Wednesday December 3, 2014 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

This year, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities will focus on the role of technology in creating enabling working environments and in disaster risk reduction and emergency responses.

UBC is recognizing the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3rd. Free events are also happening around the City of Vancouver recognizing this day.

Help us discover the unique ways in which people with Autism process language!
We are a group of researchers at the Child and Family Research Institute at BC Children’s Hospital, and we’re looking for participants to help us understand how people with Au-tism process language. Understanding language processing in the brain may help development of better therapies for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). We need people who are:

• Male, between 14 and 30 years of age
• Right-handed
• Verbal, with English as their first language
• Reading at or above a grade 5 level
• Currently living in BC
• Diagnosed with an ASD

The study involves:

• Participating in language and thinking tasks
• Separate interviews with you and your parents
• Non-invasive MRI and EEG scans while reading sentences on a monitor

Scheduling is flexible and we offer an honorarium for your time. We’ll reimburse you for your travel expenses. For more information and to sign up, please contact Keith at kmclarren@cfri.ca or 604-875-3068

Researchers from the University of British Columbia are investigating the barriers and facilitators of clinicians with disabilities in the healthcare professions. In particular, we are interested in the following programs: Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Social Work.

If you are a clinician living with a disability (visible or non-visible), we would like to invite you to help us understand the barriers and facilitators to access and inclusion in education and practice by participating in three interviews over the course of a year. Each interview will last approximately 45 minutes to an hour.

In appreciation of your participation, you will receive an honorarium of $45, paid in incremental fashion. You are eligible to participate in this study if you meet the following criteria:

• Living with a disability (e.g., learning disability, physical disability, or mental health disability)
• Currently practicing in one of the following professions: Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, or Social Work
• Have at least one year of clinical experience
• 19 years of age or older

Contact: Adam Easterbrook
Email: inclusive.campus@ubc.ca
Phone: 604-822-7412

Please note the completion of the modernization of the elevator at the MacMillan Building has been delayed.  We are now expecting final of the inspection to take place, Monday September 8/14.  Until final inspection, the elevator will not be available for public use, however if access is required to access the upper floors of the building, the elevator can be used as long as the contractor is operating the cab.

Please contact access.diversity@ubc.ca or 604-822-5844 if you need access and we will get in touch with the contractor. Please let us know as early as possible in order to make this arrangement.

We would like to talk to individuals with a disability who have knowledge and expertise about employment supports and services. We want to hear about your experiences with employment services and supports in British Columbia.

We are asking individuals to participate in an individual interview or in a focus group (group discussion). The interview and focus group discussions will focus on participants’ experiences of employment services and supports for individuals with a disability. Participants will receive a $15 honorarium.

If you would like more information or wish to participate, please contact Sara Lige at
(250) 807-9460 or sara.lige@ubc.ca