OUSA believes that all willing and qualified students should have access to affordable, accountable, and high quality education in Ontario, a principle that extends to all students, including those with suspected or documented disabilities.
Prior to the pandemic, students have voiced concern that the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act has been ineffective in increasing accessibility in post-secondary education, in part due to a gap in standards specifically targeting this sector, and the belief that access and accommodations are at odds with rigour, academic integrity, and meaningful learning.
The Postsecondary Education Standards Development Committee is addressing this gap and has put together proposed post-secondary accessibility standards. They are currently soliciting feedback from the public. You can read our submission here.
We are hopeful that these standards will serve as a foundation to apply lessons learned from the pandemic and dismantle barriers that have for too long hindered disability inclusion and access to post-secondary education.
If you are interested in providing your feedback by November 1st, 2021, please visit: https://www.ontario.ca/page/consultation-initial-recommendations-development-proposed-postsecondary-education-accessibility.