SBA Programming and Events
- The Muslims are Coming!
- Office Closures
- Moving Beyond the Checklist; Intro to Disability Justice and Planning Accessible Events
Community Events and Resources
- BIPOC Book Group: Colour Between the Lines
- APUS Annual General Meeting (AGM)
- Call for Submissions from Canadian Deaf, Mad, & Disability-Identified Artists
- Inclusive Employment Advocacy Project with AEBC – Two Dates Left
SBA Programming and EventsThe Muslims Are Coming! This event is the second in a series which aims to create a critical conversation space for people who have some connection to Muslim identity including through family, history, and/or culture. People who identify as practicing, non-practicing, or something in between are all welcome.
Using short video clips of poetry, prose, comedy and documentaries, we will discuss the multifaceted experiences of growing up and living in migrant Muslim families/communities and the politics of being Muslim in our current times. Our conversation will centre the experiences of black and racialized Muslims and in particular the voices of queer, trans, disabled and mad people.
The Muslims Are Coming! is part of a monthly discussion series organized by SBA and CWTP.
Date: Tuesday April 18th, 2017
Time: 1:30-3:30PM
Location: 569 Spadina Ave (Accessible entrance via Bancroft Ave), Multifaith Centre / Koffler Building, Room 208, Main Activity Hall
Access Info: Wheelchair accessible building. Accessible, gender-neutral washroom on same floor as event. TTC tokens available. Video clips will have captioning or will be accompanied by written text of the dialogue. Family-friendly space. Please arrive scent-free. Snacks including vegan and gluten-free options will be served.
If you have any other access needs please contact Nadia at sba.advocacycoordinator@gmail.com
Allies, we appreciate your support in helping us maintain this closed conversations space for people who have connections to Muslim identity and by sharing this event info —————————————–
Office Closures
Please note that the SBA centre will be closed on the following dates:
Friday April 14th, 2017 – All Day
Monday April 17th, 2017 – All Day
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Moving Beyond the Checklist; An Introduction to Disability Justice and Planning Accessible Events
Want to plan an accessible event but not sure where to begin? SBA offers a free workshop for student clubs and organizations that provides attendees with concrete tools to plan for accessible events and student spaces. The first part of this workshop provides a brief introduction to Disability Justice as an organizing principle and outlines some of the barriers to access that students with disabilities face. The second part of the workshop includes a step-by-step discussion on planning accessible events, from event visioning, to logistics, to outreach. There is also an opportunity to ask questions of the presenters.
If you are interested in having SBA present this workshop for your club/organization leaders and members please contact Nadia at sba.advocacycoordinator@gmail.com
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Community Events and ResourcesBIPOC Book Group: Colour Between the Lines
Presented by: Community Action Centre at the Student Association of George Brown College
ZAMI – A New Spelling of My Name
by Audre Lorde
As part of our Black History Month Extended, we will be reading from Audre Lorde’s Zami.
LOCATION:
Community Action Centre, 165B (St. James Campus)
George Brown College
200 King Street East, Toronto, ON
TIME:
5:30pm-7:30pm
Limited copies of the book is FREE for pickup at the Community Action Centre.
Questions/Accommodations: international@sagbc.ca
or message Rain Ing
Bio:
A self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” Audre Lorde dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing the injustices of racism, sexism, and homophobia. Her poetry, and “indeed all of her writing,” according to contributor Joan Martin in Black Women Writers (1950-1980): A Critical Evaluation, “rings with passion, sincerity, perception, and depth of feeling.” Concerned with modern society’s tendency to categorize groups of people, Lorde fought the marginalization of such categories as “lesbian” and “black woman,” thereby empowering her readers to react to the prejudice in their own lives. While the widespread critical acclaim bestowed upon Lorde for dealing with lesbian topics made her a target of those opposed to her radical agenda, she continued, undaunted, to express her individuality, refusing to be silenced. As she told interviewer Charles H. Rowell in Callaloo: “My sexuality is part and parcel of who I am, and my poetry comes from the intersection of me and my worlds… [White, arch-conservative senator] Jesse Helms’s objection to my work is not about obscenity…or even about sex. It is about revolution and change.” Fighting a battle with cancer that she documented in her highly acclaimed Cancer Journals (1980), Lorde died of the illness in 1992.
