Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at the OAA

Using results from both the OAA’s 2019 Membership Survey, as well as raw membership data and constructive and candid feedback as guides, the OAA continues to explore and act in ways to begin to address deep-rooted biases and lack of true representation in the architecture profession. Recent actions include:

• adding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) as a mandatory requirement for the 2021-2022 Continuing Education program;
  
• hosting free webinars on the topics of unconscious bias, harassment in the workplace, and addressing diversity through leadership;
  
• increasing accessibility to ConEd and special events through virtual formats;
  
• hosting virtual roundtables for OAA practices, Intern Architects, and students in Ontario’s schools of architecture;
  
• updating the OAA Website to meet Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standards and introducing live closed captioning for all webinars and virtual events;
  
• changing registration forms and standards for correspondence to remove prefixes and gender binary language;
• creating a new scholarship, Exceptional Leadership Through Design Excellence: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) and Truth & Reconciliation, to be administered at the discretion of each of the Ontario Schools of Architecture; and
  
• commissioning biennial voluntary and anonymous Demographic Surveys on membership demographics to gauge progress.

Many of these initiatives speak to the 40 recommendations made by the OAA EDI and Truth & Reconciliation Working Group and approved by OAA Council in 2021. All of these are now completed, in progress, or continuing on an ongoing basis. To see the progress on them, click here.

Cultivate Inclusivity - 2021 OAA Conference:

The OAA’s 2021 Conference focused on the theme of “Cultivate Inclusivity.” You can see the video for the session, “Inclusive Design/Exclusive Design: Creating Public Spaces for All,” below.

RESOURCES

Supporting Safe Work Places: A Guide for Members of the Ontario Association of Architects