Education and Training Domain Area Committee
Education and Training Domain Area Committee (DAC)
The greatest challenges to accessibility are still the negative attitudes, stigma, lack of understanding and expertise. CAN leverages the resources of its Network collaborators to develop and coordinate education and training in accessibility, from the perspectives of built environment, health sciences, engineering and design, disability studies, policy and law, teaching and learning, and others.
The purpose of the Education and Training DAC is to expand access to the digital skills that have become increasingly vital to so many of the Canadian’s job. As we continue to focus on the Covid-19 pandemic, we want to ensure that no one is left behind as our economy starts to recover. We are working to bring learning resources, certification opportunities, and job seeker tools to empower talents with disabilities.
Education and Training DAC’s Priorities for the 21/22 Operating Year
Currently, the Community Engagement DAC is working on conducting an environmental scan of existing tools for training and certification, such as through LinkedIn or other online or in-person sources, to support and empower people with visual and hearing impairments, to upskill in response to workplace changes brought about as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other activities that they may be involved in include, but are not limited to:
- Transition programs and services
- Academic/school accommodations
- Educational assistive/adaptive technology
- Learning strategies and skill development
- Disability and psychosocial support services
- Accessibility/universal design of learning environments
- Professional training and certification in accessibility
- Academic programming in accessibility
The Role of DAC Members, Meetings and Time Commitment
DAC members are appointed to a one- or two-year role to work with the Committee. Members are involved in enacting the business of the Network, as it relates to the strategic priorities of the working group (as noted above).
DAC meetings happen bi-monthly (approximately 6 times per year) for up to 2 hours at each meeting – see Current Meeting Schedule.
There is an expectation that in addition to these meetings, members can anticipate that there will be an additional three to five hours a month (approx.) commitment that is outside of required meeting times that is dedicated to contributing towards the work of each Domain Area Committee. This time is dependent on the agreed upon work plan for the operating year and will fluctuate.
Please see Terms of Reference for the Education and Training Committee for more information on the governance of this Committee.
Members
- Ricardo Wagner - Chair
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Ricardo Wagner – Microsoft Accessibility Lead, Microsoft
Ricardo Wagner is a self-described Intrapreneur – strategizing innovative ideas and projects for his employer Microsoft. The company brought Ricardo to Canada eight years ago from Brazil. In addition to his role as a Marketing Director, he has taken on the role as Microsoft’s Accessibility Lead, using his Intrapreneur skills to inspire and lead change. The work has changed him too.
“Two years ago, I decided I’m not going to wake up and sell Office 365 anymore. I’m going to wake up and help people with disabilities,” he says. “The biggest challenge is our mindset. Solutions that work for people with disabilities work for everyone.”
Ricardo’s work has taken him around the world, introducing him to the power of leveraging technology to support accessibility. For example, this past year, Ricardo was incubated with a team at the Microsoft Garage’s Hackathon Residency, creating a new app and wearable device to support kids with epilepsy. It won Microsoft’s global prize, surpassing 7,800 other entries.
Ricardo is CAN’s Committee Chair for the Education and Training Domain. “We are going through unprecedented changes in our labour market, including how we work and how we connect. We need to re-set and look at the opportunities.”
Ricardo’s motto: I want to live deeply and intensely – sharing compassion, inspiration, and love along the way.
- Dawn Campbell
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Dawn Campbell, OCT, B.A Disability Studies – Equidox, PDF Accessibility Solutions
“We live in a highly digital world that demands attention to accessibility.”
Dawn is a passionate champion for inclusion and has worked in the accessibility field for over twenty years. Dawn has worked in three Ontario colleges, two Ontario school boards and distinguished organizations like the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the Rick Hansen Foundation.
Dawn’s passion for accessibility and inclusion is grounded in her personal philosophy of the importance of creating accessible and inclusive learning environments for all students. Dawn loves teaching and learning. Dawn’s perspective and passion for her work are derived from a life-changing head-on motor vehicle accident. “One outcome that I would like my contributions on DAC to be is to bring more public attention to the many training and education programs about accessibility that are available to companies, governments, and post-secondary institutions.”
LinkedIn
- Stephanie Hovey
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Stephanie Hovey, MSLP, SLP-Reg., – Allied Therapy
Stephanie is a Speech-Language Pathologist that has extensive experience working with vulnerable populations. She believes in client first, evidence-based care. This has carried through from working in clinics, hospitals, and schools across Canada to creating her own company Allied Therapy. Stephanie and her team support clients all over Nova Scotia.
She chose to volunteer with CAN and the education and training committee because Stephanie sees the need in our communities every day. “It is an honour to meet and discuss ideas with some of Canada’s brightest minds to make sure we’re allowing everyone to have access to what they need.”
LinkedIn
Allied Therapy
- Wayne Henshall
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Wayne Henshall – Head – Agent of Change, CNIB Foundation. Education and Training Domain Area Committee
Wayne Henshall is a devoted and passionate advocate in the sight loss community. Using his own personal experiences with sight loss, including experiences facing barriers when seeking employment, Wayne has dedicated his energy towards creating more diverse and inclusive spaces in career development.
Prior to his work with the CNIB, Wayne honed his skills through his work on the development of CNIB’s new Come to Work program. The Come to Work program has been an instrumental program both in career development, and in the innovative way that it helps connect job seekers who are blind or partially sighted with employers who are ready to discover the full potential of Canada’s talent.
Wayne ensured that he was bringing his all to the table as he tapped into his 20-year career with IBM and Lenovo, where he sharpened his management skills, created and implemented customer service policies, and developed procedures for these multinational tech companies. This experience shows through the success of the Come to Work Program.
On reflecting about his decision to join the Education and Training Domain Area Committee, Wayne says that he is “…passionate about taking action and driving meaningful change. We can do this by working together and being part of solution.” He goes on to reflect that “all of us are ‘agents of change’”.
Wayne’s motto: Stand tall in all you do, and the P.I.E. Principle: Find the Passion, take the Initiative, and go Execute.
LinkedIn
CNIB Come to Work program
If you are interested in the work of the Education and Training DAC, please contact the CAN National Office at can@carleton.ca.