Back to Post Secondary School with a Disability

Education that’s right for you ~ alis.alberta.ca
Inclusive post-secondary and transitional vocational programs are open to every student with a developmental disability.

You’re welcome in the same classes and the same activities as every other student, with the same opportunities to learn, meet people and socialize, and work toward your career. Post-secondary inclusive education helps you make the move from high school into adult life, as you:

• Learn about subjects that interest you and will help you in your career
• Hang out with new people and meet new friends
• Explore new interests outside of class by joining a club, a student association, or another activity
• Learn life skills such as how to look after your home and build healthy relationships
• Co-op programs give you hands-on experience so that part of your education happens on the job. And you’ll have help finding work in the summer and after you graduate.

All of these experiences will help you feel confident, knowing you can make decisions for yourself, learn from your mistakes, and live more independently.

What makes an education program inclusive?
In Alberta, inclusive post-secondary and vocational programs follow the same principles, which are like guidelines for how the programs work:

• You and your family feel that you’re welcome, respected, safe, and that you belong.
• You can get the education you want and need, and what you learn matters to you. There are high expectations for your success if you have the right supports.
• Everyone who works with you understands your strengths and your needs, so you can succeed and feel like you belong to your school community.
• The people who support you—your family, teachers, school staff, government, or other organizations—work together to help you succeed.

Schools, families, governments, and other organizations involved in inclusive education:

• Remove barriers so every learner can be part of the school community and feel successful
• Have opportunities to keep learning about how to provide the best educational experiences

What you can expect
An advisor works with you and your family throughout your post-secondary program to help you set learning, career, and life goals. Every decision is guided by your choices and what you feel will work best. Together, you decide on your classes and activities, and the supports you need to set yourself up for success, such as:

• Modified course materials, homework, or class schedules to fit your learning style. For example, you may want all your course materials in electronic format so you can read textbooks with text-to-speech software.
• Other assistive technologies and devices, like a digital voice recorder, note-taking software, or an app that helps you study, be organized, and get your assignments done.
• A tutor to help with your classes and assignments.
• A peer mentor—another student who can help with things like taking notes in class, introducing you to other students, or learning how to get around the campus and city.

Career options you might want to explore.
Sometimes the supports that work for you in one class might not work in another. That’s no problem. Inclusive education is flexible—how and what you learn can change to meet your needs.

Disability Related Employment Supports (DRES) from the Government of Alberta may be available to assist eligible students with documented and permanent or long-term disabilities. DRES funding pays for supports or services to reduce, alleviate, or remove barriers for education, training, work search, and employment. Examples include assistive technologies, worksite modifications, sign language interpreters, and specific disability-related software.
https://alis.alberta.ca/tools-and-resources/resources-for-people-with-disabilities/explore-education/learning-after-high-school-inclusive-options-for-people-with-developmental-disabilities/#:~:text=Inclusive%20post%2Dsecondary%20and%20transitional,and%20work%20toward%20your%20career. 

Accommodating students with disabilities in the post-secondary context
Accommodating students with disabilities involves making adjustments or alternative arrangements in both the physical environment and the educational environment to ensure that it does not create learning or physical barriers that would prevent students with disabilities from accessing educational or other services provided by post‑secondary institutions. The educational environment includes but is not limited to:

• The people who provide services, for example, faculty members
• The courses provided by the post‑secondary institution
• Institutional policies related to matters such as admissions, attendance, course load, or graduation requirements
• Campus facilities, such as classrooms and laboratories
• Equipment, such as computers

In educational environments, the goal of accommodating students with disabilities is to ensure that they are able to fully participate in all aspects of their educational experience, using methods such as:

