Student Accessibility and Disability Inclusion

OUSA believes that all willing and qualified students should have access to affordable, accountable, and high quality education in Ontario. This extends to all students, including those with disabilities or perceived disabilities. However, students with disabilities continue to face barriers to accessing and persisting in post-secondary education across the province, and many of the barriers these students face are not new. This policy paper identifies these barriers and offers recommendations to the provincial government to support a post-secondary landscape that is accessible for all students. The recommendations are intended to address the systemic, structural, social, physical, financial, and legislative barriers that students with disabilities are forced to navigate in their pursuit of post-secondary education. Each section speaks to an area of concern identified by disability scholars, organizers, support providers, and, most importantly, students themselves.