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Forty years after the\u00a0enactment of Canada\u2019s first children\u2019s special education laws<\/a>, universities and colleges have made significant strides in accessible education for adult students with disabilities.<\/p>\n But positive change is not coming fast enough. And accessibility issues are not about some small minority of students.\u00a0Twenty-two per cent of Canadians<\/a>\u00a0aged 15 years or older have at least one disability. This percentage is roughly echoed in higher education.<\/p>\n Many important practical approaches that galvanize post-secondary institutions\u2019 pro-inclusion policies are carried out\u00a0by disability counsellors<\/a>\u00a0(sometimes referred to as accessibility consultants) attached to student wellness units.<\/p>\n As Tina Doyle, Director\u00a0of AccessAbility Services<\/a>\u00a0at University of Toronto, shared with me in an interview, the pandemic revealed there is still much work to be done to make education accessible and welcoming to persons with a disability. Researchers who\u00a0have documented experiences of<\/a>\u00a0students with disabilities in the pandemic have made similar observations.<\/p>\n Since 1986, the\u00a0National Educational Association of Disabled Students<\/a>\u00a0(NEADS) has been mandated to support education and employment for post-secondary students and graduates with disabilities.<\/p>\n NEADS has launched projects, resources, research, publications and partnerships and created scholarships.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, many readers including students with disabilities and parents or supporters may be unfamiliar with how universities and\u00a0colleges are currently supporting<\/a>\u00a0their students with disabilities.<\/p>\n Administrators at most institutions have introduced significant policies and requirements for employee training. They have undertaken new practices in a range of student support services embedded in campus life.<\/p>\n These include audits and reports often by human rights units, and regular facilities reviews as historic campus buildings are increasingly being\u00a0retrofitted to conform to accessibility standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n Similarly, innovative teaching and learning centre staff typically promote practical approaches among the teaching faculty, while librarians and others focus on important learning resource accessibility and supportive technologies.<\/p>\nSupport for students with disabilities<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Employee training<\/strong><\/h4>\n