October 2021 Meeting

Meeting Date
  • Access Info
  • Introductions (done in the chat)
  • Council Business
    • “Toward an Anti-Ableist Academy: Advancing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility at U-M”
      • See website (linked above) for all the sessions
      • All sessions have ASL interpretation and CART available
      • Thanks to sponsors and those that provided support!
        • Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI)
        • Office for Health Equity and Inclusion (OHEI)
        • Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) / Student Accessibility and Accommodations Services (SAAS)
        • Disability Culture at University of Michigan (DC@UM)
        • Council for Disability Concerns (CfDC)
        • The Student Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Board (IDEA Board)
        • Rackham Graduate School (RGS)
      • Questions can be directed to Pam McGuinty over email ([email protected])
    • Neubacher Awards Ceremony
      • Friday, October 29, 2-3:30 PM ET over zoom
      • Please attend if you can!
      • We’ll be publicly announcing the winners in the near future
  • “Beyond Compliance” Training Curriculum
    • Presented by Ethriam Brammer and Darlene Ray-Johnson
    • Training curriculum for faculty and staff who work with graduate students
      • Titled “Beyond Compliance”
        • Intended audience is mainly faculty and program leadership
        • Learning objectives:
          • Walk through the academic and employment accommodation processes, and know the differences
          • Culture and climate - students have provided a lot of feedback about the climate on campus, specifically about disability, so this aims to start improving that
      • Background and Need for Training
        • Committee on Graduate Students w/Disabilities and Accommodations shared outcomes report with CfDC previously (February 2021)
          • Key findings noted that graduate students had a difficult time obtaining and implementing accommodations
          • UM needs to be more attentive to graduate students with disabilities in particular, because many of them are also university employees (GSIs, GSSAs, etc.). So they have to seek accommodations through academic services (SSD) and also employment services (ADA, Rackham)
    • Seeking feedback from CfDC on Beyond Compliance
    • Questions/Comments
      • Are you looking for feedback about the content or the accessibility of the actual slides?
        • Looking for feedback both on the design of the slideshow as well as content
      • Much of the content is specific to academic accommodations through SSD. SSD usually only helps with academic accommodations related to course work, but graduate students also need accommodations for other things (defenses, milestones, etc.). Is the training going to cover that information?
        • Yes, there’s some info towards the end but can be added to as well. Part of this also goes into the culture/climate discussion of providing accommodations.
      • First breakout session asks the group to offer definitions of disability. This could be a really problematic prompt, especially for disabled participants. ADA definition is provided later, but may want to provide more definitions that are created by disability scholars, activists, etc. in order to center disabled voices and have already done a lot of work to create those definitions.
        • Ashley Wiseman can share resources about these definitions
      • Review Disability Style Guidelines to ensure the training doesn’t use anti-ableist language.
      • Clarify definitions of “neurodivergent” versus “neurodiversity” - also clarify (or cut) the point about numbers increasing in these groups
        • The term "aspergers's" is an outmoded term and diagnosis in the US
      • In terms of who identifies as disabled, there’s a heavy focus on neurodivergent and mental health. You may want to expand this slide/training to be more inclusive of other disabled communities.
      • Consider how a mentorship component could benefit this, since many graduate students don’t know how to address specific issues within academic/employment settings (ex. disclosure, accommodations, etc.). It could be helpful to have a process for talking to someone else who has been through academic job searches and graduate school more broadly
        • This is where Beyond Compliance wants to head. Currently, the challenge is figuring out the baseline on campus and building up from there. Fundamental education about accommodations processes is lacking, which is what these slides are trying to address.
      • Interactions with the institutions aren’t the only challenging part of disability culture on campus, interactions with peers are also difficult at times. Maybe add a recognition of that.
  • Search for VPEI-CDO Position
    • VPEI-CDO = Vice President of Equity and Inclusion Chief Diversity Officer
    • Jim Norfleet, Senior Consultant, Spelman Johnson and Dr. Ketra Armstrong, Search Advisory Committee Chair
    • Background on Position, Search Committee and Search Consultancy
      • Search committee was clear that they want to hear from campus community about DEI initiatives and goals for the University
    • Surveys - for individual input
    • Discussion for direct feedback to search committee and consultants
      • Questions for consideration
        • Key areas to improve upon for DEI at U-M?
        • Vision for U-M in the next five years in DEI ?
        • Critical challenges that a new VPEI-CDO might encounter?
        • Most important professional and personal attributes for the VPEI-CDO to possess?
      • Members of Disability Culture at UM and faculty in Disability Studies were present for the discussion
      • CfDC Chair Stephanie Rosen is on the search committee, which is a meaningful step towards disability considerations and inclusion
      • What opportunities will there be for members of the general public and for CfDC to participate in the search process?
        • Listening sessions (like this one) are happening across campus
        • Survey for individual input goes directly to the search committee
        • All feedback will be used to create the “prospectus” or “leadership profile” to lay out the qualifications and responsibilities of the the specific role
        • Feedback will also be used to determine criteria against which the candidates will be evaluated
      • Climate survey from 2017/18 reports that 4% of UM faculty have disabilities, while about 29% of adults have disabilities across the state, which is an extreme disparity even for a historically underrepresented group
        • Stigma is also closely attached the language used and the representation (or lack thereof) of disability on campus
        • This position can be instrumental in helping to address that inequity
      • Whoever has this position needs to recognize the intersectional nature of disability (just like any other identity). How will this person address their gaps in knowledge and how will they connect with different groups/communities to gain the knowledge needed to ensure a truly intersectional approach?
        • DC-UM is hoping to create an institutionalized space on campus to use as a disability cultural center
        • This position needs to ensure that people aren’t siloed into one specific identity
      • A lot of disability work does not focus on issues that are broad, systemic, and have room for shared work. Underrepresented groups on campus are at a greater risk of developing disabilities, so intersectionality is key. Uplifting the most marginalized will make the space better for everyone.
      • Attributes to look for
        • Someone who will be able to take and respond to criticism
        • Someone willing to dialogue about their role in potentially problematic systems or events
        • Someone who wants to collaborate with communities
      • Student IDEA board wrote a lot of recommendations for improved climate and services, but many of those would require a centralization of services. This position could help to actually make those changes
      • It’s been hard to find someone who will take ownership of a problem and work with an individual/group until that problem is solved. This position should convey to UM leadership that problems brought to them are going to actually be addressed
        • Not just paying lip service to a problem, but someone who will take on a challenge for the long term