UFV// Accessibility Lab: a new program for all students

Why the program was invented and how students can benefit from it.

JAYDEN TALVIO

Tara Corman and Phil Retief both work at the Academic Success Centre (ASC) at UFV, where Corman is the learning strategist and Retief is a peer tutor. The ASC is currently offering a new program, facilitated by Retief: the Accessibility Lab. Retief says that the purpose of the lab is to help students “explore adaptive technologies that can help them or aid them in their academic journey.”

Corman specified, “we wanted to make adaptive technology more available to all UFV students.”

The Accessibility Lab, less than two months old, currently runs out of room G126 at the Abbotsford campus on Tuesdays from 12-2 p.m., sharing a space with the Abby ASC. Chilliwack’s ASC is located in room A1204, and both Corman and Retief encourage students who attend the Chilliwack campus and are interested in the program, to book a peer tutoring appointment with Retief.

Brad Gushue “probably overdid it” ahead of curling championship

Canada skip Brad Gushue has been experiencing pain in his lower body at the Tim Hortons Brier. He thinks he sustained the injury while at training camp ahead of the Brier. As for where exactly the pain is located, Gushue told Gregory Strong of The Canadian Press , “one day it could be the groin or adductor. The next day it could be the hip flexor and the next day it could be the glute.” He added, “Sometimes it’s user error. When I slide properly, I don’t get any of the sharp pains.” As of Mar. 7, Gushue has won four of five games despite his pain.

- Jayden Talvio

Corman spoke of how the Accessibility Lab came to be: “Through the Academic Success Center… each semester we have an all-staff training day, and in the fall we had one that included some brainstorming around different values and priorities for the Academic Success Centre. One of the topics was inclusive space and services, and Phil had written out on one of his Post-its, the idea of an accessibility lab. We carried it forward into meetings with the Centre for Accessibility Services and the Academic Success Centre coordinator, and they've been able to implement it into something that I think is quite innovative.”

Retief recounted a recent experience with a student who was struggling to read course materials the way they were presented by the professor. Through the Lab, they were able to identify a software that better supported the student, and made the materials more accessible. Students may face unique challenges in their academic journeys, but Retief knows that overcoming these obstacles can make “a huge difference… It's a great example of how it's been helpful for a student.”

The technologies that are currently available through the Accessibility Lab are Kurzweil 3000, Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and Read&Write. Retief can assist students in using Dictation in Word for Microsoft Office, and is working with the ASC on getting Speech to Text and Text to Speech set up to “help students with these functions through the Accessibility Lab,” said Corman. She went on to say that some of the technologies that the ASC uses are “expensive if you do end up purchasing a license for yourself, but the ASC has student computers in both the Abbotsford campus and the Chilliwack campus, with Kurzweil and Dragon Speak downloaded onto them.”

The resources available in the ASC provide students the chance to try out some of these programs for free, “which saves them the cost of having to maybe spend money on a new program before they see how well it actually works for them,” said Corman. “We've tried to focus on other programs that are free or easily accessible for students… things that are already embedded in Microsoft Word, or things that are embedded within Mac products for Mac users.”

I would encourage students to come out, check it out, and just learn more about it,” said Retief. “There's a lot of technologies that can help students.

UFV // Professor Profile: Dr. David Dobson

UFV’s business professor talks podcasting, nature, and

MIRAAN SAHOTA

Dr. David Dobson, associate professor at the University of the Fraser Valley's School of Business, has started a new podcast series on YouTube called 'Conversations with Dr. David Dobson.' The series focuses on short conversations with people pursuing or obtaining PhD qualifications and discusses their work. I joined Dr. Dobson on a video call to delve deeper into what inspired him to start this podcast and the exciting aspects surrounding this new initiative. This article has been edited for clarity and flow.

Miraan Sahota: When did you record your first podcast, and what

Conversation

was it about?

Dr. David Dobson: I recorded my first podcast with Dr. Nataly Levesque a little over a month ago; I knew her professionally from my previous work with the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC). We discussed her work regarding social media and influencer marketing.

Sahota: What was the response to it?

The response was overwhelmingly positive, as I received over five hundred views on that podcast. It further encouraged me to continue the series and helped me realize that conversations like these help the research work of these people to reach a much wider audience.

Sahota: What inspired you to start this series in the first place?

Dobson: That's a good question. So, during the pandemic, I couldn't invite people to physical classrooms as I did previously since most classes were online. I realized that although I asked many people from the local community, which was great, now, thanks to this new technological shift, I could speak with guests worldwide. I started by inviting people online to share their valuable experiences with my students. I could provide value for my students and the researchers to present their work globally. This initiative helped me improve my technological skills. I went from being very nervous continued on page 5 continued from page 4 about recording a simple video to having these interesting conversations with people.

Sahota: What are the selection criteria for the guests? Is there a reason for the conversations being short?