• Administrators and faculty who are knowledgeable about and supportive of accommodation
• Policies and standards that include the responsibility for accommodation
• Accessible facilities
• Flexible course delivery formats
• Flexible evaluation formats, such as exams, papers, and presentations
• Individual services, for example, interpreters and notetakers
• Services to help students negotiate accommodations
• An appeal process to challenge decisions denying accommodation
• Flexible entrance, attendance, course load, and graduation requirements that do not lower academic standards
• Practicum and co‑op partners who are knowledgeable about and supportive of accommodating students with disabilities

Accommodation applies to both individual students and groups of students. In relation to individual students, the duty to accommodate has both a substantive and procedural component. The substantive aspect of accommodation refers to the accommodation that was offered to the student. To create an appropriate substantive accommodation, the post‑secondary institution must participate in an individualized assessment of a student’s needs and try to be flexible and creative in the search for an accommodation that meets that student’s needs. If the post‑secondary institution cannot provide an appropriate accommodation in the circumstances, it must have a valid reason.

This process of assessing a student’s needs and finding an accommodation is part of the procedural aspect of accommodation, which essentially refers to the process used to find a substantive accommodation. A post‑secondary institution, including faculty, staff, and student services officials, is obligated to engage with students during the process of finding and implementing an accommodation.

How much accommodation is required?
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that where the educational environment has a discriminatory effect on students with disabilities, the post‑secondary institution is required to provide accommodation up to the point of undue hardship. The undue hardship standard places a high standard on service providers, meaning a service provider must show that it would experience a substantial hardship if it were to accommodate the student. The courts have provided some factors to be used as a guide for determining whether a situation amounts to undue hardship, as well as some examples of situations that amount to undue hardship.

These factors and examples are discussed below in the section How does a post‑secondary institution determine that an accommodation is not possible? In all situations, the institution must consider an array of potential methods for accommodating students in a way that will overcome their individual barriers to accessing the learning environment. The accommodation that the post‑secondary institution provides must be reasonable. There is no obligation on the post‑secondary institution to provide an immediate or
perfect accommodation, or to accommodate beyond the point of undue hardship.

https://albertahumanrights.ab.ca/publications/bulletins_sheets_booklets/bulletins/Documents/Duty%20to%20accommodate%20students%20with%20disabilities%20in%20post-secondary%20educational%20institutions%20(April%202021).pdf

Rights and responsibilities
Students with disabilities and post-secondary institutions play important roles in the accommodation process.

Making your institution aware of your disability increases your access to related services. Every institution offers different types of services, so it’s important to do your research before you apply.

The information you share about your disability is confidential, and managed under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP).

Your rights
You have the right to:

• receive reasonable accommodations
• access services and environments available to all students in the same course or program
• change your accommodations and resources
• determine your own success

Your responsibilities
Students in Alberta’s post-secondary system are adult learners and their own advocates.

This means you choose if you want to:

• disclose your disability to your post-secondary institution or instructors
• request services or accommodations that may be available to you
• use the services offered through your post-secondary institution
• You can choose not to disclose your disability to your post-secondary institution or instructors. However, they are not obligated to accommodate your disability if you don’t disclose it.

If you need accommodations, you have the responsibility to:

• make an appointment with the disability service provider at your institution (preferably before classes start)
• make your request in writing, especially if your accommodation needs are extensive
• provide medical information that supports your request for accommodation
• keep track of how your accommodation plan is working
• let the disability services area know if changes to your plan are needed, or if accommodations are no longer required
• learn how the post-secondary system works, including accommodation steps and processes

Your institution’s responsibilities
Every post-secondary institution has a policy for reasonable accommodation. The policy outlines their:

• rules
• standards
• processes
• procedures

Policies should also be shared with and understood by:

• faculty
• staff
• students
  You can find your institution’s policy on their website, or by asking them for a copy.

Institutions must also:

• respond to requests for accommodation in a timely way
• document the accommodation process
• consider evidence from medical and other professionals, and ask for other expert advice as needed
• develop an accommodation plan based on your specific needs
• outline appeal processes for students not satisfied with their accommodations

https://www.alberta.ca/resources-students-disabilities.aspx