body, focused on design and critical disability studies

The first in his family to attend university, Alexander Parent felt like he had already exceeded expectations before pursuing a master’s degree in user experience design at the ��Ƶ – then he fell in love with his research.

With a mild form of cerebral palsy that affects the right side of his body, Parent focused on design and critical disability studies – including designing adaptive toys for children with disabilities.

He says his work in the field emphasizes the importance of understanding end users.

“I feel like designing technology in a vacuum isn’t beneficial,” says Parent, who will receive his degree this week during U of T’s fall convocation and is now pursuing a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences at New York University. “And it potentially can be dangerous and risky if you don’t talk with communities and others to understand what technology you need to make for those people.

“A big discussion in our field is learning how to do this in partnership, in a co-design way, rather than how it’s been done historically.”

Alexander Parent (supplied image)

On the design side, Parent’s focus has been “do-it-yourself assistive devices” and conducting research work with “people as partners and co-designers” – an approach he studied in an accessibility and inclusive design course taught by Priyank Chandra, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Information who is the director of the STREET Lab.

Parent worked to put theory into practice. He helped organize a workshop – put on by the STREET Lab and a student-run Accessibility Interests Working Group that he chaired – on how to modify toys for children with disabilities using 3D-printed parts. It took advantage of resources in the Faculty of Information’s Makerspace and was carried out in partnership with Makers Making Change, an organization that 3D prints assistive devices for people with disabilities.

“I'm really proud of that event because a bunch of people not only got to learn skills, in terms of how to make things, but also to have critical conversations about why this is important,” says Parent, who also earned a bachelor’s degree from U of T.

The event proved popular, leading to two subsequent workshops.

Students worked to create remote control cars that could be operated by children who might not have the strength or fine motor skills to use the small buttons found on most controllers.

Their solution? Much larger buttons that enabled kids to operate the cars with a whole hand, elbow or another body part. The modified toys, achieved through a combination of 3D-printed parts and rewired electronics, were ultimately donated to ErinoakKids, the treatment and development centre that Parent attended as a child.

Meanwhile, Chandra had suggested Parent check out the work of New York University’s Amy Hurst, a pioneer in working collaboratively with people with disabilities in makerspaces.

“It was the ideal fit for the kind of work I want to do in the future,” says Parent, who contacted Hurst to discuss his research and mentioned that he would be referencing her work in his thesis.

He ultimately decided to submit an application to pursue his PhD with Hurst.

“We got on a phone call and [Hurst] said that not only would I be welcomed at New York University, but they're giving me a fellowship to go study there,” Parent said last spring. “So, I'm the first one in my family to get an undergraduate degree, and now a master's degree, and one day, a PhD from NYU.

“I'm still blown away.”

Parent is coming home from New York to attend his convocation ceremony – and to maintain his U of T connections and build a network of accessibility professionals, which now includes an Instagram account for the student-run Accessibility Interests Working Group that he once chaired.

“We need to continue to have the discussions that we began even after we've graduated,” says Parent. “What we do as designers matters and who we involve as equals in the process matters.”

'Incredible gratitude': U of T grad on his journey from spinal cord injury to convocation

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 15:15:50 +0000

'Incredible gratitude': U of T grad on his journey from spinal cord injury to convocation

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 06/04/2024 - 11:15

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Six years on from sustaining a life-altering injury, Beau Hayward is graduating with an honours bachelor of arts degree – and looking forward to beginning his master's at U of T in the fall (photo by Matthew Volpe)

Sean McNeely

Topic

Our Community

Convocation 2024

Facilities and Services

Accessibility

Athletic Centre

Faculty of Arts & Science

KPE

Woodsworth College

Subheadline

"My time at the university has been completely intertwined with my recovery, and what I’ve learned is that it really wasn’t as much about regaining anything as it was about building something completely new."

In the summer of 2018, Beau Hayward dived off the dock of a friend’s cottage in Sudbury, Ont., and unexpectedly struck the bottom. Face down in the water and unable to turn over, he was luckily found by a friend who was able to revive him on shore.

Beau Hayward (photo by Matthew Volpe)

But the accident changed Hayward's life. He sustained a spinal cord injury that caused him to become an incomplete quadriplegic, which means he has limited function in his upper body.

A period of profound adjustment followed that involved tirelessly working towards regaining his independence and developing a mindset to focus on what was truly important and worthy of his time and energy – which, he decided, was studying history and archaeology at the ��Ƶ.

Hayward is graduating this spring with an honours bachelor of arts degree as a member of Woodsworth College. He spoke to Faculty of Arts & Science writer Sean McNeely about his experiences at U of T and pursuing what he loved:

What did you enjoy most about the history and archaeology programs?

When I began, my interest in history was very broad, albeit somewhat focused on North American and European history. The way the undergrad program is designed, you’re exposed to historical research from across the world, but there was always something about American history that held a grip on me.

The professors and TAs made all the difference throughout my undergraduate degree. I had the opportunity to take several courses taught by Assistant Professor Max Mishler who has been an inspiration and supported me throughout the past four years.

The archaeology undergraduate major is an incredible program that has so many avenues for growth. There are field schools around the world, field schools in Toronto, and opportunities to get hands-on experience inside laboratories at the university. As a student with a physical disability, there are a lot of challenges in pursuing archaeological research, but that never stopped my U of T professors and TAs who always worked with me to make sure that I was getting the most out of my experience.

