Barbara Roberts

Major Field

Cultural and Policy Studies

Contact Information

Email: barbara.roberts@queensu.ca

 

 

Supervisor

Dr. Magda Lewis

Research Interests

• The social construction of disability
• Accommodation and accessibility for students with disabilities
• Human rights, the duty to accommodate and higher education
• Determining bona fide requirements in curricula
• Disability policy and pratice in higher education

Biography

Barbara is currently the Human Rights Officer at the University of New Brunswick. Formerly the Disability Services Advisor at Queen’s University, Barbara developed policy and accommodation plans for students with disabilities. She has a  B.A.H. (Psychology) from Queen’s University, M.Sc. in Occupational Therapy from Boston University, and is currently completing a Ph.D. in Education at Queen's.  Barbara ran PACT (Post-secondary Accessibility Consulting Team), a documentation review and mediation service for students with disabilities and their institutions across Ontario, and now has a consulting service, RobertSolutions, which provides consultation, education and mediation services regarding accommodation issues.

Recent Publications

Roberts, B. (2012) Beyond psychometric evaluation of the student—task determinants of accommodation: Why students with learning disabilities may not need to be accommodated. Canadian Journal of School Psychology 27 72-80

Invited Speaker Events

“Principles of Accommodation and Accessibility”  Half-day faculty training session for Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, Toronto, ON. June 2012.

“Disability Accommodation Planning: Combining Legislation, Theory and Curriculum” Panel presentation for University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. June 2012

“Mental Health in Academia: Barriers and Facilitators of Participation” Keynote address presented at Atlantic region conference “Student Mental Health: Partners in Accessibility”, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB. April 2012.

“Applying Theory to Practice: Practical Problems” Workshop presented at Atlantic region conference “Student Mental Health: Partners in Accessibility”, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB. April 2012.

“Accommodation vs. Accessibility: A Pro-active Approach for Faculty” Faculty training session for Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB. Jan 2012.

“Disability, Accommodation and the Law: Determining Essential Requirements – How Human Rights Cases Inform Decision Making” Full day pre-conference workshop for Canadian Association of Disability Service Providers in Post-secondary Education (CADSPPE), CACUSS national conference “Shine!”, Edmonton, AB. June 2010.

Peer Reviewed Conference Presentations

“Guiding Principles for Disability Dispute Resolution” Conference session for annual national conference of Canadian Association for the Prevention of Discrimination and Harassment in Higher Education (CAPDHHE), Toronto, ON. May 2012.

“Design for Diversity: Two Key Questions Guide Inclusion” Conference session presenting doctoral research results at annual national conference of Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (CACUSS),Toronto, ON. June 2011.

“PACT – A Pilot Project on Disability Accommodation Consulting and Mediation” Conference session at “Imagine!”, Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (CACUSS) national conference, Memorial University St. John’s , NB. June 2008.

Courses Taught

• RHBS 221, “Introduction to Disability”, Queen's School of Rehabilitation Therapy. Coordinated and taught 120 studetns and supervised Teaching Assistants. September - December 2001-2003.

Current Professional Memberships

 

• New Brunswick Association of Occupational Therapists (NBAOT) (2011-Present)
• Canadian Association for the Prevention of Discrimination and Harassment in Higher Education (CAPDHHE) (2011-Present)
• Canadian Association of Disability Service Providers in Post-secondary Education (CADSPPE) (1997-Present)
• Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) (1989-Present)
• College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO) (1995-2012)