March 10, 2023

Amrita Daniere, Vice Principal Academic and Dean at the University of Toronto Mississauga
University of Toronto Mississauga
Registrar's Office (UTM)
Accessibility Services (UTM)

Carla DeMarco, Academic Communications & Outreach Manager Dean

Ciaran Graham, Director of Strategic Initiatives
Kathi Wilson, Vice-Dean Faculty

Subject: Allow Students Who Have Physical Disabilities the Option to Receive Recorded
Lectures

Dear Amrita Daniere, Vice Principal Academic and Dean at the University of Toronto
Mississauga (UTM)

I am writing to the Vice Principal Academic and Dean at the University of Toronto Mississauga,
Amrita Daniere, to implement a policy that will allow students who have physical disabilities to
have the option to receive recorded lectures as a part of academic accommodations.
My name is BLANK, and I am a second-year student at the University of Toronto Mississauga. I
was diagnosed with lupus, a physical disability, back in 2020. This physical disability, like many
others, takes a toll on the body, ultimately making it harder to do normal things everyone else
can do. For example, sometimes in my case, attending class can seem impossible at times due to
the excruciating body pain caused by my physical disability. Due to missing some lectures, I
have missed some important information regarding tests, exams, and assignments. I think many
students who have physical disabilities have found themselves in similar situations, which is the
reason I am writing this letter to you.
At the University of Toronto Mississauga, professors can decide what will be released to
students regarding the course material. This can include slides, readings, course-related videos,
and so on. Most professors at the university, however, do not post recorded lectures. This is
because the course delivery mode is in person, and posting recorded lectures would ultimately
defeat the purpose of having students attend their lectures. Although this is why some professors
have chosen not to record lectures, I think that, regardless of whether the delivery mode is in
person, lectures should be recorded for students with physical disabilities. Students with physical
disabilities face many challenges in their everyday life, and due to some of these challenges, it
might be hard for some students to attend lectures. Since some students cannot attend lectures,
they sometimes miss important information. This is because the notes given through AIMS or
the slides that the professor releases to the students only sometimes have all the important points
the professor discusses during the lecture. This can have a negative effect on students because
they are missing crucial information due to their disability which they cannot control. Some
professors at the university choose not to have slides, and this is a problem for students with
physical disabilities as well because some physical disabilities do not allow students to take notes
very quickly. Thus, they end up missing a lot of important information that the professor is
saying. In addition, when a professor does not have slides and a student misses a lecture due to
their physical disability, they fall behind because they do not know what information to return to.
This is because they have nothing to look back on to point them in the right direction when
studying.
As the Vice Principal Academic and Dean at the University of Toronto Mississauga, you are
responsible for developing and administrating academic policies. Since this is one of your main
priorities at the university, you, as the dean, should look into fixing and adding new policies
regarding accessibility and accommodations for students. You should be doing this because it is
an important part of your job, and you have the authority to make policy changes regarding
accessibility. You are also responsible for the general oversight of delivery and assessing
academic objectives at UTM. This includes teaching & learning support. Since you are also
responsible for teaching & learning support, you must recognize that you are the voice for all
students with disabilities at UTM. Thus, you must make fair policies regarding student learning
support because it is your job to do so.
As a solution, professors should be required to post the recorded lectures to AIMS. Just like the
peer notes are submitted through that website, the recorded lectures should also be made
available to students with access to the website. I think that the University of Toronto
Mississauga should also put in place a policy concerning accommodations and ultimately add
recorded lectures as an accommodation; then, students with physical disabilities can access it to
help them succeed in their courses.
This letter will be addressed to Armita Daniere, Vice Principal Academic and Dean at the
University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). Armita Daniere has the most authority on campus to
make a decision regarding students with physical disabilities and the accommodations they can
receive for learning. She and her office are responsible for the overall development and
administration of academic policies. This means she has the power and influence to make this
decision and add new policies related to student accessibility. Daniere has the highest rank at the
university, with the most influence on making policies. The policies she and her office make
impact UTM and affect all the students. Thus, she must recognize that this is an issue that many
students at UTM who have physical disabilities face. Therefore, it is her responsibility to find a
way to help students who are at a disadvantage. As the Vice Principal Academic and Dean, she
is also responsible for overseeing student-related services. This means that she oversees UTM’s
accessibility services. Thus, her job is to ensure fair accommodation for students with physical
disabilities. Ultimately, Amrita Daniere has the final say regarding this matter. If she sees fit, she
can implement a new policy regarding the students who physical disabilities and the option to
receive recorded lectures as a part of academic accommodations at UTM.