For many of us, the fact that it’s Ramadan may not even be on our radar. Ramadan is the 9thmonth in the Islamic calendar and is a month where Muslims around the world fast between sunrise and sunset. As the days get longer, consider what I might be like not to eat or drink for about 14.5 …
accommodation
Exploring Resistance – Part 3
Over the last two weeks I’ve been exploring resistance – specifically to immigration and to the accommodations we make (and/or are asked to make) for individuals who are new to Canada and who are bringing different beliefs and customs with them. If you missed them, here are Part 1 and Part 2. The …
“A girl is a girl”
The Girl Guides of Canada - one of the oldest organizations serving girls in this country - are now officially welcoming transgender girls and women to the fold. Hooray! You can read more about it in the Huffington Post article, but a few things bear special mention here. The organization has been …
A new look at a daily activity
On my run yesterday, I had to cross a busy street. This isn't unusual. But yesterday I noticed a new button at the crosswalk. It's likely not new, but it's the first time I noticed it. And I noticed it, because it beeped when I pressed it. The beep caused me to pause. If I had a visual impairment, …
Disabilities and the Workforce
Monday on CBC radio's Metro Morning, one of the topics was people with disabilities in the Canadian workforce - or rather the lack thereof (listen here). People with disabilities make up about 17% of the Canadian population, and experience higher unemployment rates (4x the national average), and …
Taking another look at Accommodation
This week Michael Bach (Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at KPMG) spoke with Matt Galloway on Metro Morning. In 7:19 minutes he covered a lot, but the thing that struck me most was in the first minute. Hats off to you Michael, for astutely pointing out that workplaces accommodate …
Faith at Work III
Sometimes at a conference, we are challenged by the people in the seats, as well as by those on the stage. The Diversity@Work conference put on by Skills for Change on November 9th was no exception. The panel discussion (When is a hat not just a hat?) was interesting; we heard from a Minister, a …
Faith @ Work II
One of the workshops I attended at the Nov. 9th Diversity@Work conference put on by Skills for Change was by Nadir Shirazi. He spoke about dedicated spaces in offices for quiet time, prayer, meditation etc. Nadir’s presentation was very interesting; he shared the challenge for companies to name …
Faith @ Work…?
Tomorrow I’m going to the day-long conference http://www.diversityatwork.org/ put on by Skills for Change. The topic is faith in the workplace – an issue that is on the radar more often these days in the world of diversity and inclusion. I’m looking forward to the panel discussion on the …
Learning in a second language
I'm in New Brunswick today! This afternoon my colleague and I will deliver Diversity and Inclusion workshops. I love to facilitate, and D&I is "my thing". What makes this experience a little different, however, is that this part of New Brunswick is very French. Which makes me wonder...do I tell …