Steve Cutway Accessibility Award
Established in 2008, The Steve Cutway Accessibility Award formally recognizes the outstanding contributions of faculty, staff and students towards advancing accessibility for persons with disabilities at Queen's University.
The Queen's Accessibility Committee in partnership with Accessibility Queen's named the Award in honour of Steve Cutway, a long-serving employee of Queen’s University. Over a span of nearly 36 years, Steve gave generously of his time and commitment in advancing accessibility for students and employees with disabilities.
The Award serves to acknowledge the efforts of faculty, staff and students who demonstrate creativity, enthusiasm, innovation and commitment to creating a learning and work environment in which persons with disabilities enjoy full participation.
Examples of efforts in advancing accessibility include:
- developing and delivering interesting and effective awareness training about disability and accessibility issues
- demonstrating flexibility, respectfulness and creativity in responding to requests for accommodations in the classroom or in the workplace
- conveying a welcoming and inclusive attitude towards students and employees with disabilities in one's department
- utilizing elements of universal instructional design in one's curriculum that at the same time enhance accessibility
- paying particular attention to accessibility when planning projects or events at the University
The Principal presents the award during Accessibility Awareness Week, held in March every year.
Nominations
Any member of the Queen’s community including students, staff, faculty or alumni as well as members of the general Kingston community who have an interest in Queen’s University may submit nominations.
The deadline for nominations is Thursday, Mar. 31, 2011
The Steve Cutway Accessibility Award
The award consists of two metal spindles, both spiralling upwards, out of a square, singular piece of cherry wood. One of the spindles represents a person or persons with disabilities and the other represents the individual or department at Queen’s who is advancing accessibility.
In the lower part of the piece, several rivets pierce the spindles. These rivets represent barriers or obstacles to participation. Below the rivets, the spindles are separated from each other in comparison to the upper portion of the piece. This symbolizes the distance and separateness that exists between people when barriers exist. It illustrates the lack of interchange of ideas, information and other types of sharing that make a community a community.
As the spindles spiral upward pass the rivets, the distance narrows between them and they start to intertwine. Barriers fall away, accessibility is improving and people are coming closer together. Sharing is easier with the divide gone. As the spindles continue upwards, they get closer and closer together. This resembles some of the fundamental relationships upon which a community is founded and strives – friendships, colleagueship and partnerships. Only with accessibility, can these relationships develop and proceed successfully.
At no point in time do the spindles ever touch. This represents interdependence and effectively refutes the myth that to have a disability is to be dependent. For all members of this community, interdependence is an important feature of our daily lives. People who have yet to acquire a disability are no different in this regard from persons with disabilities. Interdependence is critical to our success both professionally and personally.
Finally, the spindles reach the top, each of the same height. This resembles that persons with disabilities and other members of our community are equal partners in this process of advancing accessibility. This refutes the myth that persons who advance accessibility are “helping” those people with disabilities. Instead, we are partners. Contributions by everyone is critical if we are to realize a truly accessible community, a truly accessible Queen’s University.
Artist: Stefan Deurst, Deurst Custom Metal Works, Kingston, Ontario
The Steve Cutway Accessibility Award - 2011
The Steve Cutway Accessibility Award was awarded to Julie Harmgardt, Chair of Queen's InvisAbilities, Leela Viswanathan, Assistant Professor in Urban and Regional Planning and Jeanette Parsons, Director, Office of the AVP and Dean of Graduate Studies.
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(Left to right) Jeanette Parsons, Steve Cutway,Julie Harmgardt
and Leela Viswanathan at the Steve Cutway Accessibility
Award ceremony at the Robert Sutherland Room in the JDUC
on April 5
Julie, recognizing void in the realm of disability, founded and continues to Chair Queen’s InvisAbilities, a club she started in 2009 that focuses on breaking down the barriers of misconceptions and stereotypes around hidden or non-visible disabilities.
Leela was nominated by several of her students. It is apparent that her efforts at creating an accessible learning environment has not gone unnoticed. One student writes, “Leela show genuine and sincere interest in not just the academic well-being of her students, but also their mental state. A simple, “Tell me how you are doing today”, and meaning it, can go a long way in relieving students with disabilities anxieties and feelings of isolation in their academic communities.”
Jeannette is passionate about accessibility and had a stellar track record in advancing accessibility concerns at Queen’s as the past Accessibility Coordinator. Although Jeanette has left this role she continues to be a passionate advocate for accessibility on campus, and in broader society, and continues to be involved with disability research at Queen’s. Jeannette’s subsequent commitment to the field even after she has moved on to another position at Queen’s shows that she was not only a competent professional but someone who cares deeply about this subject on a personal level.
The Steve Cutway Accessibility Award - 2010
The Steve Cutway Accessibiltiy Award was awarded to Michele Chittenden, Coordinator, Adaptive Technology Centre and Library Services for Students with Disabilities and Helen Connop, Manager of Education and Equitiy Services, Faculty of Law.
Helen Connop, Steve Cutway, Michele Chittenden
Michele has served as Coordinator of Library Services for Students with Disabilities and the Adaptive Technology Centre for over 16 years. She is a tireless advocate and spokesperson for providing better servces to students with disabilities, especially students with print disabilities. She goes to great lengths in tracking down and getting to materials in alternate formats, coordinating individuals and units towards this end.
Helen provides critically important support to individual students and is an invaluable and trusted resource for members of faculty seeking guidance on a broad range of disability and equity-related matters. The Faculty's Equity Program has flourished under Helen's leadership and she manages this with professionalism, good judgement, integrity and warmth. Faculty, staff and students genuinely enjoy working with her and many students over the years have candidly remarked that they would not have been able to finish law school without Helen's support.
The Steve Cutway Accessibility Award - 2009
The Steve Cutway Accessibility Award was awarded to Christine Fader, a Career Counsellor in Career Services.
Principal Williams, Christine Fader
Christine was nominated for the valuable role she plays in supporting Queen's students with disabilities as they progress through their university education and prepare for transitioning to the labour market. Principal Williams spoke about initiatives that Christine has been involved in over the years, in particular Employability Day. This annual event brings together students with disabilities and employers from across the province to discuss and hopefully overcome some of the common misperceptions that persons with disabilities and employers often have about each other.
The Steve Cutway Accessibility Award - 2008
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Dr. Andrew Pipe, Member of the Board of Trustees (and a former Queen's classmate of Steve's) presented Mr. Cutway with the newly-established Steve Cutway Accessibility Award on June 10, 2008.
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Principal Tom Williams congratulates Mr. Cutway on his award.
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