OCAD University
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

1. The Office of Diversity, Equity and Sustainability Initiatives (ODESI) takes a leadership role in the following activities:

Creating or supporting opportunities on campus to advance understanding and promote social change through collective and critical reflection, knowledge generation and mobilization, and art and design creation
Coordinating, informing or supporting organizational change strategies that are designed to acknowledge and redress systemic, structural and historical disadvantage in employment and educational policy and practice, promote a culture of inclusion and advance sustainability.
Providing information, training and educational opportunities, and capacity building in the areas of equity, accessibility, human rights and sustainable practices.
Advocating for high standards in policies, procedures and practices in the areas of human rights, equity and sustainability
Ensuring a fair and effective administration of OCAD U’s human rights policies and providing subject matter expertise on the principles of human rights, equity and accessibility and related obligations in the resolution of complaints.


2. The Educational & Employment Equity Committee (EEEC) is an advisory committee to the President and the Board of Governors. Its mandate is to create an equitable and accessible educational and employment environment, diversify curriculum and teaching methods, and ensure recruitment and retention of underrepresented student groups as well as faculty and staff.

3. Scarborough Charter Working Group

https://www.ocadu.ca/news/ocad-u-signs-historic-scarborough-charter-anti-black-racism

Scarborough Charter Commitments: On November 18, 2021, OCAD University joined with more than 40 Canadian universities and colleges to sign the historic Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education, which outlines a national plan of action to fight anti-Black racism and to promote Black inclusion. The University’s current Academic Plan commits to implementing concrete, meaningful action to address anti-Black racism and promote Black flourishing and inclusive excellence as articulated in the Scarborough Charter.

As a signatory to the Scarborough Charter, OCAD University is responsible for implementing principles-based commitments to action which apply to governance in decision-making processes and structures at all levels of the institution, to research, to teaching and learning, and to community engagement.

Further, as a member institution of the Inter-institutional Forum on Inclusive Higher Education, OCAD University is committed to co-creating and adopting a contextually-appropriate, best-efforts-based, individual institutional action plan to redress anti-Black racism, separately or as part of a larger commitment to redressing racism and promoting equity, diversity and inclusion.

Finally, OCAD University is committed to data collection and periodic reporting on its efforts to foster Black flourishing, inclusive excellence, mutuality and accountability.

IT Services: Laptop Program promotes equity and inclusion by providing access to software. Alternative Formats (Papyrus) implemented a system to deliver alternative format files to students, promoting inclusive access to materials.