Professor Michael Chazan and Hilary Duke, a postdoctoral fellow, worked with me to build my experience working with archaeological materials in the lab – that was a highlight of my university experience.

Throughout my undergrad, I’ve had the opportunity to take several courses with Hilary Duke focusing on stone tools. From early on, I felt an attachment to these artifacts. There is something special about them; they are such a tremendous part of human history and can tell us so much.

Can you share your experiences with accessibility at U of T?

When I decided to go to U of T, some friends were concerned that an old university would not be accessible. As it turns out, it’s incredibly accessible. Over my four years, I can think of only two instances where classrooms proved difficult for accessibility, and those issues were resolved quickly.

Additionally, the Office of Facilities & Services has a deep commitment to accessibility. I had the pleasure of providing consultations for upcoming construction projects involving accessibility.

Outside of the physical aspects of accessibility on campus, I’ve had incredible support from the university’s Accessibility Services team. Michelle Morgani has been my accessibility adviser since the beginning at Woodsworth and has been critical in my success at the university.

Everything from accommodated formats for research materials to accommodated testing services made my experience as a student with a disability seamless.

Looking back, what advice would you give your first-year self?

Spinal cord injuries take everything from you, and the journey of recovery is about regaining as much as possible. My time at the university has been completely intertwined with my recovery, and what I’ve learned is that it really wasn’t as much about regaining anything [as] it was about building something completely new.

My advice to my first-year self would be to trust the process and enjoy every minute because it really does fly by.

What have been some of your most memorable experiences at U of T?

As I reflect on the past five years, I cannot help but feel incredible gratitude towards the massive group of people who have helped me along the way.

I will be forever grateful for all the students and staff who work at the Athletic Centre. With their incredible support, I have been able to regain so much physical strength that has shaped my independence.

I also had the pleasure of working on the [Faculty of] Kinesiology & Physical Education’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging team and developed a few programs for students with disabilities. These programs were both big and small, and created some incredible experiences that I will cherish.

What’s next for you after graduation?

I will be beginning my master’s in history [at U of T] this September which I’m thrilled about. My research will be focused on the United States. I’ll be researching early 20th-century labour history, with my project specifically focused on Appalachia.

What would you say to someone considering U of T and Woodsworth College?

The staff and faculty at Woodsworth College are incredible. They are committed to their students’ success. The Academic Bridging Program was my ticket into the university and to a new life. It sounds dramatic, but it’s absolutely true. I cannot emphasize enough how fantastic the community at the college really is.

Not only are the staff and faculty members amazing and driven to provide every opportunity for success, but there is tremendous peer support and community at Woodsworth. To someone considering U of T, and especially the Academic Bridging Program at Woodsworth College, there is a life-changing opportunity available here. Don’t let it pass you by.

U of T researcher's AI model could help optimize e-commerce sites for users who are colour blind

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 17:23:10 +0000

U of T researcher's AI model could help optimize e-commerce sites for users who are colour blind

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 04/15/2024 - 13:23

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Parham Aarabi, an an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, built an AI model that simulates how users interact with images on an e-commerce site – including those experiencing colour blindness (photo by Matthew Tierney)

Matthew Tierney

Accessibility

Artificial Intelligence

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Research & Innovation

Subheadline

Parham Aarabi found that, in general, users experiencing colour blindness are 30 per cent more likely to click on a monochrome image

��Ƶ researcher Parham Aarabi has created an artificial intelligence model that mimics how users navigate e-commerce websites – and it may be able to help retailers optimize their sites for people experiencing colour blindness and other conditions.

Called PRE, the AI-generated tool sees virtual users browse, pause on a page, add items to cart and click on discounted items.

While the tool shows that users tend to be drawn to colourful images, Aarabi also wanted to see how those experiencing full and partial colour blindness might respond.

“Around eight to 10 per cent of the population has a type of colour-blindness,” says Aarabi, an associate professor in the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “There are a number of ways the eye can be confused by colour, commonly between red and green or blue and yellow.

“I wanted to see how this might impact web navigation.”

Aarabi set up an experiment. He altered a retail clothing website to simulate how it would appear to someone with protanomaly, or a reduced ability to perceive red light. One might think of it as applying a filter, or lens, which Aarabi then modified to approximate eight other variations of colour deficiency.

For each variation, Aarabi initiated one million navigation sessions with AI virtual users and tracked the image click rates. He found that, in general, someone with colour-blindness is 30 per cent more likely than a colour-abled user to click on a monochrome image. The results will be presented in a paper at the 46th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society this summer.

A screenshot shows all nine versions of Aarabi’s test website, each filtered to simulate a variation of colour-blindness. The bottom-right version is weak protanomaly, or a reduced ability to perceive red light (image by Parham Aarabi)

The boost factor that website designers count on with colour doesn’t translate to everyone, notes Aarabi.

“When people are designing sites or presenting products, they need to stay cognizant that eight per cent of the population is not going to be impacted. You need to add better descriptions and more textual information to guide users through the shopping process.”

Aarabi sees this study as one of many that can benefit from PRE, whose neural net took two years to train with data from 110,000 real-life user sessions.

“To measure its accuracy, we set up a sample site and predicted what actions the AI virtual users will take – what percentage would add to cart, what percentage would buy a particular product, and so on – and also ran a test of the site with people,” says Aarabi. “PRE correctly mimics a human user’s actions 90 per cent of the time.”

