Professional and Personal Profile
As
the President of EMPOWWORD Inc., a mediation and training &
development firm, Sandi Bell offers a comprehensive range of
“people-focused” expertise. She has extensive background dealing
with interpersonal and organizational conflict, human rights, anti-racism
and anti-oppression, accessibility & inclusion, child welfare, education,
youth matters, wide range of disability issues and
equity/diversity/access/inclusion.
Sandi has offered learning sessions around sensitivity to and knowledge of racial, cultural, linguistic, religious, accessibility and inclusion matters for over 30 years. EMPOWWORD Inc. develops all learning workshops based on the specific needs of the client and participants. Since the introduction of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) and Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Sandi and her team (many of who are also people with disabilities) has provided comprehensive material and hands-on training for various municipalities as well as other corporations and agencies. The learning workshops were so well received at one regional municipality, that staff asked that it become mandatory training for every staff member. EMPOWWORD Inc. is currently training all 2500 members of staff for that municipality.
Sandi's special training and mediation style has not gone unnoticed by a broad range of members of our community, including Aboriginal & First Nation people, youth, people with disabilities, and people from a different racial/ethnic/cultural and religious communities. They regularly seek her out based on her reputation for knowledge of and sensitivity to Canada's diverse communities and the challenges they face. Further, Sandi assists companies to implement and monitor their effectiveness, including equity, diversity and accommodation requirements in the workplace.
In addition to private mediation contracts in various parts of Ontario and Canada within the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, Sandi mediates conflicts referred to her by the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Programme, as a roster mediator in both Toronto and Ottawa. She has been a coach with the Windsor Law School Mediation Program, offered by Stitt Feld Handy Group for several years. Numerous educational facilities, including Osgoode Hall Law School have engaged Sandi to develop material, join their staff or compliment existing programs as a guest lecturer.
The education sector also benefits from her talents, as a mediator, facilitator and trainer, through the learning material Sandi develops and presents to college and university students, elementary and secondary school students, teachers and administrators. The Toronto District School Board calls upon Sandi to mediate volatile disputes. Another key component of EMPOWWORD's contracts is conducting educational sessions on a wide range of topics that contribute to healthy development of children, youth and adult students. Sandi taught one of the Business Programs at Mohawk College and Community Development at Ryerson University’s Disability Studies Faculty. Sandi and the EMPOWWORD team also specialize in provision of diversity sensitive strategic planning and training sessions.
She also served the education community as an appointed member of Ontario’s College of Teachers, where she was on numerous committees including: the Executive Committee, By-Law Review Committee; Code of Conduct Committee; Ethics Committee; Human Resources Committee; and, was Chair, of the Pre-Service Committee.
Supplementing this sound base is Sandi's exposure to the Canada of today and tomorrow, while serving as a Member of the Appeal Division of the Immigration & Refugee Board. She presided over quasi-judicial hearings in a court of competent jurisdiction, and rendered decision on immigration matters with a firm commitment to fairness and social justice.
Her 12 years experience as a school trustee in Hamilton, included spearheading initiatives targeted at addressing the myriad of unmet needs of children from all sectors of the community, as well as numerous geared at the needs of underprivileged, visible minority and students with disabilities.
Sandi self-identifies as an African-Canadian/Aboriginal-First Nations woman with a disability. Throughout her adult life, Sandi has been a sought after teacher, mentor and motivational speaker, locally, nationally and internationally.
Please click here to read about Ms. Bell’s specific areas of expertise: