What began as a day to commemorate the establishment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is now a month-long celebration honouring the diversity and inclusion of people with disabilities, their identities, culture and contributions to society. The origins of Disability Pride Month go back almost 35 years, to when the ADA was passed in the United States in July 1990.

Along with celebration, Disability Pride Month aims to change the way people think about and define disability, with the goal of ending stigma and promoting that disability is a natural part of human diversity. The month of July – and beyond – is a time to build awareness of barriers that people with disabilities still face and continue advocating for change and equity.

Disability Pride Flag

Pictured above is the Disability Pride Flag, which was created in 2019 by Ann Magill, who has cerebral palsy. The flag and its elements represent many cross-sections and advocates for an inclusive society that ensures barrier-free accessibility for everyone.
Meaning behind the design elements:

• Black Field: Mourning for those who’ve suffered and died from ableist violence.
• Five Colours: Representing the variety of disabilities, needs and experiences, including Mental Illness, Neurodiversity, Invisible and Undiagnosed Disabilities, Physical Disabilities and Sensory Disabilities.
• Parallel Stripes: Forming solidarity within the disability community, despite differences.

The zigzags in the original 2019 design represented how disabled people must move around barriers and the creative ways in which they do so. This design element was re-worked in 2021 to reduce symptoms for individuals with visually triggered disabilities.

Virtual Disability Pride Parade

Easterseals is hosting a virtual Disability Pride Parade on Friday, July 26. You can participate on social media by using the hashtag #VirtualDisabilityParade and sharing graphic “signs” designed by Easterseals on your story or feed.

Accessibility at RRC Polytech

While the ADA is an American Act, it is an important piece of Human Rights legislation that has influenced other accessibility acts worldwide. In Manitoba, we have the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA), which became law in December 2013. The goal of the act is to identify, remove, and prevent barriers to accessibility for all.

RRC Polytech is committed to developing a culture of diversity and inclusivity for the communities we serve. We believe in equal access to education and employment, and as one of the province’s leading post-secondary institutions, we are committed to fostering an environment that is welcoming, supportive and respectful of the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities.

Student Accessibility Services plays a key role in this commitment by arranging accommodations and supports for students with disabilities. Learn more about Student Accessibility Services at rrc.ca/accessibility. The Supportive Employment Program provides workplace accommodations to ensure employees with disabilities receive appropriate support to continue working or return to productive employment as soon as medically feasible. Read RRC Polytech’s Accessibility Plan, which addresses the Province of Manitoba’s Accessibility for Manitoban’s Act.

RRC Polytech’s Anti-Racism Action Committee – Social Justice Engagement Club has put together a Social Justice Bingo activity to build awareness on anti-racism and social justice this summer.  All members of the RRC Polytech community are invited to engage in the activities on this card to learn more about anti-racist and social-justice related topics and places in our province. This is an opportunity to reflect on power, privilege, bias, and how they influence our own experiences and perceptions, and how they affect individuals and groups in our communities.  

As you engage with these activities, reflect on your experiences, take pictures, and share with the RRC Polytech community. Once you have completed the card, complete this form to be included in a draw to win a book prize. 

Summer 2024 Social Justice Bingo

You can access other Anti-Racism Resources and learn more about the Anti-Racism Working Group in this Diversity Blog Post.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact diversity@rrc.ca.

Canadian Multiculturalism Day is observed on June 27 to honour the many cultures that help build a strong and vibrant Canadian society.  In 1988, Canada became the first country in the world to recognize its multiculturalism policy in legislation by passing the Canadian Multiculturalism Act.  The Act promotes the full and equitable participation of individuals and communities of all origins in the continuing evolution and shaping of the Canadian society. Canada continues its work to promote multiculturalism and fight against racism by supporting communities and creating opportunities for conversations on multiculturalism, diversity, racism and religious discrimination.

At RRC Polytech, we recognize that diversity within our communities is one of our greatest strengths. We are committed to fostering working and learning environments that recognize and celebrate the diversity of our students and our staff. Together, we are working toward a place where we understand, embrace and uplift each other’s culture, and where all are welcomed for who they are, and for what we can build together.

All RRC Polytech employees have access to the CCDI 2024 Diversity Calendar. The calendar includes religious and cultural observances and other commemorative dates and fosters opportunities to learn about and celebrate diversity throughout the year.  We use this calendar to guide the celebrations and observances we recognize as a College community. If there is a holiday that you celebrate or observe, and would like to add to the calendar, please fill out the Celebrate Everything form.

RRC Polytech’s Anti-Racism Action Committee – Social Justice Engagement Club has put together a Social Justice Bingo activity to build awareness on anti-racism and social justice this summer.  All members of the RRC Polytech community are invited to engage in the activities on this card to learn more about anti-racist and social-justice related topics and places in our province. This is an opportunity to reflect on power, privilege, bias, and how they influence our own experiences and perceptions, and how they affect individuals and groups in our communities.  

