The College of Medicine distributed an EDI Survey from May-July, 2021 in order to start gaining a clearer picture of our large, distributed College membership, and the issues specific groups might be facing. The full report and a 1 page summary can be found here. It is important to note that ~514 people responded to the survey, representing approximately 13% of the total college population. For that reason, this data is not generalizable and should be treated with caution. Having said that, some patterns emerged that are important to pay attention to, including the findings among those who identified as having a disability.

Of the total respondents, 8% identified as having a disability, and the distribution within this group regarding type of disability is as follows: 46% physical, 43% mental or psychiatric, 17% intellectual or learning, and 17% sensory. Findings indicate that those with a disability gave significantly lower scores as compared to their counterparts regarding perception of a safe environment, fairness in pay and evaluation, inclusion in informal networks, perception of achieving success as their authentic selves, and overall feeling of belonging. Residents and undergraduate students with disabilities gave some of the lowest scores in the entire survey, highlighting the need to do better regarding communicating safety to ask for accommodations, accessibility, and following inclusive practices that take into account the variety of experiences among people with a disability. An easy place to start is to be aware and communicate the services of USask Access and Equity Services for students who are experiencing barriers to their education.

Erin Prosser-Loose PhD
Senior EDI Specialist