The OAA shared the results of its first demographic survey of its membership and those on the path to licensure in Ontario.
Conducted this spring, the voluntary and anonymous survey collected race-based and other identity-relevant data to provide a baseline for measuring progress as the Association works to better address issues around equity, diversity, and inclusion in the architecture profession.
It was developed and administered by the Association in consultation with equity consultant Nicole Bernhardt and research firm Stratcom. OAA Council received the results at its June 24 meeting last week.
These results provide a benchmark for further analyses of the demographic landscape of the profession, but also assist the Council in making policy and programming decisions to support members.
Earlier this year, Council announced the People, the Profession, and the Planet as its three focuses, viewing all through the lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion. In late 2020, the OAA held equity-focused roundtables for licensed members, Intern Architects, and students as a means of learning more about the experiences of the membership—the reports from these moderated events can be read by clicking here.
In response to these roundtables, Council established the Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion | Truth & Reconciliation Working Group, which is now preparing a strategic report for Council in the fall.
As a reminder to OAA Members, Council also approved a new requirement for a minimum of one learning hour of accredited programming focusing on equity, diversity, and inclusion as part of the mandatory Continuing Education Cycle for licensed members. These sessions are available to the OAA community and will be held online throughout the year.
Since the summer of 2020, the OAA has made significant changes to the database/application process to include additional gender choices (i.e. woman, man, non-binary, or prefer not to answer), forgoing prefixes in correspondence and letters, as well as updating the OAA bylaws to include the pronoun ‘they.’