As you engage with these activities, reflect on your experiences, take pictures, and share with the RRC Polytech community. Once you have completed the card, complete this form to be included in a draw to win a book prize. 

You can access other Anti-Racism Resources and learn more about the Anti-Racism Working Group in this Diversity Blog Post.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact diversity@rrc.ca.

RRC Polytech is honoured once again to welcome Jonathan Niemczak to speak with the community as part of our Pride Month celebrations.

Jonathan, Chair and President of the Canadian Pride Historical Society (CPHS) will provide an overview of the historical events that lead to the start of the Pride Movement in Canada and Winnipeg.

Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location:

• In person: Roundhouse Auditorium (Second Floor), Manitou a bi Bii daziigae, Exchange District Campus, Red River College Polytechnic, 319 Elgin Avenue
  • Please note that in-person capacity is limited – register now to save your spot!
  • Light refreshments will be provided for in-person attendees.
  • View the interactive map of the Exchange District Campus.
    
• Online via Zoom

About Jonathan Niemczak
Jonathan Niemczak is the Chair and President of the Canadian Pride Historical Society (CPHS), a national non-profit organization dedicated to documenting and telling the story of the history of the Pride Movement in Canada. Before founding CPHS, Jonathan was the President of the Pride Winnipeg Festival, where he served on the Board of Directors for ten years and led the organization for six. At Pride Winnipeg, he identified a significant gap in the collective knowledge about the origins of Pride in Winnipeg and Pride in other Canadian communities. This insight drove him to establish the Canadian Pride Historical Society, ensuring the preservation of Pride Movement history for future generations. Jonathan is passionate about 2SLGBT+ history and committed to fostering greater awareness and appreciation of the community’s rich heritage. His work ensures that these important stories are not lost to time, highlighting the significance of the Pride Movement in Canada’s social and cultural landscape.

At RRC Polytech strive to host inclusive events. If you require accommodation, please email diversity@rrc.ca.

RRC Polytech is committed to enacting Truth and Reconciliation and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in everything we do. A big part of this commitment is creating representative and inclusive spaces on our campuses.

To visually represent our shared commitment and dedication to fostering safer spaces where all students, staff and visitors feel they belong, RRC Polytech created a personalized Pride design.

The design is an evolution of the Progress Pride flag* that includes representation for all 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex and Asexual) community members, and includes specific Indigenous elements.

*”Progress” Pride Flag by Daniel Quasar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Consultation Process

Each design element was subject to a consultation process with RRC Polytech’s Knowledge Keepers’ Council*, Students’ Association, and Gender and Sexual Diversity working group. The College also worked with the Rainbow Resource Centre on the evolution of the design.

*McLeod, A. Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and the Métis community of Norway House in northern Manitoba. Pride Flag Consultations – Knowledge Keepers Council meetings. April – June 2022.

Elements of Design

This evolution corresponds with the adoption of the 2SLGBTQIA+ acronym, leading with “2S” as an act of reconciliation and acknowledging that Indigenous people have a history and culture that honours and is inclusive of Two Spirit Peoples.

The triangle represents the badge that LGBT prisoners were forced to wear in Nazi concentration camps. Its placement also forms a teepee, which is a shelter shape used historically by many First Nations people. The resulting arrow shows forward movement, while demonstrating progress still needs to be made.

The Medicine Wheel incorporates traditional Indigenous stories and teachings, while its purple and yellow borders honour intersex individuals. Each colour used in the design represents and holds an important meaning — from healing to sunlight, for example.

• Lavender – Diversity
• Hot pink – Sex
• Red – Life
• Orange – Healing
• Yellow – Sunlight
• Green – Nature
• Turquoise – Magic
• Indigo – Serenity
• Violet – Spirit
• Black & Brown – People of Colour
• Light Blue & Pink – Transpeople
• White – those living with HIV/AIDS

Where to Find the Design

RRC Polytech’s personalized Pride flag flies alongside the Treaty One and Red River Métis flags at the bus loop entrance of the Notre Dame Campus, as a symbol of unity, pride and inclusivity.

You can also find the design painted on walkways at our Notre Dame, Exchange District and Portage campuses, where it serves as a reminder of our shared values and the understanding that our work in making our campus community more equitable, diverse and inclusive has not finished.

For more information, including usage requests, contact diversity@rrc.ca.

At RRC Polytech we recognize that diversity within our communities is one of our greatest strengths. We are committed to fostering working and learning environments that recognize and celebrate the diversity of our students and our staff. Together, we are working toward a place where we understand, embrace and uplift each other’s culture, and where all are welcomed for who they are, and for what we can build together.

