Over 100 staff and students gathered on Nov. 22 for a virtual town hall to share their thoughts on the McGill Accessibility Strategy (MAS), the university’s proposed plan to increase accessibility for disabled community members and to address ableism on campus. There, attendees provided input on a draft document outlining[Read More…]
Tag: Accessibility
McGill’s Student Accessibility and Achievement is not achieving its goals
McGill’s Student Accessibility and Achievement (SAA) program consistently faces criticism for not providing thoughtful support tailored to student’s needs and not adequately addressing the diverse range of student challenges. Forty per cent of Canada’s university students self-identify as having a disability, which raises the question: Are students truly receiving the[Read More…]
Lecture recordings are a necessary step for greater accessibility
Finding mental health support as a McGill student has been a challenge for quite some time, with the university’s meagre efforts to offer services—like animal therapy and peer supporters—falling short. The Student Wellness Hub is inadequate for the majority of the student population; however, the jarring lack of mental health[Read More…]
Schulich library will not fill the void of a McLennan-Redpath closure
Though the reopening of the Schulich Library was timed conveniently with the impending closure of the McLennan-Redpath Complex, whether the new and improved Schulich will make a worthy competitor is the question of the hour. Apart from the labyrinthine path one must take to locate the library, Schulich’s questionable capacity,[Read More…]
Student brings discrimination case against McGill over service dog policy
A graduate student filed a report against McGill through the Office of Mediation and Reporting (OMR) in August 2022, alleging McGill discriminated against him for denying him on campus housing because of his service dog. He has since taken his case to the Commission des droits de la personne et[Read More…]
McGill needs fewer pedestrians and more cars
McGill is known for its efforts to ensure accessibility, but one key component, and arguably the most important, is being overlooked: Car accessibility on campus. While being in the heart of Montreal might not be conducive to such an intricate road system, it’s positively too much to ask students to[Read More…]
McGill Board of Governors and Senate discuss barriers to accessing internships and exchanges
At 4 p.m. on Nov. 10, Chancellor John McCall MacBain kicked off the first in-person joint Board of Governors (BoG)-Senate meeting since 2019. The meeting, which took place at the Faculty Club at 3450 McTavish Street, centred on “experiential learning at the local, national and international levels.” Attendees worked to[Read More…]
Accessibility on campus is shameful
Nobody enjoys trekking from New Residence Hall to McMed in subzero temperatures to make it to an 8:30 a.m. lecture. Most people take their ability to walk into class or a library building for granted. Montreal’s winters are particularly brutal, and the city is infamous for its never-ending construction. For[Read More…]
Students raise concerns about McGill governance’s accessibility and transparency
McGill’s primary governing bodies, the Senate and Board of Governors (BoG), have recently been subject to criticism from students regarding issues of transparency and accessibility, with meetings being difficult to attend, and recordings not being made public, or only staying up for a limited period of time. Students have also[Read More…]
Zooming in on positive changes this school year
This year has placed us all, however unwilling, in Zoom University. Now, weekends are for binge-watching lecture recordings. It’s easy to tire of the everyday routine of Zooming and the stifling feeling of cabin fever, but let’s pause to reflect on some of the positive changes made this school year.[Read More…]
