���˴�Ƭ

Queen’s University has appointed Dr. Brenda Brouwer as Special Advisor (Academic Accommodations and Considerations), coinciding with the accessibility advancements underway at the university.

As Special Advisor (Academic Accommodations and Considerations), Dr. Brouwer will play an important role in clarifying critical aspects of academic accommodations processes, while also identifying sound practices and initiatives that can be implemented across the university. She will work closely with the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), the Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion), the Vice-Provost and Dean of Student Affairs, as well as students, faculty, and staff.

This appointment is in conjunction with the independent Review of Academic Accommodations and Related Procedures at Queen's, which took place during the 2023-24 academic year. The review, initiated by Queen’s, yielded 26 recommendations. In response to review Recommendation 9, the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) commissioned the Academic Accommodations Interim Working Group (AAIWG), comprised of faculty, staff, students, and senior leadership representatives, to address the most urgent challenges identified by the reviewers.

The AAIWG produced a final report in June 2025 with several recommendations, to which Dr. Brouwer will ensure the university is accountable.

“Dr. Brouwer is embarking upon an important project focused on ensuring that Queen's engages in sound practices regarding accessibility and equity,” says Matthew Evans, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic). “Her work will bolster the university's accommodation processes, attending thoughtfully to findings from the external review. This new role is a tangible step toward refining the university's current systems as part of our ongoing institutional commitment to accessibility.”

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Brouwer held numerous academic administrative positions, most recently she was seconded to Laurentian University as interim provost and vice-president academic to assist in rebuilding and restructuring the university for a sustainable and vibrant future. Before that, at Queen’s, Dr. Brouwer served as senior advisor, academic innovation (Health Sciences); dean, Smith School of Business; head, academic partnerships (on secondment to the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence); and vice-provost and dean, Graduate Studies. In all roles, academic program development, sustainability, and innovation were focal points.

“I’m excited to engage with students, staff, faculty and administrators in a collaborative effort to ensure all students have equitable access to academic activities,” says Dr. Brouwer. “Accessibility is an imperative achievable through intention, action, and unwavering commitment – it is in our collective interest to support a learning environment in which all students can fully participate in ways that demonstrate academic abilities, skills, and competencies.

”Dr. Brouwer joined Queen’s in 1990 as assistant professor in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy after completing a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto. She holds a BSc in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo and an MSc in Biomechanics from McGill University.

Accessibility Efforts Ongoing

In addition to the AAIWG, work on several initiatives recommended by the external review is underway or has been completed.

Queen's Student Accessibility Services (QSAS), the Exams Office, and the Adaptive Technology Centre continue to update materials, communications, and shared practices with the aim of streamlining and enhancing processes, for example through the harmonization of services and technologies.

The university's Accessibility Plan and its related committee structures are being updated to align with review recommendations and to meet the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the proposed post-secondary education standard. Within this framework, the Built Environment Advisory Group continues to set a high standard for facilities management and the accessible design of public spaces.

Over the coming academic year, Dr. Brouwer will maintain oversight of these and related efforts, ensuring accountability to community members with disabilities, providing status updates, and working to connect relevant university partners.

Those with questions for the email the Special Advisor.