Colour Between the Lines is a BIPOC Book Group centering readings by authors of colour. We enter the discussions from an intersectional, decolonial anti-oppressive framework. We will read from a diverse range of genres including fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, memoirs, etc. Potential authors on the book list: bell hooks, Marjane Sartrapi, Audre Lorde, and more.—————————————–APUS Annual General MeetingAll part-time undergraduate students may attend the AGM on April 6th, 2017 at 5pm. Members will hear updates form the APUS Executive, review APUS’ financial statements and by-law changes, and appoint our auditors for the next year. ASL interpretation, live captioning, and refreshments will be provided. For meeting agenda, and financial statements, please visit apus.ca/agm. If you have any accessibility requests, please email vpinternal@apus.ca—————————————–
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS FROM CANADIAN DEAF, MAD & DISABILITY-IDENTIFIED ARTISTS
We are currently accepting applications from Deaf, Mad and disability-identified artists to create new work for an upcoming series of exhibitions which will run from September 2017 to April 2018 at Tangled Art Gallery in Toronto.
Tangled Art + Disability invites proposals for projects in any artistic discipline that reflect the expansive dimensions of disability arts and culture. We seek creative works that explore Canada’s past, present and future, centering the experiences of Deaf, Mad and disabled people, and responding to the following questions:
• In what ways has Canada historically included or excluded us?
• How do we navigate the current realities of living and being in this country?
• How might we shape a future that truly embraces us?
We welcome responses that relate to crip theory, intersectional identities and community-driven moments.
Tangled Art + Disability intends to reveal, celebrate and promote the work of diverse Canadian artists from Deaf, Mad and disability communities, and to bring attention and visibility to the contributions these artists are making to Canadian arts and culture. We will support artists in developing thoughtful community-centered interactions and integrating inclusive practices of access and accessibility. We encourage submissions from diverse communities and cultural backgrounds including Black, Indigenous, POC & LGBTQQIP2SAA.
We are interested in projects that:
• Fit within the Tangled Art Gallery space (an 800 sq. ft. gallery). We encourage multidisciplinary work and creative use of the space. Tangled has the capacity to screen film and media works, and to host performances that do not exceed the limitations of the space.
• Embrace a creative approach to accessibility. We encourage multi-sensory work, interactive and tactile pieces. All exhibits to include audio description, captioning, and ASL interpretation,as needed.
• Reflect intersectional experiences and perspectives of Deaf, Mad and disability cultures.
Budget
Selected artists will receive an exhibition fee of $2,000 and a budget of $3,000 for
creation/materials. Tangled will additionally cover the cost of installation (up to $1,500),
accessibility, shipping, and promotion. For selected artists who reside outside Toronto, we will provide round-trip travel and housing for an agreed upon duration based on the needs of the project.
Applications must include:
• A completed application form
• An artist CV or biography
• A budget indicating how the $3,000 would be spent
• Artist samples, ideas, sketches, or documentation of past work
Applications will be assessed based on:
• Artistic merit
• Overall value to the field of disability arts and community at large
• The viability of the proposed project and budget
• Accessibility of the project to audiences with wide-ranging disabilities, Deaf and Mad
communities.
Applications will be accepted between March 8 and May 5, 2017.
Only submissions from Deaf, Mad and disability-identified artists will be considered. We will accept written applications, as well as ASL video responses. We can also provide assistance for filling out the written application form or, as needed, applicants can respond to the questions in person.
http://tangledarts.org/programs/call-for-submissions/
Completed applications can be sent by mail to:
Tangled Art + Disability
Attn: Call For Submissions
Suite S-122, 401 Richmond Street West
Toronto M5V 3A8
Or by email to: submissions@tangledarts.org
Contact Sean Lee at (647) 725-5064 to schedule an in person application or to book application writing assistance.—————————————-
Inclusive Employment Advocacy Project with AEBC
The Alliance for Equality for Blind Canadians (AEBC) is launching a City of Toronto-funded project to provide new self-advocacy tools, resources and training for people with disabilities seeking employment. This peer engagement project will equip people with disabilities from diverse backgrounds to better advocate for equal access to employment services, programs and opportunities.
Project activities include identifying barriers, gathering and developing advocacy resources, education and training. Project outcomes include participants being able to present a case for inclusion in employment services and programs.
Project participants will consist of persons with different disabilities from diverse groups including women, youth, seniors, ethno-racial minorities, and LGBTQ community members, among others, who are unemployed or under-employed. They are invited to join two parts of the project:
1. Focus Groups in five regions of the Toronto Area: Downtown Toronto, North York, Scarborough, East York/Beaches, and Etobicoke/West Toronto.
2. Five education/training sessions, developed from their recommendations, to be led by Subject Matter Experts.
For more information, including dates, times and location of focus group please review attachment.
Students for Barrier-Free Access 