Staff bios
Paul Brown, MA, CCRC
Diversity Advisor – Disability
Paul has a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Simon Fraser University. He is also a Certified Canadian Rehabilitation Counsellor. He was previously a vocational rehabilitation counsellor and coordinator of an employment program for persons with disabilities.
As a Diversity Advisor – Disability, he makes determinations regarding appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities or chronic medical conditions that pose barriers to their full participation in University.
Lesley Chan
Work Study Student Administrative Assistant
Lesley is a fourth year Political Science student with a minor in Asian Arts and Culture. Lesley is technically doing a 5th year at UBC because she spent last semester on an exchange to Taiwan. It was an absolutely wonderful experience and in the future Lesley hopes to pursue a future in Asian Pacific policy or in an area specializing in Asia-Canada relations. In her spare time Lesley loves to read. Lesley's all-time favorite books include Life of Pi and Battle Royale!
Alternate Format Production Assistant
Laurie co-coordinates Access & Diversity’s Crane Library Volunteer Program. She supervises 135 volunteer narrators on a daily basis as well as organizes workshops and events. Laurie loves meeting people and is always on the look-out for new volunteers. Laurie holds a BA in English Literature and a Diploma in Broadcasting from BCIT. She has also worked as a Program Coordinator at the Banff Centre, a freelance broadcaster and … as a fish (long story). In her free time, she’s on the hunt for a great story as well as trying to rack up some mileage running.
Alternate Format Production Coordinator
Work Study Equity Ambassador Student Coordinator
Michelle is a third year combined Biology and Computer Science student. She loves skating, swimming, painting and sketching during her free time as well as watching movies or animes-- Miyazaki Hayao's Laputa(Castle in the Sky) is Michelle's all-time favorite.
Diversity Advisor – Disability
Kuan works with students with disabilities or chronic medical conditions to determine what accommodations they are eligible for.
Prior to UBC, Kuan spent 12 years as a policy lawyer at the Law Society of British Columbia, working in equity and diversity policy and program development. He also endured two years in private practice, providing legal research and litigation support on a variety of issues. Over the years, he has volunteered with and served on the boards of numerous community, social justice, and arts organizations.
In his free time, he enjoys music, movies, sketch comedy, and yoga.
Sarah Knitter, MEd
Diversity Advisor – Disability
Sarah has been working with individuals with disabilities for several years. She is a certified K-12 teacher in Quebec and British Columbia. She holds an M.Ed. in Special Education from UBC. She has worked in multiple schools and post-secondary institutions teaching and advising students from diverse backgrounds.
As Diversity Advisor – Disability, she determines academic accommodations to assist students in reducing barriers to their education. She also fosters an inclusive and accessible university-wide environment through projects, workshops, and awareness education.
Sexual Assault Awareness Program Assistant
Rayka is currently in fourth year, studying Sociology and Critical Studies in Sexuality and hopes to become an educator around sex, sexuality and gender issues. She hopes to be able to work in her home country where she believes such educational initiatives are needed. Rayka recently started working with her two younger brothers to bring the White Ribbon Campaign (http://www.whiteribbon.ca/) to Istanbul. Rayka has worked with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre and several UBC Programs and clubs on campus,
Jacky Lai, BA
Alternate Format Production Assistant
Jacky works with the Alternate Format Production Coordinator in recruiting, selecting and training of Volunteer Production Assistants who narrate materials. Jacky is also involved with the production of Alternate Format materials. Jacky is a recent graduate of UBC with a BA in Linguistics and also brings with him experience as a Public Services Library Assistant from the David Lam Management Research Library and as a Student Assistant from the Walter C. Koerner Library. Jacky has studied a few languages during his time as an undergrad: Mandarin, Japanese, Sanskrit, and Kwak’wala.
Lawron Leung, BA
Exam Coordinator
Lawron volunteered as a peer tutor for students with learning disabilities and was a visiting teacher at West Point Grey Academy. He received recognition from the Vancouver Secondary Teachers' Association for his contributions. His six dream Jeopardy categories are: World Geography, Statistics, Modern Africa, Foreign Languages, Excel Functions, and Sarah Brightman.
Cindy Lynn
Workstudy Senior Peer Assistant - Tutoring Program
Janice McGill, BA
Student Assistant Coordinator – Disability Services
Janice manages the Student Assistant Program for students with disabilities. Her role involves hiring and training notetakers, library assistants, scribes, mobility assistants, and exam assistants. She also works with the Diversity Advisors – Disability on special projects such as evaluating programs and services, and securing government funding through the Assitance Program for Students with Permanent Disabilities.
Janice has a degree in Psychology from the University of Western, an MA in Child Assessment and Counselling from the University of Toronto, and a Graduate Diploma in Child Studies.
Outside of work, Janice enjoys watching her son's hockey and soccer games, as well as photography, scrapbooking, hiking, and travel.