There are benefits with using AI virtual users for a study. One can run experiments more quickly, on a larger scale, and can recreate as many sessions as desired. The AI model eliminates the need, for example, to locate and coordinate many thousands of willing colour-blind participants.

Aarabi has plans to use PRE to test other barriers to accessibility, such as dyslexia or motor impairments. His long-term goal is provide an auditing service for companies that allows them to test a web design’s impact on users with various conditions before or after launch.

Such goals are part of Aarabi’s research effort to mitigate negativity about AI.

“There’s a lot of worry, even within the tech community, about AI taking over or replacing us in some capacity,” he says. “If we can make AI more humanlike in some way, build in some empathy and have it mirror the reactions that humans have, we could dispel some of those concerns.”

“Professor Aarabi has been a pioneer in the application of AI, from past research cautioning against bias in training data sets to this current project, which uses the AI advantage to address accessibility issues,” says Professor Deepa Kundur, chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering. “Parham brings a valuable, forward-thinking approach to leveraging AI for positive outcomes.”

U of T prof makes disability and accessibility research his life's work

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 20:45:34 +0000

U of T prof makes disability and accessibility research his life's work

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 02/09/2024 - 15:45

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Ron Buliung, a professor in U of T Mississauga’s department of geography, geomatics and environment, says his research aims to “just make things work” for people with disabilities and their families (photo by Romi Levine)

Topic

Subheadline

Ron Buliung dedicated his professional life to studying disability – and the experiences of people with disabilities – after his daughter was born with a genetic neuromuscular disease

When Ron Buliung’s youngest daughter was born, it changed his life both as a parent and as a researcher.

She was born with spinal muscular atrophy type 2, a genetic neuromuscular disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and requires her to use a wheelchair.

Since then, Buliung, a professor of geography, geomatics and environment at the ��Ƶ Mississauga, has made disability and accessibility research his life’s work.

“It took me a while to process what was happening in my family,” he says. “I then decided I wanted to dedicate my professional life to disability study and the experiences of disabled persons in cities. Since I made that commitment, I haven’t really looked back.”

Over the years, Buliung has delved into disability and accessibility issues. One of his projects focused on food insecurity for people living with disabilities. He found that people with disabilities face both physical and economic barriers to accessing food – putting them at greater risk of food insecurity.

“That research was very timely, given the pandemic and subsequent rise in food prices,” says Buliung, who also teaches at the St. George campus. “The problems we identified in that work have been exacerbated by current conditions.”

Much of his research is motivated by his experiences as a father, as outlined in a recent article for the academic journal Disability and Society. For example, when his daughter started school, he felt frustrated as he watched her face physical barriers to school transportation – an experience shared by many other parents and caregivers of children with disabilities.

In a research project, he and graduate students found that young learners with disabilities face excess travel time to school, and early departure times at the end of the day, which can result in unacceptable levels of missed classroom time and peer interaction. 

“We questioned the ways in which transportation can be both an enabler and barrier to access to education,” Buliung explains.

He also dug into disability and pedestrian injury research, finding that people with disabilities have a significantly higher risk of pedestrian collisions, injuries and fatalities. He wanted to study this issue after walking in Toronto’s The Junction neighbourhood with his daughter and noticing the hazards she faced as a pedestrian.

“I noticed her position and height, relative to parked cars, and the pedestrian countdown signal buttons,” he says. “Her visibility is an issue when she’s sitting in her power wheelchair and she was the height of a four- or five-year-old. If she was hit, all of her vital systems were in the path of a vehicle.”

Looking ahead, Buliung says he’s interested in studying the effects of climate change on people living with disabilities – for example, the barriers they face when they must evacuate due to extreme events like wildfires.

“If you look at the casualty figures of extreme weather events, you’ll find a disproportionate representation of elderly and disabled persons. It’s terrible, and unnecessary,” he says. “If you think about the pace of the recent fire in Maui ... the fire swept through so quickly – imagine trying to remove yourself if you have a mobility challenge.”

Buliung was recently named a Distinguished Professor in Geographies of Disability and Ableism for a five-year term. He joins two other U of T Mississauga faculty members – Kent Moore of the department of chemical and physical sciences and Robert Gerlai of the department of psychology – in the latest cohort of the program.

Buliung describes the designation as a “very big deal” for his research focus.

“This designation is honouring the subject matter of the work, and bringing maybe a bit more attention to disabilities in cities and the academy,” he says.

Over the next five years, he hopes to study the experience of siblings (with disabilities and/or without) of children with disabilities – a topic that is personally meaningful and aligns with his multidisciplinary approach to work.

As the father of three, he thinks about the experiences of all his children. 

“There is more work to be done looking at how siblings, parents, other family members and outside care workers relate to one another and disability within a family or household,” he says. “There can be some challenges around the disproportionate amount of time that can be associated with engaging in care work for one child.”

Buliung ultimately hopes his research will draw attention to important issues and ultimately create changes that will make people’s lives easier.

“The idea behind my research is: let’s just make things work. Let’s try to shape things in such a way that people who are disabled and their families have to do less work to basically access the same kinds of things that many other people do.”

