Sabrina, Trainer, York University
Look,
herding faculty is like herding cats
[laughs].
So,
faculty tend to be solo flyers…
they tend to do their own thing. [laughs].
The challenge with faculty development and training here? It's not a lack of information;
the information is there
and it is there in lots of accessible formats.... The issue is:
is it a priority for people?
And do they work in a culture and institution that supports making development a priority? That's the issue.
[Pause].
Do we support making faculty development a priority
here?
In some places it is a priority ...again
support really varies
from department to department, unit to unit,
faculty to faculty.
So there is no consistency.
...I don't know if that's very positive, but there it is...
you see,
daylight needs nighttime... and
nighttime has its own beauties too, so I think,
some of these issues that don't seem so savoury
initially,
some of these challenges? They actually
become opportunities.
It's why I still come here every day
[laughs].
The Differences in faculty demographics and experience
As in the literature, faculty demographics and experience, as well as disciplinary differences, culture, and values (Becher, 1994) are not always explicitly taken into account in the York context when designing development programs around disability. Both the TC and the CHR have made efforts to offer targeted workshops to specific faculties and to provide support to specifically new faculty. Historically, some faculties, like Arts, Media, Performance and Design [AMPD] have also taken this initiative upon themselves (Table 9e). However, there does seem to be a gap in offerings around disability that are disciplinary specific or specific to experience level. As well, I discovered that there were limited offerings around supervising and accommodating graduate students with disabilities, or supporting students in professional programs entering practicum settings. The need for targeted support and offerings for different disciplinary areas when it comes to development around disability was made very clear in multiple interviews I conducted. Faculty members discussed the diverse challenges that the different disciplines face; for example, complicated questions that can arise when providing accommodations in science labs, in practicum situations for Education, Fine Arts, Nursing, Social Work, and other community settings, and in disciplines where the first year class is upwards of 1000 students, as opposed to an in coming class of 200 or 60, etc. There was also the suggestion that different disciplines respond differently to the
kind of language used in communicating development or featured in development resources. For example, one Associate Lecturer explained:
…if you want to target science faculty, nothing can be… and I hate the term, but give them nothing "artsy fartsy". You need to be like “this is why you need to do this, because this is clear.” And you need it to be very pragmatic. …so I personally think of students holistically, and many of my colleagues think of students holistically but they would never use that term. The language matters. The language REALLY matters. So if you approach it not as "this is inclusive…this is holistic", but more in terms of: this is what you NEED TO DO... and it’s very pragmatic like: "You need to have captions on any videos you upload because the law says you have to do that, and here’s how we’ll help you do that”, you will reach more science faculty (Confidential Personal Interview,
March 21, 2016).
These are just some ways in which faculty demographics and discipline specific contexts clearly matter when it comes to development. Finally, as in the literature, my research also suggests that different career levels have different needs when it comes to development. For instance, time and workload pressures are perhaps even more prominent for new or untenured faculty. One untenured faculty member I interviewed related that
...honestly, I find it really hard as a pre-tenured faculty member. I really do. You know I also have two small children. So I feel like I have to make some challenging decisions for how to spend my time…. so it is when the problem arises that we go out [for teaching help] or even think that it is important enough to figure out solutions; it’s more reactive…so maybe that is part of my own reasoning for why this [learning more about disability has] gotten lower on the priority list, because I have not really had to deal with a really big problem. …you know, I have somehow managed to muddle through, so in my mind, maybe I think that has to be good enough (Confidential
Personal Interview, February 11, 2016).
These extra “challenging decisions” that new faculty have to make as they balance work, career and life while striving for tenure, are further exacerbated by the fact that untenured faculty do not yet have job security. Consequently, untenured faculty are also greatly affected by not having the freedom to speak their mind when witnessing an injustice. Both untenured faculty members I interviewed spoke openly about being afraid to speak out when they have witnessed troublesome attitudes or opinions from colleagues and/or students towards other students with disabilities. One difficult narrative that emerged from my research involved an Assistant Professor, who described how her graduate student was told by one of his other professors that he shouldn’t be in the Master’s program because of
his disability. This interviewee expressed her deep concern, but also her sense of needing to be cautious:
I will be more vocal come July when I have tenure. I'm going to be loud. I'm going to be very loud. That's the political thing for us. For us, until we get tenure, we sometimes have to be quiet... there is concern...so that's why I am now more quiet…but I want to feel supported when I tell a student to initiate a complaint. I don't want to have to feel like the bad guy. And maybe I'll feel better once I have tenure. But I would like anybody, a T.A, anybody, to see the wrong, and be able to right it, without repercussion (Confidential
Personal Interview, March 4, 2016).
