C/O Sharon McCutcheon
A new initiative at McMaster hopes to provide accessibility for more students
A new student initiative requesting mutual aid is popping up at McMaster in response to the lack of support students are receiving with the university’s mandated return to campus.
According to the McMaster Oversight Committee Report released in May 2021, professors are not required to record in-person lectures or provide any alternative online resources for students who are unable to attend campus.
The mutual aid request calls for any students attending in-person classes to record and share lectures with their peers online.
The mutual aid request calls for any students attending in-person classes to record and share lectures with their peers online.
On Feb.7, a discussion panel, Push Back on Back to Mac, was held to further address the issues that the mutual aid request highlights.
Come listen to student and professor concerns regarding McMaster University's mandated return to campus, this Monday at 6pm EST pic.twitter.com/mx40fz8YDx
— Emunah Woolf (@emunahwoolf) February 4, 2022
Emunah Woolf, director of Maccess, a student-run advocacy and peer support organization for students who experience disability, chronic illness, mental health concerns or inaccessibility sat on the discussion panel for Push Back on Back to Mac.
“McMaster is not listening to disabled, immunocompromised, neurodivergent and otherwise at-risk students when we say we need hybrid learning options. We've tried letters, petitions [and] organizing. I don't feel hopeful for an adequate and safe response,” stated Woolf in their announcement of the mutual aid request.
“McMaster is not listening to disabled, immunocompromised, neurodivergent and otherwise at-risk students when we say we need hybrid learning options. We've tried letters, petitions [and] organizing. I don't feel hopeful for an adequate and safe response."
Emunah Woolf, director of Maccess
During the panel, Woolf expressed their hope to expand current support in terms of online lectures and course content. The panel was in agreement that more access was necessary for returning to campus, with solutions ranging from completely online classes to hybrid models.
“We had at the height of [the panel] over 100 people in attendance, which is wonderful and more than I expected. I think we were able to really demonstrate various perspectives on the return to campus, whether that's from faculty, staff and students [and McMaster Students Union] members and workers as well,” said Woolf.
Although the panel saw positive responses in support of their stance, Woolf also spoke about some of the backlash in reaction to the mutual aid request.
“When I started talking about the mutual aid initiative, I was warned quite a bit that the university might get worried about it and take action in some way to shut it down just due to, I think, concerns of intellectual property and students recording lectures and then distributing them,” said Woolf.
Some faculty also raised concerns during the question and answering session about having themselves and course material being recorded. However, Woolf mentioned that during the panel, a point was raised about how the best way to keep students from recording and distributing course material was for the professor to post it online for the class themselves.
“I also think that there are ways to get creative with how we teach in a way that hybrid can work . . . The fact is, it takes a little bit of thinking and I don't know if professors are willing to put extra work into their course development, especially if they had originally planned it to be one way,” said Woolf.
“I also think that there are ways to get creative with how we teach in a way that hybrid can work . . . The fact is, it takes a little bit of thinking and I don't know if professors are willing to put extra work into their course development, especially if they had originally planned it to be one way.”
Emunah Woolf, director of Maccess
Woolf also stressed the importance of including disabled people during planning so any issues are worked out before the plan is used to prevent band aid solutions being used later on that don’t work as efficiently.
“[McMaster] should have been bringing people who experienced disability into those conversations to talk about accessibility from the forefront because disabled students and staff, we aren't expendable and we deserve to be included and safe on campus but also to be acknowledged for our value and our knowledge here. [I]t would have been a really good use of disabled community knowledge and wisdom to bring us into those conversations from the beginning,” said Woolf.
[I]t would have been a really good use of disabled community knowledge and wisdom to bring us into those conversations from the beginning."
Emunah Woolf, director of Maccess
In addition to the impact that Woolf has seen as the director of Maccess, Woolf said they have also seen the difference in their own studies as a fourth-year social work student.
“All of my classes are continuing to have online options, which is wonderful, but I think that my safety shouldn’t have to rely on essentially luck of where I am in the university,” said Woolf.
“All of my classes are continuing to have online options, which is wonderful, but I think that my safety shouldn’t have to rely on essentially luck of where I am in the university."
Emunah Woolf, director of Maccess
If students are interested in contributing to the initiative or would like to access lectures through mutual aid, they can visit the mutual aid spreadsheet at tinyurl.com/MacMutualAid.
The field of medicine lacks diversity because applying to medical school is inaccessible
CW: ableism, racism, classism
Coming into university, I thought I was going to be a doctor. I got accepted into health sciences and thought that health was something I wanted to pursue. While I am still passionate about health care, I’ve come to many realizations during my undergraduate degree — with one of them being that I am unable to apply to medical school due to my disabilities.
It’s hard to face the reality that some things might be unattainable for you when there is this mindset pushed that if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything. I agree that it’s good to work hard and set goals for yourself, but becoming a doctor is a bit more complicated than simply “working hard.”
It’s hard to face the reality that some things might be unattainable for you when there is this mindset pushed that if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything. I agree that it’s good to work hard and set goals for yourself, but becoming a doctor is a bit more complicated than simply “working hard.”
The first barrier I came across was the lack of accessibility surrounding the application process. For most Canadian medical schools, you have to write the Medical College Admission Test in order to apply. The MCAT is a multiple choice examination that covers a wide variety of subjects such as physics, chemistry and biology, and assesses your critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Typically, the MCAT is a seven hour and 30 minute-long test where you are not allowed to access water or food except for during the scheduled breaks. To allow for things such as extra time, a separate testing area or even water or food during the testing period, you have to apply for accommodations.
Accommodations for the MCAT are known to be notoriously difficult to access according to many applicants. You need to submit a profile, your condition, history, a personal statement that talks about your experiences and a comprehensive evaluation by a qualified professional. The problem with this is that many people with disabilities may not always have a “proper” diagnosis since many conditions are hard to diagnose and may even take years — it took five years and several doctors to diagnose my rare knee condition. In addition, folks may face barriers in accessing healthcare services due to long wait times, racism, classism or other forms of discrimination.
The Association of American Medical Colleges, which administers the MCAT, is known to be strict on accommodations. Even if you have extensive documentation for your disability, you may be denied accommodations. Many have shared such experiences on platforms such as Reddit, detailing the hardships of accessing accommodations. If you’re given accommodations, it could not be what you requested for. As a result, many people decide to “power through” instead of applying for an accommodation. In addition, up until 2015, MCAT accommodations used to be flagged for being administered in a non-standard setting, which could have an impact on your medical school applications.
Even amidst a pandemic, the MCAT is still running in-person — they have shortened the test from seven hours and 30 minutes with two 10 minute breaks and one 30 minute break to five hours and 45 minutes with three 10 minute breaks. It’s ironic that MCAT testing is in-person and could potentially put test takers at risk, while other standardized tests like the Law School Admission Test is online to accommodate for the pandemic.
It’s ironic that MCAT testing is in-person and could potentially put test takers at risk, while other standardized tests like the Law School Admission Test is online to accommodate for the pandemic.
Ableism isn’t the only barrier people face in applying to medical school. A recent study found that McMaster University Medical School applicants often come from upper-class families, with the median income of $98,816 being almost $30,000 higher than the average Canadian. From those who were accepted into McMaster, the median income was $105,959. This creates a huge disparity in healthcare: low-income patients will often lose out on the opportunity to have a physician that can empathize with their experiences or fully understand conditions that disproportionately affect low-income people.
Applying to medical school is difficult, but low-income students have it even harder because the cost of applying to medical school is high. Maintaining a high grade point average requires hard work and lots of studying, but when you’re juggling two or three jobs on top of that, it can be exceedingly difficult. Not to mention that while low-income students often have to work jobs, students that are more well-off can spend their time doing volunteer work or extracurricular activities that can boost their resume. Upper-class students can also pay for MCAT prep courses to help boost their scores, which can cost up to $2000. If you’ve received a medical school interview, you may also need to book a bus, train or plane ticket for the in-person interview depending on where the school is located.
Another disparity that has been very visible this year is the lack of Black and Indigenous medical students in Canada. Very few Black students have been admitted to McMaster Medical School for the past five years and other Canadian medical schools historically haven’t done much better with admitting Black and Indigenous students either.