‘Bionic professor’ aims to transform the field of wearable robotics

mattimar — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 13:27:34 +0000

‘Bionic professor’ aims to transform the field of wearable robotics

mattimar Mon, 06/26/2023 - 09:27

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Brokoslaw Laschowski is developing AI-powered wearable technology for medical applications and, in his spare time, helping students from Ukraine (photo by Polina Teif)

Mariam Matti

Topic

Our Community

Toronto Rehabilitation Institute

Accessibility

Artificial Intelligence

Computer Science

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Global

Ukraine

University Health Network

Subheadline

Brokoslaw Laschowski’s lab is developing AI-powered technologies that interface with humans

To students in his ��Ƶ lab, Brokoslaw Laschowski is known as “the bionic professor” – a superhuman nickname that speaks to both his fascination with wearable robotics and passion for helping others.

A research scientist at the KITE Research Institute, University Health Network, and assistant professor (status) in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Laschowski and his team are developing wearable robots that use artificial intelligence (AI) to make decisions on their own – not unlike autonomous cars.

Their work includes bionic prosthetic legs, exoskeletons, AI-powered smart glasses and neural interfaces.

“Applications of our technology are primarily medical,” says Laschowski, who is also an affiliate faculty member at U of T’s Robotics Institute, one of several multidisciplinary institutional strategic initiatives at the university.

“We are trying to help individuals with physical disabilities. It’s such a challenging problem, how do you design technology that interface with humans and allows them to synergistically move in a meaningful way?”

Laschowski is developing wearable robotics, including an exoskeleton, to help individuals with physical disabilities (photo by Polina Teif)

For Laschowski, who says he has long been fascinated with the concept of “cyborgs,” computer vision can help seamlessly merge humans with machines.

“Humans use their vision for path planning and control, which inspired the use of vision in autonomous cars,” he says. “I started looking into how we could possibly use vision with walking robots.”

For the team’s prosthetic leg and exoskeleton, tiny cameras allow the devices to sense their environments in real-time – an idea that Laschowski says is unique to his research.

“There aren’t many labs in the world that are using computer vision to improve human-robot walking,” he says.

The team’s smart glasses interact with both the exoskeleton and bionic prosthetic leg. The system works by combining computer vision and deep-learning AI to recognize the surrounding environment and adapt to obstacles and changes in terrain.

“We can accurately and quickly identify features of the environment and relay that information to the bionic legs,” he says.

Laschowski says he became passionate about assistive technology while he was pursuing his second master’s degree at the University of Waterloo. At the time, he was working with Paralympic athletes from Team Canada on design optimization of wheelchairs using computer simulations.

He completed a PhD in engineering at Waterloo before coming to U of T to do a postdoctoral fellowship in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

Laschowski wears a prototype of his lab’s AI-powered smart glasses (photo by Polina Teif)

Laschowski’s drive to help others extends well beyond the realm of assistive devices.

Last year, he worked with Michael Brudno, chief data scientist for the University Health Network and a professor of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, to launch a summer research program for students fleeing the Russian invasion and war in Ukraine.

As a Ukrainian-Canadian, Laschowski says the initiative is close to his heart.

“We took students out of war zones and gave them a safe learning environment – especially last year.”

The initiative, which drew more than 400 applicants this year, gives computer science students from Ukraine the opportunity to work and study with top U of T faculty who are engaged in cutting-edge research. It receives support from U of T’s department of computer science, the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the Robotics Institute and the department of mathematical and computational sciences at U of T Mississauga.

Laschowski and Brudno are both deeply involved – reviewing submissions, helping students fill out visa forms and preparing them for one of the biggest moves of their lives. They also organized a welcome event for the new cohort of 21 students who arrived at U of T in May.

“We feel a huge sense of responsibility,” Laschowski says. “They are under our care. We promised that we would help them while their brothers and fathers are fighting for freedom.”

Oleksii Tsepa, a master’s student in computer science at U of T, left his home in Kyiv on the first day of the war, with his parents urging him to go aboard. “The borders were still open,” he recalls. “I understood that I wouldn’t be able to leave Ukraine later.”

He stayed in Cyprus for a couple of months before finding out about the U of T program.

“I feel lucky that I qualified and that I worked with Professor Laschowski,” Tsepa says. “He taught me that I always have to answer myself. I understood that achievements can’t be reached without putting in effort.”

Michael Brudno, left, and Oleksii Tsepa, right, speak at an event for computer science students from Ukraine (photos by Polina Teif)

The effort put in by Laschowski and his team is evident in their potentially game-changing technologies, which are being tested in environments both inside and outside the lab.

“I am a huge proponent of getting out of the lab as fast as possible because these devices are going to have the greatest impact in the real world.” Laschowski says.

His lab is also developing neural interfaces, which would give humans direct control over the bionic prosthetic leg and exoskeleton. Far into the future, he imagines he’ll be working on connecting his smart glasses to a brain implant.

“We could potentially map images of the walking environment from the glasses directly onto the visual cortex of the brain – essentially bypassing the eyes and giving users bionic vision,” he says.

“If somebody has macular degeneration or some age-related visual impairment, we may be able to use the smart glasses to bypass that and interface directly to the brain.”

Laschowski says he believes humans are beginning to go through a technological evolution – one that he is helping to make reality.

“If we could allow the visually impaired to see and the paralyzed to walk through advances in technology – those are some of my career goals.”

