I am very happy to share that the University of Toronto Scarborough has funded a new initiative to create a Research Centre for Global Disability Studies. This new centre, CGDS for short, will serve as a vehicle to bring together faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and others conducting anti-ableist intersectional and interdisciplinary social science and humanities disability studies research from across the UofT campuses and broader community. I am lucky and humbled to be serving my colleagues across UofT as the first director for the new centre.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the Centre’s small grants for UofT researchers in October 2020, and the launch of a website for the Centre in early 2021. As CGDS grows, we plan to develop a community advisory committee, offer support for researchers, and present campus programming that furthers the goal of fostering scholarship in service of transnational disability justice.

At present, the Centre is in early stages of formation. We are lucky to have the support of the university administration in this endeavor, including the creation of a Research Centre Coordinator position to support the general operations of CGDS.

Please join me in celebrating the creation of the new centre, and in sharing the opportunity to apply for this position! While the position is remote, it will likely be necessary for the candidate to be eligible to work in Canada.

USW CASUAL POSITION 

PART-TIME CASUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY 

Research Centre Coordinator 

Centre for Global Disability Studies (CGDS) 

University of Toronto Scarborough 

The Centre for Global Disability Studies has one position available for the period October 19, 2020 to February 26, 2021. This position is governed by the Collective Agreement for the “Casual” Bargaining Unit between the Governing Council of the University of Toronto and the United Steel Workers (USW). 

Posting Date:           September 24, 2020 

Salary:               $29.44 per hour + 4% vacation on all hours worked. 

Hours of Work:       14.5 hours per week 

To be mutually agreed upon, flexibility in scheduling of hours is required in order to meet operational needs. This position is primarily remote.  

Education: University degree in an arts and humanities or social science field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.Educational background in critical disability studies, and/or other equity and social justice related academic fields an asset. 

Experience: Experience with academic research, with the administration of academic units, or with equity and social justice advocacy projects. Proficient with computer programs such as Microsoft 365 (Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel), Zoom, Adobe Acrobat, WordPress, and shared cloud-based filing systems are essential. Experience with software and standards for creating and using accessible texts and media, and knowledge of disability access practices is an asset. Must have financial experience processing expenses and reconciling accounts. Experience with content management for websites and/or social media OR experience learning new software platforms are desirable. The ideal candidate will have lived experience with disability and/or previous experience working in accessibility, but neither is strictly required.The ideal candidate will have lived experience with disability and/or previous experience working in accessibility, but neither is strictly required.  

Skill: Must have excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills. Must be a self-starter.  

Other: Knowledge of or experience with University of Toronto policy is an asset.  Must be a strong team-player and committed to quality service. Must be prepared to work remotely; no on-campus work is planned for the remainder of the 2020 calendar year.   

Please submit a covering letter and resume including references, no later than October 9, 2020 by 5:00 p.m. to Professor Cassandra Hartblay, Director, at cgds.utsc@utoronto.ca, with the phrase Research Centre Coordinator in the email subject line.  

The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.