Very few Black students have been admitted to McMaster Medical School for the past five years and other Canadian medical schools historically haven’t done much better with admitting Black and Indigenous students either.
In the class of 2020, I was the only Black medical student in my class! And my class was super amazing but I think it could of been better. Sign our open letter to the McMaster MD program to make huge improvements towards diversity and inclusion! https://t.co/GCJChL9kk6
— Oluwatobi Olaiya (@tobiolaiya_) June 20, 2020
https://twitter.com/Alavian_S/status/1274457232680378373
Although there have been some changes, such as Queen’s University changing their accelerated medical school route so that it is reserved for Black and Indigenous students only, many people have criticized these changes, as Black and Indigenous students will be entering an environment that may not be supportive.
Although I appreciate the approach Queen's has begun to take, I do wish more was addressed on how these Black and Indigenous students will be properly supported at a school that is known to have blatant issues with racism especially for undergrads: https://t.co/Xy5SR4DSHb https://t.co/tVcg1bOfm4
— Iku Nwosu, MD (@IkuNwosu) July 24, 2020
I’ve always found it ironic that medical school is inaccessible in many facets — the fact that people with disabilities, low-income individuals and Black and Indigenous folks are disadvantaged when applying highlights the lack of doctors who belong to these identities. The best doctors that I’ve had are ones that can empathize with my experiences. But if the majority of doctors are abled, upper-class and not Black or Indigenous, you alienate a large group of people.
By: Ember, Contributor
I have previously written about how institutional ableism affects me and other students, but there’s another topic that is also overdue for discussion: casual ableism.
There are things that myself and other physically disabled people face on a consistent basis that an able-bodied person may not even realize are ableist. Using elevators, ramps and public transport, as well as navigating the campus in general — these activities are imperative to my everyday life, but are also an absolute nightmare.
The McMaster University Student Centre is home to many student services and it also acts as one of the main social hubs on campus, so it makes sense that it is very busy. I’m involved with and use multiple McMaster Students Union services within MUSC which span multiple floors of the building. I have lost count of how many times during those between-class rushes as well as during lunch hours that I have been bumped into, almost knocked over or completely plowed past by students and staff alike when walking to the elevators or using the ramp.
My cane is purple, it is loud, and it is very unlikely that able-bodied folks cannot hear it. I know you can see me — it is hard not to. My disability does not afford me the luxury to be subtle and small, so when you push past me, you’re making it clear that you have chosen to ignore my existence for your convenience. Is getting to your destination a few seconds earlier really worth disregarding basic human decency for myself and other physically disabled people?
Speaking of elevators, stop pressing the button and then walking away to take the stairs when it takes too long for the elevator to arrive. The reason why it is taking so long is because there are people on every other floor doing the exact same thing, and when I finally get on the elevator, it stops at every single floor. Somehow going from the first floor to the second floor of MUSC suddenly takes five minutes instead of 30 seconds. If you can take the stairs, just take the stairs — what have you gained by attempting to use and delaying accommodating utilities?
A side note: pressing the button for the elevator only to have it filled with able-bodied people who refuse to make room — all bearing sheepish or indifferent looks on their faces — is humiliating and degrading. The selfishness and misplaced entitlement to disability resources and accommodations make it that much harder for disabled people to exist and get around in public spaces.
Now let’s talk about public transit. Fellow students, I know that you love taking the bus for a couple of stops from inside campus into Westdale Village, but when you push past me to get on the bus when the bus driver specifically stops right in front of me to let me on first, know that I see you. When you fill up priority seating, placing down your bags or groceries beside you on another seat, I see you. I’ve lost count of the number of times that I end up standing on a crowded eastbound bus.
Not only do I feel pain, but I feel ashamed and dehumanized when able-bodied students see my physical form but refuse to acknowledge my need for accommodations. It wears me down and weighs on me day after day — my disability is hypervisible as I cannot hide it, but able-bodied people choose to not perceive me and my presence in order to absolve them of their guilt and responsibility for their actions.
Just because you hold the door open for me or press the automatic door button once does not mean you are at the apex of disability allyship. Check yourself, reflect on your actions, and deconstruct your saviour complex. You are not as perfect as you think you are.
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