Imagining Accessibility in Graduate Education

The Faculty of Graduate Studies’ Inclusive Excellence Working Group warmly invites you to Imagining Accessibility in Graduate Education on October 17th from 1:30- 5pm, Halpern Centre, Burnaby campus. Part workshop, part consultation, and part comedy performance, this afternoon event focuses on the experiences of graduate students who identify as disabled, Deaf, neurodivergent, chronically ill, mad, and/or have encountered other barriers.

This event is open to all, offering a chance to discuss and learn from one another.

Registration is open until midnight October 14th.

We begin with a workshop by LET'S (Live, Education, Transform Society). Next, we’ll break out into small groups where you’ll have the chance to build community, surface lived experience and work together to refine and build recommendations for accessible graduate education. Finally, we cap things off with some fantastic stand-up comedy by Stand Up for Mental Health.

Note: you are welcome to step in/out as needed throughout this event.

This event is generously supported by the Office of the Vice-President, People, Equity and Inclusion and by the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology.

Questions? Contact El Chenier at [email protected]

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Event Details:

1:30-1:45 pm: Welcome – by members of the IEWG and a member of SFU's Indigenous Elder community

1:45 – 3:15 pm: Workshop by LET'S (Live, Education, Transform Society) 90 minutes LET’S’ mission is to create meaningful dialogues and powerful learning opportunities by utilizing and amplifying lived/living expertise to create transformative educational opportunities. Our work builds community, empowers people with disabilities and neurodivergent folks, enables people to advocate for themselves and others, and models how accessibility, diversity, equity can become a reality using an intersectional lens and Disability Justice framework.

More info on LET’s workshops:
https://www.connectwithlets.org/workshops/

3:15-3:30 pm: Break – Option Low key Social Activity – Quiet Low-Stimulation Space

3:30-4:30 pm: IEWG Presentation of Recommendations for Discussion

• small break-out group discussions
• large group sharing/input

4:30-5:00 pm: Stand Up for Mental Health Performance

David Granirer, RPC, M.S.M is a counselor, stand-up comic, mental health comedian and keynote speaker, and author of The Happy Neurotic: How Fear and Angst Can Lead to Happiness and Success. He founded Stand Up For Mental Health™ (SMH), a comedy therapy program teaching stand up comedy to people with mental illness or mental health issues as a way of building confidence and fighting public stigma.

Host or Publisher SFU Faculty of Graduate Studies