Janet Mee
Director
As the Director of Access and Diversity, Janet is a member of the Student Development and Services management team and is responsible for the overall management of Access & Diversity. She works closely with the Access and Diversity team and members of the University community to foster a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible environment for all students. Janet has worked in the post-secondary environment promoting human rights, disability rights, and social justice for 19 years and is actively involved professionally and personally in her communities as a volunteer. At present she serves as the Organizational Relations Director for the Board of the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (CACUSS) and served on the Region 5 Advisory Board for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) from 2005 to 2009.
Janet is an avid gardener, loves to cook and always has a DIY construction project on the go.
Dickson Ng
Program Coordinator - Student Services
Dickson works to manage and implement approved academic accommodations for students with disabilities. As Program Coordinator for Access & Diversity, he works with the Office Manager, Director, Advisors and other staff to plan, coordinate and lead unit programs and projects.
Dickson completed his BA in Sociology at UBC. During his free time Dickson enjoys playing sports and snowboarding.
Hana Prochazkova
Alternate Format Production Assistant
Hana coordinates the schedule of the Crane Library volunteers and guides them in the production of instructional materials in alternate formats. She is a qualified Library Technician, ESL instructor, and an alumna of the University of Toronto. Hana has studied several languages, including French, German, Spanish, Czech, Latin and Braille.
In her spare time, Hana volunteers as a cataloguer at the Pitt Meadows Museum and Archives. She also enjoys kayaking, cycling, travelling and spoiling her adorable pets.
Stephen Read
Alternate Format Collections Coordinator
Stephen has a Library and Information Technicians diploma from Langara College and is working toward his developer certification in the Filemaker database program.
He has worked at Access & Diversity for just over a year and splits his work time between interacting with students requesting texts in alternate format and developing the Crane Library alternate format collection so that it serves the ever-changing needs of the students using it.
Stephen is an avid reader and lover of music, and he'd like to start playing his guitar again soon.
Work Study Women Students Program Assistant
Nicole is a fourth year transfer student studying Political Science and Philosophy, with a background in Fashion Design and Illustration. Nicole is interested in discovering new and creative means to promoting Social Justice particularly in relation to learning-disabilities, epilepsy, and women’s mobility in diplomacy and IR. Her previous work at UBC has been with the International Relations Students Association, the External Model United Nations Team and UBC Fashion Show. When off the UBC’s grounds, you can find Nicole painting, grabbing a tea with friends, and practicing yoga.
Diversity Advisor – Women
As the Diversity Advisor – Women, CJ uses an intersectional approach to ensure that all women students have positive experiences at UBC.
CJ has worked and volunteered with national equality-seeking organizations conducting research, developing policy, and lobbying on such issues as same-sex marriage, transgender and transsexual human rights, women's access to Internet communication technologies (ICTs), and violence against women.
CJ has a MA in Legal Studies from Carleton University and is currently working on her PhD in Education from UBC. She has published numerous articles on violence against women and ICTs. In her spare time, she's outside rock climbing, hiking, and playing with her dog.
Ruth Warick, PhD, MA, MEd
Senior Diversity Advisor – Disability
Ruth coordinates the work of disability advising and acts for the Director in her absence. Ruth also coordinates the Strategic Content Tutoring Program and the provision of interpreting and captioning services. She works directly with students, determining their disability-related accommodations and facilitating their provision. Within an intersectional framework, she is involved in diversity projects to promote an accessible and inclusive campus. Ruth has been at UBC since 1991.
Besides her experience in the media and government, she has community experience, notably around disability and women's issues. Her doctorate research focused on higher education and disability issues. She is President of the International Federation of Hard of Hearing Persons and Treasurer of the International Disability Alliance.
Benjamin Weymouth
Administrative Assistant
As open-minded front-line staff, Ben endeavours to correctly direct any inquiry regarding the programs, policies, and procedures of Access & Diversity. He works closely with the rest of the team to ensure that students receive quality and timely service, including exam accommodations and appointment bookings, that the office provides.
Ben earned an HBA in International Relations and Middle Eastern Civilization from the University of Toronto. He has researched and authored numerous papers on topics like international conflict prevention, human rights, and conflict in the Middle East.
Outside of the office, he is an active member of the music community in Vancouver. He loves animals of all kinds, especially dogs.
Anna White
CampOUT Director
Anna White is the Camp Director for CampOUT, an empowering camping experience for BC’s queer and trans youth and their friends. Anna comes from a background in mental health work, fine arts and dance, program development, social justice work, and years of camping experience. Anna is committed to creating inspiring and welcoming spaces for community building, personal growth, and skill development.
When she’s not organizing CampOUT, Anna may be found hiking with her friends and gigantic dog, gardening up a storm, or dancing salsa rueda.