After a life-changing accident, Beau Hayward finds 'a new direction' at U of T

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 14:12:46 +0000

After a life-changing accident, Beau Hayward finds 'a new direction' at U of T

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 04/04/2023 - 10:12

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Beau Hayward, a third-year student studying history and archaeology, says sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2018 caused him to re-evaluate what was truly important in his life (photo courtesy of the Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

History

Undergraduate Students

Woodsworth College

For Beau Hayward, pursuing a degree at the ��Ƶ is a dream – one that arose from a life-altering event.

In the summer of 2018, he dove off the dock of a friend’s cottage in Sudbury, Ont. and unexpectedly struck the bottom. Face down in the water and unable to turn over, he started to drown. Luckily, a friend found Hayward and was able to revive him on shore.

But Hayward sustained a spinal cord injury that damaged his C4 and C5 vertebrae, which caused him to become an incomplete quadriplegic, meaning he still has limited function in his upper body. A period of profound adjustment followed that involved “continuously working towards regaining my independence in any way possible.”

That included a new mindset to focus on what was truly important, and worthy of his time and energy: studying history and archaeology at U of T.

“History has always been a point of interest for me,” says Hayward, 33, a third-year student in the Faculty of Arts & Science and a member of Woodsworth College.

Beau Hayward takes his dog, Aster, for a walk on the St. George campus (photo courtesy of Beau Hayward)

“As I grew up, my dad and I started watching war movies and I fell in love with the stories. As time went on my interest diverged from military history into more political and social theory.”

He says he’s especially interested in 20th-century American history and wants to learn as much as he can about the U.S. civil rights movement.

“I'd like to study some of the documents that are coming out now, [with] archives being declassified because their 50-year classification limit is over,” he says. “The documents include what was going on with the CIA and the FBI and all the crazy stuff going on during the Cold War.

“It’s a pretty cool time to study that type of history.”

Hayward’s own history involves working as an iron worker for 10 years before the accident.

“I just did it for the money,” he says, adding that while he enjoyed the camaraderie of his co-workers, he was left feeling unhappy and unfulfilled.

“After my accident I promised myself that whatever I ended up doing, I would do something I love. I wasn't going to spend any more time doing things that didn't bring me any joy in life.”

These days, Hayward says he is finding joy in connecting with his professors, and “having access to some of the brightest people in the field.”

“They turn you on to some amazing material and help guide you through really complex issues,” he says. “They also give you a space to ask questions.”

He also speaks highly of U of T’s accessibility efforts.

“Before school, I heard, ‘U of T is an old school, it's not really that accessible,’” says Hayward. “That’s a myth and it’s a shame because it really is accessible.”

He singled out the work of Michelle Morgani, an accessibility adviser on U of T’s Accessibility Services team.

“Michelle has been my adviser since day one,” says Hayward. “She helps me get funding. She helps me get educational assistance. She helps me get assistive tech. She does it all.”

Beau Hayward and his partner Meghan (photo courtesy of Beau Hayward)

He says it took time to get accustomed to navigating campus with a wheelchair.

“There are physical barriers I have to deal with once in a while, but probably 95 per cent of the classrooms are fine. It's not ideal sometimes, but they're workable,” he says, adding that newer classrooms have designated seating areas, adjustable desks and accessible washrooms – all of which make it easier for him to focus on his studies.

He says it took time to get accustomed to navigating campus with a wheelchair.

“There are lots of spaces for people with disabilities, especially for wheelchair users.”

Hayward has offered his input into several accessibility projects, including taking part in a work-study position with the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education's sports and recreation diversity and equity team from 2020 to 2022.

“It’s a work in progress for sure, but the university is taking steps to involve people like myself with disabilities, which is a great indication of their commitment to going beyond code and asking individuals with disabilities to consult,” he says.

Like most students, Hayward balances his academic demands with being active. An avid snowboarder before his accident, Hayward says he is now a sit skier.

“It's a real physical challenge – just the balance point on the ski and turning and having the strength takes a lot of practice,” he says. “But sit skiing has been my opportunity to get back on the mountain.”

He’s recently tried wheelchair rugby, too.

“That's been the best community that I've found thus far,” he says. “It was designed for quadriplegics. Most of the guys I play with are Paralympians and they have so much to offer in way of insight.”

He’s also looking forward to trying hand-cycling this summer, while he and his partner, Meghan, are fans of sailing. He also plays a mean game of bocce ball.

“It's fun, easy and affordable,” he says. “And for me, it’s a good option to bring people together that have a range of abilities so that everyone can play.”

Hayward is also looking forward to completing another semester.

“My experience at the university has been one of the best of my entire life,” he says. “After my accident, my life flipped upside down. I had to find a new direction and a new way to contribute, and the community at U of T welcomed me and that made the transition easy. School has given me purpose.”

U of T Faculty of Law event focuses on law and policy amid climate change

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 14:29:13 +0000

U of T Faculty of Law event focuses on law and policy amid climate change

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 02/28/2023 - 09:29

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(Photo by Lewis Parsons/Unsplash)

Topic

How is climate change affecting the law – and the role of law – in society?

The question will be at the centre of a two-day conference hosted by the ��Ƶ’s Faculty of Law beginning March 2.

Law in a Changing World: The Climate Crisis aims to broaden legal and policy discussions and explore how climate change is impacting law and the legal profession.

