Category: Uncategorized

Universal design is a framework centered around designing materials that are usable to the widest and most diverse range of people. Through the presentations each group presented and the in depth analysis the group I was in did I thought there was a pretty equal opportunity for everyone to get involved on campus. I am limited in this analysis since I am neither transgender, aboriginal or disabled so I can’t speak from any of those points of views. As an outsider from all these groups and looking at these websites it seemed the opportunity to get involved on its own is pretty universal. There were parts of each website that could be tweaked or added to make it easier for some of these groups to feel welcomed to getting involved on campus but for the goal of being universal I believe most of the sites did this. 

Our group looked at the UBC work learn website through a transgender lens and when looking at this site at first it seemed pretty universal. The website stuck with using words like “everyone” or “all students” which would be universal to any of the groups we were looking at. We talked about how if you acknowledged these groups specifically on the website then you open up the issue of leaving a specific group out when trying address each group individually and by doing this would make it not as universal but more trying to be inclusive to every group.

While the wording for these websites were pretty universal there were changes that each group pointed out that could make these groups feel more welcomed to getting involved on campus. Our group looked at the picture displayed at the top of the website which was a male at the front of a classroom with the backs of a couple heads which also appeared to be males. While there is no way to know if the male in the photo was transgender or not we decided that this picture could be changed to show more diversity with males and females. For most of the other groups they pointed out parts of the website such as font sized increased and a accessibility section to be easier to be seen for people with disabilities. Almost every group noted that there were success stories or links about what being involved on campus was like and that having a diverse variety of stories could help make it be more welcoming. Whether its a transgender success story or a person with disabilities getting given the chance to work on campus it would give the people looking to apply for these positions the confidence and inspiration to get involved. This wouldn’t make the website any less universal but would give everyone a feeling of being welcomed to join.

I cant exactly take the position of the “other” since it would be unfair for me to make comments as something I am not but I do believe that other than changing some pictures and the name of the picture for that one group the websites content was very universal. The issue is now more “Is universal good enough?” because while there could be some website layout changes to these websites that could help with accessibility the websites were all pretty universal yet we all found things that could be problems through our specific lens. I believe adding  success stories or comments about certain groups can help these groups feel more welcomed but for the question is there equal opportunity I do believe there is equal opportunity its just a matter of making these groups feel confident enough to take these opportunities.

Attempting to analyze the accessibility of the UBC website (with a specific focus on the Jump Start Orientation Leader application page) from the perspective of Aboriginal students has offered me both uncomfortable and informative insights into the difficulties that can manifest when attempting to assume the role of the “other.” In essence, I found it extremely challenging to explore and discuss the type of barriers that might impact the opportunities of Aboriginal individuals without stereotyping or otherwise imposing my voice or ideas on a culture of which I have very little personal knowledge. A specific challenge of my group’s particular assignment also centred around the idea that race or ethnicity in and of itself does not impact individual participation in the same way that my discussion group peers demonstrated mental or physical disabilities might, leading our discussion of equal opportunity to intersect with larger questions of socio-economic class and representation.

To define the perspective from which we conducted our website analysis, our working definition of “Aboriginal students” included any individuals in their 2^nd year or later at UBC who are registered under the Indian Act, or who possess Métis or Inuit ancestry. From a functional perspective, our analysis revealed that the website itself is quite generally accessible, and offers no intrinsic barriers to Aboriginal students seeking to apply for a Leadership position (which focuses on counselling and otherwise aiding in the transition and integration of first-year students into the community at UBC). In accordance with the principles of Universal Design, the job description and application information is clearly formatted, concise, and easily intelligible, offering clear insights into the type of personal qualities and commitments required to be an orientation leader. With a readability score of 11.2, the webpage is easily comprehendible to any 2^nd year UBC student, and easily navigable for any individual with even a small amount of online experience.

In essence, according the ideals of Universal Design, this webpage successfully facilitates an ideal of universal access, propagating the notion that any 2^nd year student with the necessary personal qualities (e.g. good academic standing, leadership/communication skills, time management, etc.) is able to equally access and participate in Orientation Leadership program. However, to address the ultimate question of whether or not there is “equal opportunity” to get involved on campus, my group could not reconcile the actual realities of Aboriginal representation in the UBC student body with the notion that demographic and background play no role in the opportunities that an individual is afforded. The reality for Aboriginal students in specific regards to participation at this university is that they are severely underrepresented in the composition of the UBC student body, comprising only 1% of the thousands of students that attend this institution. Considering this, how could the layout of a website possibly afford equal opportunity to a demographic of people that quite clearly experience external barriers to acceptance and participation at this university in the first place?

While according to our analysis, a 2^nd year Aboriginal student should experience no discrimination within the Orientation Leadership application process itself, actual achievement of 2^nd year status, as regulated by personal, social, and economic circumstance, results in clearly defined external barriers to the involvement of Aboriginal students in the career opportunities on this campus. I firmly believe that more should be done on a political level to better support Aboriginal communities in their capacity to participate in this institution on a fundamental level, and I would be very interested hear the perspective of an Aboriginal student or community leader in regards to the specific question of opportunity and inclusion on the UBC campus itself.

My personal network data I found to be divided almost perfectly in half with two separate friend groups. This wasn’t too much of a surprise for me since I know that I seem to have two different sets of friends depending on what time of the year it is. I play hockey on the varsity hockey team at UBC and am with my team everyday so I became really close to a lot of them and had many of them in my personal network but once the school year is over then most of the guys go back to where they are from and I don’t see them as much. I then have my group of friends that i have been friends with since high school and although I am still friends with them during the school year I don’t end up seeing them much until the summer just since they are all busy with school or work themselves and on weekends when they are free I have games. These friend groups have met briefly if my high school friends ever come to games but I wouldn’t consider any of them to have any real ties. Another observation I found in my network was that my institution as well as occupation that I share with are split almost exactly in half. This came as a surprise to most of my group but since I was away playing junior hockey from the age of 16-20 I didn’t start going to university till I was 21 and most of my high school friends were just finishing up their school. All of my friends I have that are from hockey are all in the same situation as me where they are older university students where most of my high school friends are all either in a masters or med school or working full time jobs now. I myself hope to play professional hockey after school so I share that same passion and goal as most of my team compared to my high school friends that are all pursuing their goals that vary depending on the person. All of my high school friends went to post secondary school either at SFU or UBC so we all share that in common its just that they went to university right after high school compared to myself that started 3 years after graduating. My network if looked at from an outside point of view can seem a bit strange just because of the big division of two groups which I consider both very strong ties and very good friends. Its definitely an interesting network just because I have two very separate groups of friends and who I interact with most depends on the time of the year. My high school friends have been very close friends for almost 10 years now and its just become a normal thing for me to kind of be unavailable all hockey season so from September to April. I think my network shows that you can have very strong ties with true friends even without seeing them everyday because when I see my high school friends after being gone for the 8 months its completely the same and like I never was away.