Dobson: Most people want to learn about new things but need more time in the world's fast-paced environment. Keeping these conversations short helped keep the audience engaged and nudged the speaker to be more efficient in their message. I selected people who were primarily researchers, but I am now expanding this series by inviting people from business backgrounds.

Sahota: You have recorded close to 10 podcasts now. What have you learned from this experience, and how has your mindset evolved?

Dobson: I have noticed that calling my podcasts conversations rather than interviews helps reduce the stress levels of the interviewee and helps make better conversations. We exchange a few notes before the start of the podcast to get more familiar with the topic to be discussed and the conversation itself. Thinking of it more collaboratively helps the process as well. Inviting people from different backgrounds, countries etc., is also essential to keep the conversations interesting for the audience. For example, in my discussion with Dr. Lenora Butler, we discussed how to run and successfully manage a nonprofit organization.

Sahota: I’d like to know more about you as well. Would you like to share some experiences regarding your personal life?

Dobson: I like spending time with my son on nature walks, exploring new trails, etc. I feel blessed to be residing in a beautiful place like British Columbia. In this computer-based, technologically rich environment, the need to unwind by feeling the sun and wind against your skin and experiencing nature is rejuvenating and energizing. It feels like being authentically connected to our environment. I always keep my camera on and make short videos to capture those moments of nature for the world to see.

Sahota: Have you felt that a good work-life balance has benefited your professional life?

Dobson: It has helped me a lot. It has taught me about the importance of learning from everybody and appreciating the hard work which everyone puts in. I have much respect for my students as well as the work they put in. Despite being a teacher, I am also a lifelong student. It is very humbling to realize that there is so much more to learn, and I have immense gratitude for being able to have these conversations and experiences.

Sahota: On an ending note, as a podcaster, what message would you like to share with your audience?

Dobson: Please watch these podcasts while keeping an open mind regarding your experiences. These guests contribute in many ways to us personally, towards the community, and in many more things. Your time and feedback mean a lot to them. Life is precious, so connect with the nature around you. It is perfect for helping with the stress and anxiety many people face nowadays.

Dr. Dobson also has another channel, Positive Emotions, where he shares more experiences about his personal life with the audience.

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably seen something somewhere online about zoomer fashion muse and model Hailey Bieber’s fall from social grace; it has been fascinating to watch it play out in real time. For the well adjusted grass-touchers who are unaware, it all began in 2018 when Hailey married long time on-againoff-again beau Justin Bieber just a few months after he and long time on-again-off-again girlfriend Selena Gomez broke up.

Ever since, there has been an ongoing suspected “feud” between Hailey and Selena. Drama between the two has popped up in media cycles every few months. Recently, the spectacle came to a head when a screenshot of Hailey Bieber and fellow nepo-baby queen bee

Kylie Jenner making fun of Gomez’s eyebrows was shared to Jenner’s instagram story. If you’re thinking this all sounds like ridiculous middleschool pettiness among a bunch of privileged, wealthy adult women, you’re not alone. So why can’t we look away?

Gomez, who recently dethroned Kylie Jenner as the most subscribedto woman on Instagram, seems to be coming out as the clear champion in all of this. Thousands of fans on the internet have pledged their allegiance to Gomez as the victim of this controversy; the innocent lamb being dogged by vicious wolves in gold hoop earrings and bike shorts. Yet, in the last few weeks, Gomez too has been caught stirring up the pot; between commenting on TikToks about the situation, and referencing past beef between Bieber and Gomez’ BFF, Taylor

Swift, one could argue that Gomez has only been pouring gasoline on the fire.

Now Gomez is on a “self imposed” (read: damage control) social media cleanse, people have been recorded cursing out Hailey witch-hunt style at her husband’s show at Rolling Loud, and every headline that scrolls across my dashboard is a bleeding heart for poor, sweet, self-made millionaire Selena. It’s the bigger picture of it all that has me really interested; why are we as a culture so obsessed with infantilizing and villainizing adult women? Why do we love to pretend like we know a fraction of these people’s lives?

It’s hard not to feel like it’s a direct consequence of our tendency to dehumanize celebrities; we love to flatten these people into mirrors for our own opinions and obsessions. In reality, celebrity PR teams love to weaponize our projections. The echo chamber of short-form social media has formed a centrifuge of simulacrum: separating stars from their humanity and transforming faux-relatable heroes to resented caricatures in a matter of weeks. In this scenario, Bieber has mapped out a dizzying trajectory from 30 under 30 it-girl to IRL Regina George.

Trying to make heads or tails of who is being manipulated and whom is manipulating in these stories may appeal to the inner Benoit Blanc in all of us, but when you get down to it, it really is all just noise and marketing; not to mention the vitriolic misogyny that tends to be drawn out of the public in these winner-takes-it-all campaigns. Instead of asking who the real bad guy is in these famous love triangles, we should be asking ourselves: Who says there has to be one in the first place?

Canada//