Jutta Brunnée
(photo by Alice Xu)

“Climate change is not only for experts to grapple with but for all members of society at all levels,” says University Professor Jutta Brunnée, dean of the Faculty of Law and James Marshall Tory Dean’s Chair.

“Similarly, climate change has implications for virtually all areas of law, as well as legal institutions and lawyers, so it requires nothing less than rethinking who, what and how law regulates.”

Nearly two dozen U of T Law professors, as well as U of T Law students and guest speakers, will present a series of papers under five key themes that intersect with climate change: governance, law and justice, law and institutions, legal practice and law and technology.

Indigenous law scholar John Borrows, the inaugural Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law, will talk about how Indigenous law can address climate governance, drawing from Indigenous Peoples’ lived experiences with climate change over millennia.

“Indigenous laws contain intellectual and cultural resources to help us make decisions, regulate our affairs and resolve disputes related to climate justice in the present and future,” Borrows says.

“In dealing with climate change, we should recognize and revitalize Indigenous law amongst the other important actions we pursue.”

Trudo Lemmens, a professor and Scholl Chair in Health Law and Policy, co-authored a paper with disability rights advocate Gabrielle Peters on how climate change debates and initiatives are continuing exclude those living with disabilities.

“Negative impacts of climate change are disproportionately experienced by disabled people, including those who are racialized, poor or living on low incomes, or senior,” Lemmens says.

From left to right: John Borrows, Trudo Lemmens and Abdi Aidid (supplied images)

“For example, extreme heat or poor air quality issues are well-known and can result in untimely deaths. However, state interventions, such as alerting the public, tend to rely on individual solutions, rather than our collective responsibility.”

An assistant professor in the Faculty of Law, Abdi Aidid will share insights on “Ethical Lawyering and Existential Threats” as part of the discussion on legal practice.

“Lawyers are deeply implicated in the climate crisis, yet the mechanisms we have for regulating lawyer behaviour are conspicuously absent from discussions about appropriate responses to global warming’s existential threat,” Aidid says.

“Is the discipline of legal ethics – rules, institutions and mechanisms currently in place – capable of responding to challenges on the scale of the ongoing climate crisis?”

The event will kick off with a keynote address by best-selling science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson, who works with the Sierra Nevada Research Institute, the Clarion Writers’ Workshop, and University of Califronia San Diego’s Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination. He was named “Hero of the Environment” by Time magazine in 2008.

Robinson will speak to the role of law and law schools in tackling climate change, drawing on his latest book, The Ministry for the Future. The book is set in the near future and revolves around the efforts of a division established under the current international treaty on climate change: the Paris Agreement.

“The book crosses over from the sci-fi world to contemporary policy discussions around climate change and catastrophe,” says Brunnée. “It raises many interesting questions, including whether we may indeed need a ‘Ministry for the Future’ to tackle climate change?

“We want conference participants to think outside of the box and to underscore that climate change is a multilayered challenge to which there are no easy solutions. But if we can act on multiple fronts, from all levels of expertise – law being just one of them – we can come to grips with it.”

‘A life-long champion of accessibility’: U of T remembers former lieutenant governor and alumnus David Onley

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 21:09:20 +0000

‘A life-long champion of accessibility’: U of T remembers former lieutenant governor and alumnus David Onley

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 01/16/2023 - 16:09

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(Photo by Lucas Oleniuk/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Topic

The ��Ƶ community is mourning the loss of David Onley, a passionate advocate for disability rights and accessibility whose close relationship with the university spanned decades.

An alumnus of U of T Scarborough where he was a senior lecturer in its political science department, Onley served as lieutenant governor of Ontario from 2007 to 2014 following a distinguished career as a broadcaster.

He died Saturday at the age of 72, leaving behind wife Ruth Ann and three children, Jonathan, Robert and Michael and their families.

U of T President Meric Gertler said the university was mourning the loss of “a great Canadian and U of T citizen” who was a lifelong champion of accessibility.

“He made a difference in the lives of so many Ontarians,” President Gertler said. “We send our deepest condolences to the Onley family at this sad time. We will miss this true gentleman.”

It was just one of the many tributes that poured in for Onley over the past 48 hours, including from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Ford’s predecessor Kathleen Wynne and Toronto Mayor John Tory.

“On behalf of the U of T Scarborough community, I extend our sympathies for the loss of such a remarkable human being, an exceptional citizen and dedicated alumnus whose accomplishments have positively affected us all,” said Wisdom Tettey, U of T vice-president and principal of U of T Scarborough.

“He truly exemplified our institution’s values of inclusive excellence and will be sorely missed.”

A survivor of childhood polio, Onley was noted as the first broadcaster in Canada with a visible disability. Early in his television career the camera would often focus above his waist, but Onley insisted that he be shown with his mobility device. He spent more than two decades as a reporter and anchor at Citytv before being appointed lieutenant governor.

In addition to being an accessibility consultant for the Rogers Centre and Air Canada Centre, Onley was the inaugural chair of the Ontario government’s Accessibility Standards Advisory Council, responsible for advising the government on how to improve accessibility across the province.

In 2018, Onley was appointed to lead a review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. He wrote a deeply critical report, noting Ontario was nowhere near its goal of achieving full accessibility by 2025 and highlighting existing physical barriers, high unemployment among people with disabilities and ableism as major contributing factors preventing inclusion.

