Creating UFV's Accessibility Plan
UFV has begun developing an Accessibility Plan ("the Plan"), which is a plan to "identify, remove, and prevent barriers to individuals in or interacting with the organization."
What will shape UFV's Accessibility Plan?
At UFV, accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion are deeply held values. This Accessibility Plan will not replace the many steps we have already taken to advance in these areas. Instead, those existing initiatives and commitments will guide our work.
UFV's Accessibility Plan will reflect our commitment to the following core principles:
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inclusion
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adaptability
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diversity
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collaboration
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self-determination
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universal design
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the priority and value of first voice
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the need for intersectional, inclusive, and collaborative approaches
The Plan is a living document. Over the next months, as we receive feedback from our community and new guidelines from our provincial government, you can expect this plan to evolve and to be fully updated at least every three years.
See the action steps UFV has taken to date
Phase 1: Accessibility Plan - Priorities for 2023 – 2024/25
The goals of UFV's Accessibility Plan are to:
- ensure a solid foundation on which to build and enact change
- enable the creation of a robust plan
- ensure ongoing, meaningful consultation with persons with disabilities and the broader community
- chart a path forward to further identify, remove, and prevent barriers
The following priorities have been identified for 2023 through 2024/25:
Launch the Accessibility Committee (“the AC”)
- Send out a call for expressions of interest to the UFV Community.
- Once the committee is formed, provide an orientation on the Accessible BC Act and other relevant information.
- Establish a community agreement and a common baseline understanding of associated terminology.
- Develop a work plan and guiding principles.
- Establish a conduit for AC communications, recommendations, and questions back to the Steering Committee.
- Review the AC Terms of Reference and recommend changes to the Steering Committee.
- Provide feedback on the Accessibility Plan.
- Provide opportunities for discussion, self-evaluation, and feedback related to the launch and work of the AC.
Establish a baseline for UFV’s accessibility work
- Identify institutional policies, initiatives, and or projects that are already developed or underway.
- Identify achievements to date.
- Identify barriers found to date based on audits and/or research conducted at UFV.
- Gather existing and new data to inform understanding of current practices, experiences, gaps, etc., encompassing all areas of the institution.
- Identify existing gaps in our compliance with relevant accessibility and human rights legislation.
- Monitor, respond to, collect, and share feedback provided through the feedback mechanisms.
- Analyze information gathered and provide a report to the UFV community on all findings.
Community Consultation and Engagement
- Develop a communication/engagement framework to guide community communication and consultation to ensure transparency in the process.
- Provide multiple avenues for community consultation and engagement.
- Learn from members of the UFV community about barriers to accessibility through formal and informal means, such as focus groups, interviews, climate surveys/barrier surveys, sharing circles, conversations, etc.
- Determine an approach for assessing success and challenges of community consultation and engagement. Share all findings and stories widely.
Capacity Building: Preparing for Change
- Develop a communications plan that amplifies the voices of those with disabilities to increase awareness at UFV about accessibility issues.
- Encourage personal and social responsibility and collective problem-solving around achieving UFV’s (accessibility) goals.
- Identify, create, and promote opportunities for learning about accessibility and accessibility issues through training and information-sharing.
- Identify resources that can support UFV’s collective and individual work and make them widely accessible.
- Consider mechanisms for assessing the outcomes of capacity-building work.