United in our Goals
Dalhousie is committed to learning from the many diverse experiences of our communities and is striving to provide an environment where everyone is safe, heard and able to become the best possible version of themselves. We’ll do this by working with individuals and communities to make change happen.
Siobhan Evans, Accessibility Planning Specialist with Dalhousie Facilities Management, reviews recent upgrades. (Danny Abriel)
Accessibility in action:
Inside Dal's plan to build a better campus for all
In 2022, Dalhousie released its first university-wide Accessibility Plan. The plan lays out a detailed roadmap for ensuring the university meets Nova Scotia's goal of being fully accessible by 2030, not just for people with visible disabilities but also those who struggle with invisible disabilities linked to mental health and neurodivergence.
Second-year psychology student Gabrielle Close shared her experience on campus during Dalhousie's inaugural Accessibility Week. Gabrielle is blind.
“There has been a lot of effort on Dal’s part to make this environment as accommodating as possible,” she says. "I just feel like anyone else. I don't have to place my entire focus navigating spaces that may be inaccessible, or worry about whether or not I can find something to eat in the dining hall, or whether or not I can find my room. Having signage in place and having supportive staff members is wonderful because it makes university life a much more enjoyable experience."
Continue reading about Dal's Accessibility Plan and Accessibility Week here.
Read more about how Dalhousie's community is united in its goals:
Wije'winen Health Centre opens its doors
On July 8, 2022, the Wije'winen Health Centre opened its doors to the urban Indigenous community in Halifax, providing future opportunities for medical learners interested in Indigenous health.
Trained for change: A diverse health-care system opens doors for everyone. Here’s how we get there.
In Dalhousie’s faculties of Medicine, Health, and Dentistry, work is underway to not only increase the diversity among health-care practitioners, but also to properly train students entering those fields to provide unbiased and inclusive care to their patients.
Supporting diversity in oral health care
Seven Doctor of Dental Surgery students from Dalhousie University were presented with QEII Foundation Diversity in Health Care bursaries at a celebration ceremony in October: Ebraheem Alhammadi, Mohammad Alhammadi, Nikhil Bansal, Mariam El-Aghil, Hatimali Mithaiwala, Nour Eldin Mohamed, and Sam (Sumit) Soni.
Bringing Dalhousie’s African Nova Scotian Strategy to Life
Growing up in Halifax’s North End, Jalana Lewis (JD’13) was aware of Dalhousie University. But she was not sure if the university was aware of her, or her community, as an African Nova Scotian. “I didn’t really see the university purposefully engaging with the community,” says Lewis. She is now Dalhousie’s first director of African Nova Scotian community engagement. “But I think Dalhousie is actively trying to shift that through initiatives such as the African Nova Scotian Strategy.”
Dal Partners with Top Canadian Consultant for New Micro‑Learning Course on Inclusive Communications
Dal’s Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development has partnered with Toronto-based Camille Dundas, an in-demand anti-racism consultant whose keynotes and workshops have helped Google, KPMG, The Conference Board of Canada and other major clients reframe difficult conversations around equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA).
Dalhousie hires first advisor to support 2SLGBTQ+ students
For the first time in Dalhousie’s history, the university has hired a 2SLGBTQ+ advisor to provide supports, programming, and other services for students that identify as Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and any other non-normative identities.
Dal-trained lawyer uses legal expertise to help fellow Ukrainians flee war
In the fraught weeks since the invasion, Yushchenko and fellow Halifax-based Ukrainian lawyer Jason Woycheshyn worked with the Canadian government to create a program to expedite Ukrainian immigration.
Bai Bintou Kaira (BEng’18) did not always know that she wanted to study engineering. Her plans for applying to medical school changed when she started university in Canada. She transferred to Dalhousie University from studying microbiology and immunology and was looking for advice on what to study when friends and family started suggesting that she apply to study engineering.
“When the headlines die, so do the children”: Takeaways from Cindy Blackstock's Shaar Shalom Lecture
Be patient: Those are the words Cindy Blackstock would like to hear a little less from governments in Canada when it comes to tackling Indigenous issues.
Building a better world with the knowledge of Indigenous Peoples
The project will empower Indigenous Peoples in countries including Canada, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Uganda, Mali, Brazil, and others to address issues such as food security, human-wildlife management, and the decolonization of science.