The increased time and workload demands plus the lack of security for untenured faculty when navigating the university system suggests that faculty at this career stage might benefit from a targeted approach to development, as distinct from those in middle or later stages of their career.
Communication of Faculty Development Opportunities and Resources
Not discussed in the literature, but very clear from my research and interviews with both faculty members and key-informants at York University, was the challenge of communication. My research indicates that not enough people are taking advantage of already available university resources and information. One explanation for this situation is simply lack of knowledge about what resources and opportunities already exist and are available. It was not just faculty members who wanted to know more about available resources. Key- informants, too, felt the issue of communication was something they wanted to address. As one key-informant articulated:
I would like more people to know that we are a resource that is available for faculty. Because there was one session that we went to and I think faculty there thought that we were only here for students. So, I would like more people to know: students, staff, and faculty, that we are available to provide services for students, staff AND faculty… (Confidential Key-
Informant Interview, March 15, 2016).
Each key-informant stressed that they wished more faculty knew about their services, but not ONLY their services; they hoped that faculty might become aware that there are a variety of avenues on campus that could be accessed for support. My findings also highlight faculty frustrations about how resources and opportunities were communicated, when they did receive information from the institution. For example, when discussing an emailed letter sent by the Office of the Vice-Provost in January 2016 (Table 7a), one teaching stream Associate
Professor envisioned how she wants to
…receive reminders of resources, rights, and responsibilities in more places…and not just in an email [sent] down from on-high…If it’s sent by an administrator? Chances are most of the faculty [just push] delete. Because you have had like twenty emails from that same person! …and don't send it as a PDF! Send it as...send it embedded into the actual email. Somebody must know HTML. I'm sure they do! And yet they send us emails about accessibility and disability as a PDF or with many attached PDFs. Nobody opens them up. If you want people to read the information you send, you need make sure it gets opened…(Confidential Personal Interview, March 21, 2016).
While the environmental scan of offerings [Table 9] shows how there are many offerings for faculty around disability, this faculty member’s comments, which reiterate those shared throughout this thesis, suggests the clear need for a more streamlined communication strategy to improve communication of policies, resources, information, development opportunities and already available resources to faculty. The question of how development resources are being communicated --an important challenge across the board at York-- is not the sole problem of any one centre, group, administrator or faculty member; rather, it suggests the institutional magnitude of York and the need for more research around how to better communicate resources to faculty members, faculties, and departments.
Toolbox
Manuel, Administrator I have had faculty tell me:
“I don't want that student in my class.”
And they can get really angry. I had a faculty member
who said that she couldn't handle
having a person in her class
with a specific situation where the student fainted, not unlike epilepsy,
and she wanted an attendant
with that person in order for her to remain
in the class. But I said,
"Well,
she really isn't in a medical crisis to warrant that kind of help".
Because the fainting was coming from a mental health issue,
you know, something triggers her and then she just faints.
But,
the Professor just kept calling 911. And that upset the student even more. I mean,
if the student had hit her head, then obviously,
you are not going to let them bleed and not do anything.
But this wasn’t that situation. And professor just said:
“I don't want that student in my class.”
And I said,
"Well,
you don't have a choice." [Pause]
I told her:
“I contacted the student and asked her to give you
the name of a friend that is at York
who can come immediately if she is to faint again"
And she was like:
"York university is not doing anything,
and I shouldn't have to deal with this."
[Pause].
“You don’t have a choice”
Yeah, she really did NOT
want that student in her class. Which is sad.
she was mad at me. And I am like,
"Why are you mad at me?
What does this have to do with me? It's not about you or me,
it's about human rights.
Human rights is not an opinion [laughs nervously] She has a right to an education,
and not to be discriminated based on her disability.” [Pause].
And I guess the question becomes: how can we help that Professor- or others like her -
feel more confident in being able to work with, teach, and help that student? Yeah,
I think it is about what tools can we give, because I think
if you are prepared for something to happen- I mean,
it's still going to be a shock, no matter what happens, like for example,
every time I see a person in a panic attack,
it is always a shock,
even though I know what to expect
and I know what I am supposed to be doing; …but
if you know what to do, If you have a toolbox
of information and strategies,
if you have even basic knowledge about inclusive teaching
to reach ALL
it helps you try and stay calm
and be able to act. If you have tools, and information, and understanding, you have a good baseline.