The School of Rehabilitation Therapy condemns racism and violence against Black people. We assert our commitment to building an equitable and just society where everyone is valued, and feels safe and supported as they carry out their everyday activities and interactions. We are listening to our students, faculty and staff across all of our programs. We are learning about their experiences of racism and marginalization, and the ways these experiences have affected their everyday lives. We are working to change these experiences through the ways we design and deliver our educational programs, interact with our community partners, pursue our research, and engage in service.
As part of the broader Queen’s community, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all members of our community feel welcome and supported. Across all of our programs, in our interactions with our community partners, and in our day-to-day interactions with each other, we must combat racism and prejudice wherever we find it. We must actively support all individuals in our community to ensure our School remains a place – both on-site and online – where the individuality and humanity of everyone is openly valued and celebrated. We know that this work must be ongoing so that our actions consistently challenge and confront racism and contribute to its eradication. We must hold ourselves and our institutions accountable for equity and justice. We must leverage the resources we have, such as the Human Rights and Equity office, to enable the difficult and essential conversations necessary to fight racism.
We recognize that as a School, we have a responsibility to prepare and empower our students to be culturally astute members and leaders in our fields. We must ensure that our curricula provide opportunities for self-reflection, reinforce and support cultural humility, and openly address the impact of personal and systemic injustices on everyday life. We must strengthen our capacity to be meaningful allies and agents for social justice.
We are committed to listening, learning and building opportunities to ensure that all aspects of our work are supported by anti-racist structures within our institution. We want our work and actions to contribute to eliminating racism and intolerance locally, nationally and internationally. We invite all of members of our community to join us in our commitment to changing longstanding injustices and to being allies in advancing the aspirations, well-being, and safety of our Black students, staff, faculty, and community partners.