He proudly served as U of T’s ambassador for the 2015 Pam Am and Parapan Games, ambassador for the 2017 Invictus Games and, in his role as lieutenant governor, represented Canada at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Paralympic Games.

Onley received numerous awards and honours in recognition of his advocacy work including the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario, Rick Hanson Award of Excellence as well as inductions into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame and the Scarborough Walk of Fame. He received an honorary degree from U of T in 2009.

From left to right: Meric Gertler, Zack Chetrat, David Onley and Bruce Kidd (photo by Tyler Rumi)

Born in Midland, Ont. and raised in Scarborough, Onley was a proud U of T Scarborough alumnus who graduated with an honours bachelor of arts degree 1975. He fondly remembered his time as president of the Scarborough College student council and helped create a radio station on campus.

Immediately following his retirement as lieutenant governor, he returned to U of T Scarborough as a senior lecturer in the department of political science where he created and taught the courses “Politics of Disability” and “Sources of Power: The Crown, Parliament and the People.”

Associate Professor Christopher Cochrane called Onley “a fantastic colleague and an even better person” who also actively supported student associations and events, including the Political Science Students’ Association. He also organized panels in the department with colleagues from across Canada on the role of the Crown in Canadian politics.

Natasha Carr, a former student of Onley’s at U of T Scarborough, remembered Onley as a strong mentor with whom she kept in touch while working for Global News Toronto.

“He was such a great and humble man – beyond giving of his time,” she said.

Current Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, called Onley a valued friend and colleague in a statement released Jan. 14.

“While in office, his commitment to accessibility fostered an acute awareness that access to opportunity for all is a powerful force transforming individual lives, and society as a whole,” said Dowdeswell.

It was a cause Onley continued to champion during the COVID-19 pandemic, which laid bare the ongoing inequities in society.

“There’s a monumental task ahead of us in rebuilding after the pandemic, but I’m hopeful meaningful change will happen,” Onley said. “If we want to build a healthier, more prosperous society, it should go without saying that it needs to be a more accessible, inclusive society as well.”

Second National Dialogues and Action draws experts on accessibility, ableism and inclusion from across Canada

lanthierj — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 12:09:50 +0000

Second National Dialogues and Action draws experts on accessibility, ableism and inclusion from across Canada

lanthierj Fri, 12/09/2022 - 07:09

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The second National Dialogues focused on ways to address ableism and make post-secondary education in Canada more accessible and inclusive (photo by Summer Leigh)

Don Campbell

Topic

Our Community

National Dialogues

Diversity and Inclusion

Accessibility

U of T Scarborough

Cassandra Hartblay recalls a time in graduate school when a senior scholar in her field wasn’t able to give feedback on a research presentation she gave at an academic conference.

The scholar, it turned out, missed the session because a requested accommodation wasn’t available.

Not being able to receive feedback from a prominent scholar in her field was a stark reminder for Hartblay that failing to meet even basic standards of accessibility can interrupt teaching and learning on many levels — from the impact on the expert who has a disability, to the people who are deprived of their expertise.

“It was true for me as a disabilities studies researcher, but it may be true for someone working in a science lab that also isn’t accessible,” said Hartblay, an assistant professor and director of the Centre for Global Disability Studies at U of T Scarborough.

“When someone's access needs aren't being met, they're not able to get feedback to junior colleagues and students. It can affect the whole academic community.”

Looking at barriers to learning and working in the post-secondary sector was just one of several topics covered during the second National Dialogues and Action. The day-long virtual event brought together nearly 1,000 participants from across Canadian higher education and experts from outside the sector.

Conversations held during this year’s event focused on addressing structural ableism, developing inclusive curricula, learning design, work facilitation, and research supports, as well as inclusive infrastructure, design, and planning.

The consequences of not creating more accessible and inclusive post-secondary campuses couldn’t be starker, said Jay Dolmage, associate professor at University of Waterloo.

While 24 per cent of first-year university students self-declare as having a disability, only six to nine per cent of those students seek accommodation. The result is that fewer students with disabilities are finishing their degrees. He said while 27 per cent of Canadians have university degrees, only 17.6 per cent of Canadians with disabilities have one.

The problem is not specific to students. Only 42 per cent of Canadian universities have a written accommodation policy for faculty, Dolmage said.

“We do not have a system that's sustainable for disabled students, staff or faculty,” he said. “The only thing for certain is that if we continue doing things the way that we've been doing them, then we'll continue to lose disabled staff, faculty and students.”

Those in attendance argued that for education to become more inclusive, it may require larger structural changes.

Olga Dosis, a professor at George Brown College, said while a lot of work has been done on accessibility, there continue to be systemic barriers to full inclusion across Canadian post-secondary institutions. For example, she said that accommodations are a kind of “retrofit solution” that attempt to fit students into a system that isn’t inclusive to begin with. Another major hurdle is that accessibility policies and practices differ from one institution to the next.

“Over time we’ve normalized ableist attitudes within our institutions,” she said, alluding to the fact that barriers are often left to individual students to overcome on their own.

Even attempting to adopt universal design principles can be a major challenge for post-secondary institutions given their size, said Frederic Fovet, an assistant professor at Thompson Rivers University.

He said while there is a lot of research on the benefits of universal design, there is very little research on how to implement it, especially at large bureaucratic institutions that can be slow to change.

