Tuesday, January 20, 2026

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• Celebrating one year of the Disability Affinity Program
• Reminder: nominations open for senior leadership committees
• New community resources and microgrants: supporting collective care and belonging
• Map the System matchmaking event today and other notes

Celebrating one year of the Disability Affinity Program

A message from the Office of the Associate Provost, Campus Support and Accessibility.

Launched in January 2025, the Disability Affinity Program is proud to celebrate one year of fostering community and advancing accessibility and disability inclusion across our campuses. The Disability Affinity Program provides a dedicated space for University of Waterloo students, staff, and faculty to connect for peer support, collaboration, and shared learning. It is composed of three networks:

• the Student Disability Community Network,
• the Employee Disability Community Network, and
• the Accessibility Ally Network. 

Over the past year, more than 500 participants across the three networks engaged in informative presentations and open discussions on topics such as:

• accessibility in the Sustainable Transportation Plan,
• digital accessibility fundamentals,
• supporting others while supporting yourself with Be You!, and
• embedding accessibility into staff programming during uncertain times.

The Disability Affinity Program creates opportunities for meaningful conversations about accessibility in campus programming and initiatives, helping advance an empowered and engaged community aligned with the Waterloo at 100 vision.

Based on feedback from our December program evaluation, we are refining the program to meet our communities’ evolving needs. We look forward to continuing these important conversations and strengthening a culture of disability inclusion at the University of Waterloo.

As one member describes,

“You build community and belonging for disabled students and [employees]. Disability and chronic illness can be isolating, and it can be hard to connect with others who share similar challenges. You're making a difference to a lot of people!”

Learn more about upcoming meeting and join our mailing list or MS Teams for virtual meeting links at Disability Affinity Program. Connect with the Campus Accessibility Team at aoda@uwaterloo.ca with any questions.

Reminder: nominations open for senior leadership committees

There’s still time to submit a nomination for membership in the Vice-President, Academic and Provost (VPAP) nominating committee and the Vice-President, Research and International (VPRI) nominating committee.

Seats open for nomination 

VPAP Committee: 

• Senator of professorial rank from each faculty 
• Two regular faculty members (faculty-at-large) 
• Two staff members (regular staff) 

VPRI Committee: 

• Senator of professorial rank from each faculty 
• One regular staff member from the Office of Research 

Committee timelines 

Both committees will commence their work by spring 2026 and continue for approximately nine to twelve months.   

Nomination details 

The deadline for nominations is Friday, January 23 at 4:00 p.m. Nominations for each committee must be supported by at least three nominators. Click below to access the self-nomination form: 

• Vice-President, Academic and Provost 
• Vice-President, Research and International 

For questions about nominations and elections, please email vps.search.elections@uwaterloo.ca.

Elections will take place during the last week of January 2026.  

Questions 

Direct inquiries in confidence to Andrea Kelman, Executive Director, Office of the President at akkelman@uwaterloo.ca, and refer to the VPAP and VPRI nominating committees website for updates on the search process. 

While members of the community may stand for election to both committees, note that each represents a significant workload over a period of 9 to 12 months. If elected to both committees, members will be expected to participate fully in both committees. 

New community resources and microgrants: supporting collective care and belonging

“Equity work is not charity. It is justice,” says Dr. Christopher Stuart Taylor, Associate Vice-President, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism. “And justice requires courage, persistence, and community.” 

Equity, inclusion, and anti-racism are not abstract commitments. They are built through everyday actions, relationships, and choices, often led quietly by members of our community who are doing the work because it needs to be done.

As Dr. Christopher Stuart Taylor shared in his recent message to campus, this work is collective. It does not belong to one office, one role, or one group. It belongs to all of us.

In that spirit, the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (EDI-R) is sharing two new supports for community-led work across campus and in the broader Waterloo community: Community Resources and Community Microgrants. Both initiatives reflect a belief in the care, leadership, and knowledge that already exist within our communities, and a commitment to supporting that work in practical ways.

Community resources

The Community Resources page brings together supports that communities often ask for when they are organizing, gathering, or responding to collective needs. This includes access to space, equipment, promotion, and other forms of practical support offered.

These resources are intended to reduce barriers to community building. They recognize that community-led work is already happening, often without adequate resourcing. Institutional support should make that work easier.

Whether you are hosting a small gathering, sharing a story, or building connections, these resources are here to support you.

Learn more about Community Resources.

Community microgrants

This winter term, EDI-R is launching Community Microgrants, a one-year pilot offering modest funding to support community-led initiatives.

Microgrants of up to $1,500 per project, with $5,000 available per term, are available to support projects that foster connection, belonging, care, and equity. These may include gatherings, creative projects, dialogue spaces, cultural celebrations, or other initiatives shaped by community needs and lived experiences.

The intention is simple. To place trust and resources directly with community members, recognizing that meaningful change often begins small, local, and relational.

Learn more about Community Microgrants.

Why this matters

Our collective work matters because the impacts of inequity are real, and so is our responsibility to respond. Supporting community-led work is one way we live that responsibility through sustained care, shared effort, and trust in one another.

We invite you to explore these resources, share them with your communities, and consider how they might support the work you are already doing, or the work you have been waiting to begin.

Map the System matchmaking event today and other notes

“For the eighth year, the Kindred Union Centre for Peace Advancement is hosting the global competition Map the System at the University of Waterloo!” says a note from the Kindred Union Centre for Peace Advancement. “Map the System is open to students of all levels and disciplines. This year we have 6 courses and 10 community partners on board. Student teams of up to 5 can choose their own topic or find a topic or teammates at the matching event on January 20 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Community Education Room at Conrad Grebel University College. Registration via Map the System Canada closes on January 31. Please note that students can change their team or topic after registration if needed."

Get a clue: the Key Clues Challenge is back! "The Key Clues Challenge is a puzzle hunt for the University of Waterloo community, which includes students, alumni, faculty, staff, and postdocs, as well as those at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics," says an announcement from the Faculty of Mathematics. "It is run by members of the University of Waterloo community, and is supported by the Faculty of Mathematics. Despite this, none of the puzzles will require any specialized mathematics knowledge to solve."

 With a few days left for registration, there are already a record number of teams signed up. Are you up for the challenge? 

The 53^rd Hagey Funspiel will take place on Saturday, February 21 at the Ayr Curling Club, and registration is now open.

"As is tradition for this event, skill or knowledge of curling is not required, only the ability to have fun!" says a note from organizers. "Those that would like a lesson will have that opportunity before their first game."

The event features two 6-end games with two draws:

• The first draw starts at 9:00 a.m.
• Second draw at 11:00 a.m.

The event is open to: faculty, staff, retirees, alumni, students, suppliers and guests. Along with the two curling games, your registration includes a sit-down luncheon, snacks and prizes.

• Brooms, sticks, crutches, sliders, grippers are supplied.
• Dress warmly and wear soft-soled running shoes.
• Curling lessons: early draw at 8:30 a.m. and late draw at 10:30 a.m.

For more information, reach out to Jim Howard at jim.howard@uwaterloo.ca or Ben Miller at b7miller@uwaterloo.ca.