Two TMU alumni receive Meritorious Service Decorations from the Governor General

When Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) alumni Brandon Arkinson attended a special honours ceremony to receive two medals from the Governor General in Ottawa this spring, one thing in particular stood out. 

“It's extra remarkable that Maayan and I were both there. Two TMU alumni winning these very prestigious awards in the same cohort is unheard of,” said Arkinson. “The moment was all the more profound as we both happen to have disabilities and have reached these incredible milestones.”

Arkinson, Disability Studies ’17, and Master of Business Administration ’21, received the Meritorious Service Medal for his efforts to address the issue of homelessness and support vulnerable members of the downtown Toronto community. He also received the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers for his work to save hundreds of affordable student housing units. 

Maayan Ziv, Radio and Television Arts ’12 and Master of Digital Media ’15, received the Meritorious Service Cross for founding AccessNow (external link) , a platform that uses crowdsourcing to map the location of accessible businesses and public spaces and empowers people to navigate the world independently.

Looking out for students and the surrounding community

One of Arkinson’s major achievements at TMU came just two years into his studies. Arkinson was a resident at Neill Wycik Housing Cooperative when the board of directors was overthrown and the management team resigned, leaving more than 700 affordable student housing units in jeopardy. Arkinson worked to help stabilize the organization and preserve the units, which still offer students an affordable housing option today.

Arkinson also took the initiative to find new life for the large amount of clothing left behind by students as they moved out each semester. As an undergraduate student, he founded the nonprofit organization Moving Hope (external link) , which provides clothing and other resources for people in need, people who are homeless and precariously housed in downtown Toronto. The organization works with community shelters and organizations such as Seaton House Homeless Shelter, The Native Women’s Resource Centre, Covenant House Teen Shelter and Sherbourne Health. 

Arkinson founded Moving Hope with the help of a startup grant from the Faculty of Community Services. To date, the organization and its student volunteers have delivered tens of thousands of pounds of supplies and helped thousands of individuals.

“I've always had the spark to help others, but I think that TMU allowed me to refine that interest and find my purpose to make a tangible impact,” said Arkinson. “I was given the resources and encouraged to take action to move concepts from the classroom into the real world in a way that actually gives back and has a tangible impact.”

Mapping accessibility in Toronto and beyond

An activist and entrepreneur, Ziv founded AccessNow in 2015 to create a more accessible world for people with disabilities, including herself. Ziv lives with muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. She discovered a need for quick and easy-to-access information about businesses’ levels of accessibility while trying to socialize with friends. 

As a result, she started the AccessNow mobile app as a project for her master’s program. The app uses crowdsourcing to map the location of accessible and inclusive restaurants, businesses, parks and public spaces such as washrooms and parking garages. AccessNow was further developed as a company at TMU’s Digital Media Zone and received an investment of more than $2.7 million from the federal government. The app is now being used in over 10,000 cities and towns in 107 countries, benefiting people all over the world.

Anishinaabemowin revitalization

Sociology professor Hayden King has also been awarded the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal for his pivotal role in the Ogimaa Mikana Project (external link) . A member of the Beausoleil First Nation on Gchi’mnissing in Huronia, Ont., professor King co-founded the Ogimaa Mikana Project to restore Anishinaabemowin place-names to Toronto’s streets, paths and trails through public art.

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• Delivering hope during a pandemic
• Maayan Ziv’s AccessNow receives federal funding
• Dr. Hayden King receives Governor General Meritorious Service Decoration