Exclusive: Students told openDemocracy of receiving unfair charges for adapted rooms or for carers’ accommodation Francesca Hughes
Originally posted 9 November 2022

Students with disabilities say they are being illegally charged extra for necessary adaptations to their accommodation or allocated unsuitable rooms miles from campuses, openDemocracy can reveal.

Students told of the “stress and exhaustion” they have suffered as a result of universities’ failures to provide accommodation that is suitable for their needs at no extra cost.

openDemocracy spoke to a deaf student who says she was asked to pay for a specialist fire alarm, a wheelchair user who claims they were offered unsuitable accommodation more than two miles from campus, and a student who was initially charged extra for a room for an essential personal assistant.

Universities ‘Illegally Hitting Disabled Students with Extra Housing Costs’ full article

Published: January 9, 2023
Author: Philip Burge
Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Queen’s University, Ontario

Forty years after the enactment of Canada’s first children’s special education laws, universities and colleges have made significant strides in accessible education for adult students with disabilities.

But positive change is not coming fast enough. And accessibility issues are not about some small minority of students. Twenty-two per cent of Canadians aged 15 years or older have at least one disability. This percentage is roughly echoed in higher education.

Many important practical approaches that galvanize post-secondary institutions’ pro-inclusion policies are carried out by disability counsellors (sometimes referred to as accessibility consultants) attached to student wellness units.

How to Make Post-Secondary Study More Accessible: Collaboration Between Instructors and Disability Counsellors full article

by Jacqueline Derobertis, The Advocate/TNS | December 12, 2022

BATON ROUGE, La. – Before she was arrested for sending a secret recording device into a Livingston Parish high school in an attempt to protect her daughter with special needs, Amanda Carter’s family tried to get cameras installed in their child’s classroom, her husband said.

It’s part of a larger conversation in Louisiana about how to use classroom cameras to help parents safeguard children who can’t speak for themselves, while still respecting the privacy rights of teachers and other students.

Mom Faces Felony For Recording Daughter’s Self-Contained Classroom full article

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Cassandra Hartblay recalls a time in graduate school when a senior scholar in her field wasn’t able to give feedback on a research presentation she gave at an academic conference.

The scholar, it turned out, missed the session because a requested accommodation wasn’t available.

Not being able to receive feedback from a prominent scholar in her field was a stark reminder for Hartblay that failing to meet even basic standards of accessibility can interrupt teaching and learning on many levels.

“It was true for me as a disabilities studies researcher, but it may be true for someone working in a science lab that also isn’t accessible,” said Hartblay, an assistant professor and director of the Centre for Global Disability Studies at U of T Scarborough.

Experts on Accessibility, Ableism and Inclusion Across Canada Gather for Second National Dialogues and Action Reports and Proceedings full article

Published: November 14, 2022
Author, A. Kim Clark
Professor of Anthropology & Assistant Dean (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Decolonization), Faculty of Social Science, Western University

Although many university students are eager for in-person elements of the university experience they missed early in the pandemic, what might we overlook in the rush to “return to normal”?

The pandemic forced universities to re-evaluate their delivery of classes, extending remote teaching practices and building in flexibility to manage an unpredictable situation.

After over two years of innovation, if the main lesson universities take away from the on-going pandemic is that students miss being on campus, we risk squandering new skills and insights of broad value.

How Accessibility for Disabled University Students Can Benefit All Students full article

This year, we are proud to announce the recipient of the 2022 Scholarship for Canadian Students with Disabilities, Jazye Monieas. Jazye is a high school senior from Winnipeg, Manitoba, pursuing post-secondary education in kinesiology to further her educational journey and ultimately learn how to assist others in overcoming their injuries or impairments so that they can live better and fuller lives.

Read more at
https://disabilitycreditcanada.com/announcing-the-2022-winner-of-the-dcci-scholarship-for-canadian-students-with-disabilities/

Qualitative research highlights experiences with technology, learning progress, and social-emotional effects of the pandemic

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 23, 2022)-The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) today announced the release of the third Access and Engagement research report, which examines the continued negative impact of systemic and COVID-19-specific issues on the education of students who are blind or have low vision. The report is based on focus groups and short surveys with families of these students and the professionals who serve them as the 2020-2021 school year concluded.

American Foundation for the Blind Announces Third Access and Engagement Report, Observing Impact of COVID-19 as Students with Visual Impairments Returned to In-Person Education full article

OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 2, 2022 /CNW/ – A post-secondary education, such as a trade school, college, polytechnic or university, is essential to the future career and long-term success to which students, including students with disabilities, aspire. That is why the Government of Canada continues to improve supports under the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program (CSFA Program) for students with disabilities.

Today, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced new measures under the CSFA Program. Post-secondary financial supports became more accessible as of August 1, 2022, with the Government extending disability supports under the CSFA Program to include those with a persistent or prolonged disability. Additionally, the Government has increased flexibility for documentation that can be accepted when applying for CSFA Program disability supports.

Government of Canada Announces Improved Financial Supports for Students With Disabilities full article

Bill Holton
AccessWorld News

When his young son, Noah, lost most of his vision to bilateral retinal blastoma cancer, like most fathers, Bryan Shaw, PhD worried about his son’s education and future prospects. He also knew that earlier detection of Noah’s cancer might have saved more of his sight.

One of the early signs of retinal blastoma is known as leukocoria “leukos means white and kore means pupil.) “An abnormal light reflection in the eye can signify retinal blastoma, the onset of a cataract, a scarred retina or vitreous hemorrhage,” says Shaw. “The condition will show up most often in low light situations, or in photographs.”

Accessible Science: Chemistry 101 full article