RRC Polytech’s Anti-Racism Action Committee is a working group of motivated staff dedicated to addressing anti-racism through awareness, learning, events and initiatives that spark action and meaningful, positive change. The Committee has put together this resource list to help the College community in our journey towards anti-racism, by raising awareness and taking action.

As you read these resources, it would be helpful to refer to the Canadian Centre for Diversity & Inclusion’s (CCDI) Glossary of Terms, a reference tool for inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility terminology. They define race as a social construct and anti-racism as an active effort to eliminate all forms of racism. Here are the definitions of some key terms referred to in these resources: 

• Anti-racism is a conscious choice – it’s not the absence of racism, but rather the decision to actively condemn racism and recognize the impact it has on the people around us. There is no room for racism in any of our spaces and everyone is held with the same expectation to respect all people.  
• Institutional racism is racism that is woven into policies and functions at the organizational and governmental levels – which affects people and opportunities broadly and to varying degrees. 
• Intersectionality is recognizing how the identities of an individual can affect their experiences in different ways, particularly in matters that are impacted by discrimination. 

RRC Polytech’s Anti-Racism Action Committee:

If you’d like to get involved in future efforts focused on advancing our shared commitments to Truth and Reconciliation; and, diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility within the College consider joining RRC Polytech’s Anti-Racism Action Committee. Staff and students can participate in events hosted by this working group. If you would like to make a commitment to anti-racism and participate in activities hosted by the Anti-Racism Action Committee, please fill out this anti-racism commitment form.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact diversity@rrc.ca.

June is Pride Month, in commemoration of the Stonewall Riots that took place in 1969. While Pride is a time to celebrate the contributions of the 2SLGTBQIA+ community worldwide, it’s equally an opportunity to recognize its history rooted in the gay rights movement, the progress that has been made towards greater rights, and to continue to advocate for equity and inclusion.

In 2022, RRC Polytech unveiled its new personalized Pride design, which is an evolution of the Progress Pride flag. The design, which is painted as walkways on the Notre Dame, Exchange District, and Portage La Prairie campuses, represents our shared commitment and dedication to fostering safer spaces on our campuses where all students, staff, and visitors feel that they belong.

Last June, RRC Polytech’s personalized Pride flag was raised alongside the Treaty One Nation and Red River Métis flags at the bus loop entrance of the Notre Dame Campus, as a symbol of unity, pride and inclusivity. The flags fly year-round as a daily reminder of our shared commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion and enacting Truth and Reconciliation in everything we do.

Show Your Pride!

Throughout June and beyond, there are resources to support you in learning how to best be an ally, amplify 2SLGBTQIA+ voices, and take action in creating greater inclusion in your personal and professional life.

RED Forum 2024

On Friday, May 31, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., join members of the Gender and Sexual Diversity Working Group at their Experiential Expo booth, part of RED Forum 2024. Activities will include a Match the Pride to the Flag game, DIY button making, and Pride flag giveaways. Plus test your knowledge with a quiz for a chance to win a prize!

Drop by to participate; registration is not required.

The Forecast is Calling for Rainbows: Winnipeg Pride Parade and Rally

For over a decade RRC Polytech has brought together students, staff and their friends/family members to walk alongside the College’s float in the Winnipeg Pride Parade and Rally.

On Sunday, June 2, everyone in the RRC Polytech community is invited and encouraged to bring friends, family, and pets downtown for a few hours to celebrate inclusivity and feel the love, as we show our support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Details are still be finalized and will be shared closer to the date, but a hard-working crew is once again preparing our elaborate float, tailgating festivities are being planned for prior to the event, and each registered participant will receive a complimentary RRC Polytech Pride themed t-shirt.

Canadian Pride Historical Society Talk

RRC Polytech is honoured once again to welcome Jonathan Niemczak to speak with the campus community as part of our Pride Month celebrations.

Jonathan is the Chair and CEO of the Canadian Pride Historical Society (CPHS), Past President of Pride Winnipeg, and a gender, sexuality, and relationship (GSRD) advocate with over fifteen years of community leadership experience.

• Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2024
• Time: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Location: Roundhouse Auditorium (Second Floor), Manitou a bi Bii daziigae, Exchange District Campus

Registration to come.

Resources for Beyond Pride Month

Our support for and allyship with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community doesn’t stop after Pride Month. Visit the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion on Campus Resources page for an evolving list of self-directed learning, including the Library’s Gender and Sexual Diversity Guide, to help foster understanding, allyship, and advocacy all year round.

Manitoba Access Awareness Week (MAAW) is observed annually to raise awareness about accessibility issues that affect people with disabilities in Manitoba. It is important to be aware of these issues, remove barriers and celebrate access and inclusion.

RRC Polytech is committed to continuing its work to remove barriers to education and employment, and to promote access and participation in all aspects and activities of the College. Each member of the RRC Polytech community shares the responsibility of creating an equitable and inclusive environment.

All employees can access the Accessible Customer Service Standard Training and Accessible Information and Communications Standard Training through HRIS/My Portal/My Learning, to learn about the requirements of the Accessibility for Manitobans Act and Standards and resources available at the College. 

RRC Polytech offers programs and services to help with accessibility. You can find more information on our websites:

• Accessibility at RRC Polytech Public Website
  • Student Accessibility Services 
  • Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services 
  • Inclusive Hiring and Interview Accommodations 
  • Accessible Parking
• Accessibility at RRC Polytech Internal Site (Staff Forum)
  • Supportive Employment Program 
  • Individual Emergency Plan 
  • Accessibility Training and Learning Resources for Staff
  • Accessible Information and Communication Content Creation Resources 

The Manitoba Accessibility Office will be hosting free daily webinars from May 27 to May 31 in recognition of Manitoba Access Awareness Week. We will be highlighting these webinars and other learning opportunities through Staff News posts in the coming days.

RRC Polytech is committed to fostering an environment that is welcoming, supportive and respectful of the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. We will continue to identify and implement strategies to ensure that individuals in the College community have equal opportunity to achieve their employment and educational goals.

You can let us know your questions or feedback regarding accessibility using the feedback form or by emailing diversity@rrc.ca.

Observed annually on the third Thursday of May, Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is a time for thinking about and advocating for digital access/inclusion and people with accessibility needs or disabilities.

What is digital accessibility?

Digital accessibility refers to the ability of people with disabilities or impairments to independently interact with digital content, for example, websites and mobile applications. The goal is creating a barrier-free experience through embedding accessibility as a core requirement for all technologies and digital products.

Visit the GAAD website to learn more about digital accessibility.

Manitoba Access Awareness Week

Later this month – May 26 to June 1 – marks Manitoba Access Awareness Week. To recognize this week, the Manitoba Accessibility Office will be hosting four informational webinars, including the kick-off to Manitoba Access Awareness Week (MAAW) featuring an overview of the requirements under the Accessible Information and Communication Standard Regulation.

Register for the kick-off to MAAW webinar.

Further resources:

• Learn more about the Accessibility Act for Manitobans and its five standards for making real, measurable and effective changes to accessibility.
  
• Accessibility at RRC Polytech, including the Accessibility Plan.
  
• Student Accessibility Services at RRC Polytech.

Post written by Dr Obren Amiesimaka and Justine Hawley, Gender and Sexual Diversity Group Members at RRC Polytech.

The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) is marked every May 17. Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia are probably words you’ve heard before. They refer to the “fear, dislike, or hatred of and discrimination against 2SLGBTQIA+ people”(Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion’s Glossary of Terms) because of their gender identity and/or sexual orientation.

Derogatory language, violence and various forms of discrimination, at work or in the law/education/life generally, are few examples of homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia. These acts of discrimination can be subtle, but they don’t have to be overt to negatively impact 2SLGBTQIA+ folk. Sadly, many members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Canada and around the world still face discrimination due to homophobia, transphobia and biphobia. We should not be complicit by letting these hateful actions occur without repercussions or anyone standing up.

The theme for this year’s International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia is “No One Left Behind: Equality, Freedom and Justice for All”. At RRC Polytech, we are committed to pursuing equity, diversity and inclusion in everything we do, and this is embedded in our Strategic Plan. We strive to be allies, show kindness to, and respect the dignity of everyone, no matter who they are and who they love.

Think about how you can be a 2SLGBTQIA+ ally and stand against homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia this May 17 and always.

• What is IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia)?
• Being a 2SLGBTQIA+ Ally
• Allyship is leadership
• How to be an Ally to a Bi+ Person
• What Does Trans Allyship Look Like?
• Join the Gender and Sexual Diversity Working Group at RRC Polytech
• CCDI’s Glossary of Terms
  • Homophobia: a fear, dislike, or hatred of and discrimination against 2SLGBTQIA+ people. Homophobia presents in many forms, and can be structural/systemic, interpersonal, or internalized.
  • Transphobia is the fear, dislike, or hatred of and discrimination against trans people. Transphobia exists through offensive jokes, exclusion, denial of services, employment discrimination, intentional misgendering, harassment, and violence.
  • Biphobia: Fear, dislike, or hatred of and discrimination against bisexual people. Biphobia presents through offensive jokes, exclusion, bi-erasure, harassment, and violence. Biphobia exists both within and outside of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.