Disability-Specific Career Development Program Guest Speaker Series: Employee Rights and Protections

A Canvas course is linked on the right hand side, please enrol in the Canvas course for access to the zoom link.

Employment as a person with a disability comes with its own set of barriers and difficulties whether it be due to inadequate supports, minimal employer adherence to policy, or general attitudinal barriers. One of the most important steps that employees can take to pursue sustainable and fair employment is to familiarize themselves with the legal rights and protections afforded to them by both the local and federal governments.

As part of our Disability-Specific Career Development Program, the UBC Career Centre is excited to invite members of the UBC community to join Lauren Casey, Acting President of the Association of Administrative and Professional Staff of UBC (AAPS), and Joey Hansen, Executive Director of the AAPS, as they discuss the legal rights and protections of people with disabilities in the workplace, disclosure and accommodations in the workplace, self-advocacy and support, and more.

Lauren Casey: 

Lauren llaanaay Casey is a registered member of the Skidegate Band of the Haida Nation through her father, and Cree Metis via southern Alberta through her mother. While a student at UBC, Lauren faced challenges while pursuing her studies which ultimately led to her seeking support from the Centre for Accessibility (formerly Access and Diversity). With their support, and the support of medical professionals, Lauren was diagnosed and began receiving the appropriate care needed to live with disabilities.

Over the course of her career in public relations, not-for-profit service delivery and educational consulting, Lauren has had to navigate disclosure, accommodations and adversity in the workplace of several organizations. In October, Lauren will have been staff at UBC for six years. And during this time, she has worked to improve accessibility and inclusivity in many ways for students, staff and faculty. Currently, Lauren is an Educational Consultant: Anti-Racist and Indigenous Initiatives at the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT). Additionally, she holds the elected role of Acting President, Board of Directors for the Association of Administrative and Professional Staff (AAPS) at UBC. AAPS is the labour association representing almost 7,000 staff in collective bargaining and dispute resolution. A key component of this work is ensuring staff with disabilities are supported to access the necessary accommodations afforded to them by law, and advocating on their behalf if faced with adversity.

Joey Hansen: 

Joey Hansen is a seasoned negotiator, accomplished labour relations specialist, and skilled government relations professional. He has extensive senior leadership experience in the higher education sector in both Canada and the United States.

Joey returned to Vancouver to take up the role at AAPS after serving as the Director of Higher Education at the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA)Links to an external site.. There he oversaw the Higher Education Division, which represents 20,000 university and college employees including professional staff, faculty, and administrators. While with MTA, Joey spearheaded significant improvements to employee’s pension options and equalized the health care benefits for employee groups.

Joey also served as President of CUPE 2396 in British Columbia. He studied at the Florida Coastal School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Arts, Sociology and Anthropology from Simon Fraser University.

About AAPS: 

The Association of Administrative and Professional Staff of The University of British Columbia (AAPS) is the labour association for the Management and Professional Staff group at UBC.

AAPS represents over 6,000 members in collective bargaining and dispute resolution with UBC. AAPS supports members in resolving workplace issues and strives to improve their work experience at UBC. The Association also creates a connected community of members through networking and professional development opportunities.

Management and Professional Staff play critical roles in every function of the University. Their leadership and professional expertise are essential to creating a world-class institution of learning, research, engagement, and innovation.

Massachusetts Teachers Association (massteacher.org)

Interested in more events like this? Join the Disability-Specific Career Development Program’s Canvas page for information on future guest speakers and workshops: https://canvas.ubc.ca/enroll/ETXK3R