Library Access Framework - Accessibility RA 2025

As the my research contract was coming to an end, I wanted to do something celebratory. I In the last couple of months I had continued advocating and engaging with the university’s committees and departments such as the accessibility committee and the Students’ Union to adress the wicked problem of the space issues and improve access barriers for students. I had also built a good rapport with the disability community at ECU. And I realized that we need to do something celebratory, something that uplifts students and brings them together.

In her previous work regarding accessibility at Emily Carr, Taryn Goodwin describes and explains the wicked problem in our systems very well: how “the systems are set up around [what she likes to call] the confidentiality of access.”  Meaning the system is very closed, tight, stigmatized, and marginalized about access needs, and due to confidentiality, all information is kept private, almost ghosted, preventing students to connect, share resources, and creating a barrier for community building, which is pretty much the most important need for us.  

“Looking at external ways in which the community is kept away from one another” and finding ways in the system to bring the community together and initiate connection. 
 
Having been a student at ECU for six years and working closely within the politics and the system as a Students’ Union rep, I think this is one of the main gaps in our student lives. Though I can also happily share that this culture is shifting and improving by multiple initiatives and resources across the university. The idea of an access exhibition was to tackle this gap and connect students together, which I believe was very meaningful and uplifting.  

The call for participants was shared through various resources and invited any students who identified themselves as X to participate. All participants were welcomed and no-one was turned away. The result was an exhibition showcasing over fifteen works by twelve students. Some students mentioned that this is their first exhibition and were thrilled to participate.  Who Are We? An Access & Disability Exhibition was held between March 12-23, 2025, on the Library Mezzanine.

I am immensely proud of this group. I cannot emphasize how beautiful we all worked together and how supportive we’ve been to each other. Doing any community event is very resourceful and consuming and doing a group exhibition in a short amount of time is beyond labour, but we continued to come together and everyone put forward their bests just a couple of weeks before finals. The result was breathtaking. 

Opening night was celebrated with Sushi/ snacks supported by library funds and a DDM Micro Grant.

Engaging the Archive / Writing Disabled Timelines 

Held as part of Who Are We? An Access & Disability Exhibition, Danya Gorodetsky and Parnian Anaa facilitated two workshops centering disabled, mad, neurodivergent and crip experiences at ECUAD. These sessions created space for reflection, storytelling, and archiving our histories and futurities through letter writing, dialogue, and zine making. 

Some of the questions asked during the workshop were: 

   •   What does your past self need to hear? 

   •   What do you tell the institution today? 

   •   What do you say to a future disabled student?