Anti-Racism and Oppression Work

What Is CATR Doing to Prioritized EDI/ARAO Work across the Association?

CATR members and our Board remain committed to the principles of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism, and Anti-Oppression with the enduring goal of making meaningful and sustained change for all members within the Association. Drawing from a 2022 ARAO Report that included internally and externally generating recommendations, the Board ratified 16 Motions, 2 Presidential Ad Hoc Committees, and 1 Point of Consideration which now guide this commitment. A heartfelt thank you is owed to CATR’s ARAO Committee members who work diligently to help guide CATR’s ARAO work. We believe it is significant that this labour continues to be guided ‘in-house’ by many committed CATR members. The ARAO Committee is always pleased to receive input. Please reach out through the CATR Communications email, catr.communications@gmail.com, to offer ideas and/or volunteer with the Committee.

What ARAO Initiatives Has CATR Accomplished?

Since receiving the ARAO Report in February 2022, the Board, following the guidance of the ARAO Committee, has implemented a range of initiatives that we emphasize and celebrate as steps toward concrete EDI/ARAO actions:

  • Feb 2022 ARAO Final Report submitted to the Board
  • Annual Conference: normalizing accessibility practices online and in-person (including single-webpage design, visual stories of venues, sign language interpretation, access papers, visual descriptions); offering Committee on Conduct, ARAO sessions, and Longtable sessions; including an EDI statement in conference staff job postings
  • Nominations Committee: revising approaches to seeking candidates
  • Committee on Conduct: updating processes, committee composition, and contact information on the CATR website
  • Recognitions: forming of an Ad Hoc Recognitions Committee; following EDI principles when selecting committee chairs and members; revising Recognition definitions and reorganizing the Recognitions webpages
  • Communications: improving transparency on the CATR website; posting up to date By-Laws and Policies

Ongoing EDI/ARAO Implementation

CATR prioritizes communicating our EDI/ARAO initiatives to the membership and the public. Paramount to this work is generating a living (i.e. ever-modifiable) EDI/ARAO Guiding Statement with a review mechanism. Once developed, this Guiding Statement will be incorporated into all of the Association’s regulatory documents and the CATR Handbook, which guides the Association’s activities, including, but not limited to:

  • Annual Conference
  • Recognitions
  • Elections
  • Committees
  • The Code of Conduct
  • Member Outreach
  • Member Data & Information (collection, storage, usage)
  • Accessibility
  • Website Design
  • Graduate Student and Precariously Employed Support
  • Committee Labour

CATR members understand that ongoing self-reflection is essential. To this end, we consult with comparable associations about their ARAO-related work and help advocate for our shared goals while reviewing our own policies regularly.

Sincerely,

Robin C. Whittaker, President, CATR/ACRT 2022-2026