The afternoon sessions included conversations about inclusive infrastructure and design, which includes physical and virtual spaces on campus, and how equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) researchers can collaborate more often with accessibility researchers.

Mahadeo Sukhai, vice-president of research and international affairs and chief accessibility officer for CNIB, urged those in attendance to adopt an accessible procurement policy if they haven’t already, especially for learning management systems. He added that these systems also need to be tested rigorously by staff and faculty with expertise before being rolled out to students.

Technology has also evolved in recent years to become a powerful accessibility tool, said Catherine Fichten, an associate professor in the department of psychiatry at McGill University.

She singled out recent developments in AI-based software such as video captioning software, voice activation technology, improved computer and mobile phone operating systems as being very beneficial for students, faculty and staff with disabilities. Despite the advancements, she noted barriers remain such as the high cost of software and availability of accessible textbooks, and the design of academic evaluations and inaccessible documents, to name a few. And most importantly, she said people with disabilities need to be involved in training AI systems.

This was the second National Dialogues hosted by the ��Ƶ Scarborough. The first one, held in 2020, explored anti-Black racism and promoting Black inclusion and resulted in the co-creation of the Scarborough Charter.

The organizers plan to publish a report in 2023 detailing the conversations that took place during this year’s National Dialogues, which will help institutions chart a path forward in addressing ableism and inclusivity on their own campuses.

Inclusive play: U of T researcher studies the playground experiences of children with disabilities

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 16:41:32 +0000

Inclusive play: U of T researcher studies the playground experiences of children with disabilities

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 08/11/2022 - 12:41

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(Photo courtesy of Landscape Structures)

Jelena Damjanovic

Topic

Our Community

Accessibility

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Research & Innovation

How do Canadian children with disabilities and their families experience playgrounds? What about adjacent areas such as parking lots and pathways? How can educators and rehabilitation specialists use playground spaces?

These are some of the topics explored by Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos, an associate professor studying disability and physical activity in the ��Ƶ’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE).

Since 2018, Arbour-Nicitopoulos and her research team have been working with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities (Jumpstart) to evaluate the impact of the playgrounds built through the charity’s Inclusive Play initiative. The initiative works in partnership with local municipalities to bring large-scale inclusive play infrastructure to communities across Canada in an effort to ensure children of all abilities have equal and equitable access to participation in play.

Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos

“Families of children with disabilities have been enjoying available opportunities to be involved in play on the playgrounds, but challenges still remain in the surrounding environment,” says Arbour-Nicitopoulos.

“For example, while municipalities try to ensure the playgrounds include access to parking spaces, pathways and washroom facilities, we are hearing from families that the accessibility and inclusivity of these playground surroundings must be improved upon as they matter just as much as the playground area itself.”

By communicating these findings back to Jumpstart and the communities where the playgrounds are located, Arbour-Nicitopoulos hopes to create a more inclusive playground experience “from the moment a parent or child wants to go to the playground” to when they arrive back home.

Based on their research, Arbour-Nicitopoulos and her team developed 13 recommendations on how to design inclusive playgrounds. She is now working with partners to create evidence-informed resources that will help organizations put the recommendations into practice.

“We have been creating evidence-based resources with colleagues at The Steadward Centre [for Personal & Physical Achievement] at the University of Alberta and at Holland Bloorview [Kids Rehabilitation Hospital] to support not only the building of more inclusive and accessible playgrounds, but also training on inclusive play practices to maximize the return on investment of playground spaces and create quality play experiences for children and youth with disabilities,” she says.

Arbour-Nicitopoulos’s research is related to a larger research initiative, the Canadian Disability Participation Project (CDPP), that’s funded through a Partnership Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Arbour-Nicitopoulos recently teamed up with Tim Ross, a scientist at the Bloorview Research Institute and assistant professor at U of T’s department of geography and planning in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Ingrid Kanics of Kanics Inclusive Design Services, LLC, and Professor Jennifer Leo, director of the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation’s Steadward Centre at U of A, to create a comprehensive report titled, “Creating Inclusive Playgrounds: A Playbook of Considerations and Strategies.”

The development of the 141-page playbook has received support from Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities’ Inclusive Play Project and is connected with the larger research that Arbour-Nicitopoulos leads on the Inclusive Play initiative. The playbook offers municipalities, schools, community groups, practitioners (e.g., designers, planners, builders, developers) and families living with disability a comprehensive resource for creating accessible and inclusive playgrounds. It goes beyond the typical boundaries of playground design, addressing topics such as community engagement, play programming, playground surroundings, service and maintenance, and more.

The playbook also helps those who are interested in creating inclusive play spaces within their communities to focus on four key questions:

How do we start?
Can I get there?
Can I play?
Can I stay?

The resource then guides the reader through important considerations and strategies relating to a wide array of specific issues, including site selection, accessible parking and pathways, signage and wayfinding, playground safety and facilities and amenities that are needed in the surrounding environment.

“All children deserve equitable play opportunities within their communities,” says Arbour-Nicitopoulos. “For too long, society has allowed playgrounds to be exclusionary play spaces to children with disabilities. Playground design should account for the many ways in which children move, learn and play.

“My hope is that the research that our team is doing will impact how playground designers, municipalities, and child and youth recreation programmers create and use playground spaces so they are inclusive spaces for all children to play within.”

With files from Suelan Toye