A speaker series featuring a variety of events including workshops, seminars, and panel discussions designed to strengthen community engagement, raise awareness of accessibility barriers in labs, and highlight the lived experiences of people with disabilities in STEM.
This series is part of the Lab Accessibility in Science project.
Series Organizers:
- Erica Jeffery, Science Education Specialist, Skylight & Zoology
- Sarah Bean Sherman, Senior Science Education Specialist, Skylight & Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
- Silvia Mazabel, Educational Developer in Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Indigeneity in STEM, Skylight
- Amber Schroeder, Administrative and Communications Coordinator, Skylight
Upcoming Events
August 2026
Designing for Accessible Lab Experiences: Concerns, Questions, and Strategies
Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (lunch at noon & session at 12:30 p.m.)
Format: Hybrid (in person & online - please register for details)
Registration: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bsi2G202SmLlAJE
Presenters:
- Staff, Centre for Accessibility (CfA)
Description:
This workshop will offer a space to think through questions and concerns shared by science educators regarding both implementing individual student accommodations in laboratory settings and creating more accessible laboratory spaces for all Science students.
Building on comments shared by instructors, we’ll begin by examining specific questions about translating “what the accommodation letter says” into laboratory-specific contexts. Next, we’ll discuss accessible-design-informed strategies for providing accommodations while meeting the demands of learning outcomes and while respecting the constraints instructors face regarding time, space, overall workload, and their own personal commitments and needs – including their own needs for accommodation, when applicable.
Accessible design goes beyond the individually-determined, legal-and-medical framework of the accommodations letter, and acknowledges that all individuals can benefit from flexibility, supportive environments, and open communication. All of us – instructors, TAs, staff, and students – may face barriers that impact our ability to fully engage to the best of our abilities on any given day. Accommodations address disability-related barriers experienced by specific individuals; a philosophy of accessible design recognizes that this legal-and-medical model can present its own barriers, and may not address barriers that fall outside those narrow definitions.
Since accessible course design can help reduce pressure on instructors and TAs by anticipating and addressing those barriers in advance, we’ll discuss opportunities to “design around” some of the most common student accommodations and accessibility needs, potentially reducing the need to redesign activities after the term has begun or to offer deferrals and “make-ups.” We’ll share strategies, resources, and connections to help support instructors and TAs both when implementing student-specific accommodations and when planning, designing, or revamping coursework and laboratory experiences to improve accessibility. Accessible design cannot completely eliminate the need for individual accommodations – certain individuals will still require specific supports that are beyond the ability of instructional teams to provide – but by reducing those barriers, we can provide a smoother, more equitable, and hopefully less stressful laboratory experience for all. This session is open to faculty, staff, and teaching assistants. Please bring your questions with you!
Food and beverages will be provided.
This session will not be recorded.
Previous Events
May 2026
Accommodations for Disabled Students in Science Lab Education: Policy and Practice in Action
Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Time: 11:30am-1:00pm (Lunch at 12:30pm)
Location: Michael Smith Laboratories, Room 101, and Zoom (register for the link)
Presenters:
- AJ Krause (Accessibility Advisor, UBC Centre for Accessibility)
- Mollie McAllister (Accessibility Advisor, UBC Centre for Accessibility)
- Jackie Stewart (Associate Dean Academic, UBC Faculty of Science)
Description:
Science lab environments present unique challenges for implementing academic accommodations—balancing safety, logistics, academic rigor, and equity. This session explores how disability-related policy and processes intersect with the realities of lab-based teaching.
Participants will gain a clearer understanding of institutional roles and responsibilities, common accommodation practices in lab settings, and strategies for responding to complex or time-sensitive student needs. Through case-based discussion, we will examine real-world scenarios and explore practical, inclusive approaches that support student access while maintaining essential course requirements.
This session is open to faculty, staff, and teaching assistants. Lunch will be provided for in-person participants.
April 2026
Understanding Disability Justice to Promote a Culture of Accessibility in Science Labs
Date: Monday, April 13, 2026
Time: 1:00pm-2:30pm
Location: Online via Zoom
Registration: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0IGWETNKW0x1L5s
Speaker: Jennifer Gagnon, President, UBC Disability Affinity Group (DAG) & Lecturer, School of Journalism, Writing, and Media
Description:
Together we will explore how Disability Justice can be a catalyst for transformational change, radically critiquing our ideas of “normal” and “productive," while creating spaces of belonging for Disabled folks who are often made to feel that their bodies and minds do not “fit” in academia, science, and our society. This talk will use the lens of Disability Justice to explore the intersections of ableism, accessibility v. accommodation, models of disability (the medical v. the social model), and Disability as an equity denied identity. Participants will be guided through reflection on how these concepts intersect with Science as fields of expertise and with the lab as a site of belonging and knowledge making. Our discussion will also center how these concepts are already present in our own work, lives, and contexts. Lastly, participants will be able to engage in critical reflection through learning activities that focus on holding spaces that center access intimacy, empathy, and inclusion, and will leave the workshop with resources for further unlearning of ableism using Disability Justice as a radical politics for change and transformation. As such, this workshop invites action and reflection on the following questions: What supports do you need to embody disability justice and accessibility? What could action look like in your context and roles? What piece of learning will you take with you?
Resources:
- Disability Justice Resources List prepared by Dr. Jennifer Gagnon
March 2026
Panel Discussion on Neurodiversity in Science
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Time: 1:00pm-2:30pm
Location: Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Dodson Room 302 (map)
Panelists:
- Tammy Rodriguez (she/her), Undergraduate student, Neuroscience
- Kat Benevides (she/they), MSc student, Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
- Erin Evans (she/her), PhD student, Microbiology and Immunology
- Elisa Baniassad (she/her), Professor of Teaching, Computer Science; Academic Director, Learning Technology Innovation Centre
- Erica Jeffery (she/her), Science Education Specialist, Skylight & Zoology
Moderator:
- Ashley Welsh (she/her), Faculty Liaison, Skylight & CTLT
Description:
Join us for a panel session that will give voice to UBC Science students, faculty, and staff with diverse lived experiences and from a variety of disciplines. Panelists will share their personal experiences learning and working in the sciences — in the lab, the field, the classroom, or on campus — highlighting both successes and opportunities, as well as barriers and challenges. We will provide an event summary/supporting documentation to registrants after the session.
Resources: