UBC Access and Diversity Reviews

In the first month of dealing with them they lost hard copies of my personal information and never found it. During my four years of dealing with them they were consistently rude and unhelpful.

Since one in every four people have some form of disability (be it a mental illness or a physical disability), and let's say half of those could use some form of academic accommodation, then approximately 12.5% of UBC students could benefit from this service. That's over 7600 students. And yet A&D has a staff of apparently 8 people. UBC needs to change their budgeting priorities.

Sarah Knitter, the student advisor, is very helpful throughout my experience with the center. I really appreciate her understanding and going out of way to help and accomodate my special need.

Least accessible accebility center ever. I need an operation for an ongoing disability done and given a week (the moment I found out I could get the operation) they told me they can do nothing this. The problem is more with UBC and their slow movement in many areas, it begs the question for any student what do we do if there is we have emergencies. Pathetic.

This place is such a waste of time. It's a total headache to register with them in the first place (they expect documents upon documents) and then, once you are registered, you have to keep jumping through hoops to get any help whatsoever. Advisors are often rude and dismissive, and the solutions they do offer are very one-size-fits-all (and often quite ableist). Oftentimes, reaching out to them is more effort than it is worth; chances are, they'll just make you feel bad for seeking out their services in the first place by heavily implying that you're just trying to cheat the system. How compassionate!

So yeah, if you're looking for a safe space where you will be listened to without further stigmatization... this is not the place for you. Basically, this centre exists so that UBC can get clout for supporting "diversity" without actually doing anything to help the same people it ostensibly exists for. What a joke!!

Extremely understaffed. Current advisors are good and try their best to help, but the receptionist at the front are some of the least helpful, least accommodating people I have yet to meet. UBC can invest hundreds of thousands in building a tree with bricks in front of the nest, but can't spend a couple thousands revamping a very broken down system.

The lady on the phone, although not able to answer all my questions about a language exemption, was helpful. I felt like I had more of a grasp on what to do after I hung up.

I had a disability advisor named Dave Symington, and he was excellent. The only thing I don't like is that they keep checking your books before each exam!

Very unhelpful centre and rude people! It's very disappointing! The university needs to do something about this, beyond the tokenistic approach or performance to pretend that they care about people with disability! Why shouldn't this centre be directed by people with disability who can truly comprehend the students' problems! Rather than trying to assist to solve the issue, they look upon it strictly as rigid cases! No use, this might work, but for sure not properly!

Women at the counter of center for accessibility are very rude.

I want to be proud of Access and Diversity. I want to be proud to attend a University that is creating a culture of growth around issues of inclusion. I want to be proud of the projects A&D is undertaking to empower students who need help.

I am not proud.

The reality is that UBC treats A&D with disdain, as they struggle to find spaces, staff, and funds to meet the bare minimum of what many students need. During the year, accommodated exams are written either in an apparently disused Braille library or a basement room that hasn't had a thing done to it since 1970. Footsteps echo from the floor above, if you tuned the stairs you could probably play music on them, the main office is clearly undersized, and they are always overbooked by weeks if not months.

It's horribly obvious that the space they have is just space nobody else wanted. You have to walk outside Brock hall and then walk back inside to get from the main office to the exam writing space.

UBC: take pride in inclusion. A&D should be sponsoring events and technologies, helping to build UBC's brand. Instead, you relegate the wonderfully kind and hard working advisers you hired to basements and broom closets.

One of the receptionists at the front counter is super rude. She made me feel embarrassed and ashamed for going into the office to ask for help. Maybe practice what you preach and fire her UBC? Judging by the reviews on google I'm not the first to experience this from your office.