McGuinty Government Helping Post Secondary Students with Disabilities

February 1, 2007

MCGUINTY GOVERNMENT HELPING POSTSECONDARY STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
New Tuition Policy, Focus On Links Between Education And Employment Mean More Opportunities For Success

TORONTO – The McGuinty government is changing its college tuition policy for students with disabilities while helping ensure they can succeed at college or university and beyond, Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, announced today at Humber College .

“We're taking steps to strengthen linkages between postsecondary education and employment so that students with disabilities can pursue meaningful careers,” said Bentley.  “We're also changing the college tuition policy for students with disabilities to reflect the longer period of study some may need to obtain skills and training.”

The McGuinty government is providing a total of more than $40.7 million in 2006-07 to help students with disabilities succeed in postsecondary studies, an increase of 22 per cent since 2003-04.  This includes a $4 million investment in 2006-07 as part of the government's Access to Opportunities strategy to help colleges and universities provide new supports and services to students with disabilities.

The McGuinty government is also revising the college tuition fee policy to cap tuition fees for students with permanent disabilities who, due to their disability, may take longer to complete their program.  Under the revised policy, college students with disabilities will pay tuition fees equivalent to students completing the program in the regular period of time and will thereafter pay $20 per course.

In 2006-07, Humber College will receive nearly $1 million to support 849 registered students with disabilities.  In addition, Humber will benefit from an additional $900,000 in Access funding that is allocated for interpreter services for all five Greater Toronto Area colleges.

"The Colleges of Ontario have become increasingly accessible to students with disabilities, as they should," said Dr. Robert A. (Squee) Gordon, President of Humber College.  "The funds received from the Ontario government have been instrumental in significantly improving support for thousands of students aspiring to take their places as contributing citizens of this Province."

“Today's announcement is great news for many students attending the Lakeshore Campus of Humber College in my riding” said Laurel Broten, MPP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore.  “I'm proud to

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be part of a government that is making significant investments in making higher education more accessible.”

The McGuinty government's new $4 million investment will be used to support a range of initiatives, including:

• Developing more tailored career and employment counselling for students and graduates with disabilities, to help them find meaningful employment and facilitate their entry into the job market;
• Carrying out learning assessments to determine the nature of a student's learning disability;
• Developing transition plans to help students as they move from high school to college or university;
• Helping visually impaired students receive their course materials, textbooks and required readings quickly;
• Helping colleges and universities provide interpreter and other services to deaf, deafened and hard of hearing students.

Providing more access for students with disabilities is the latest way the McGuinty government is working to provide more opportunities for Ontario 's students.  Other initiatives include:

• Increasing full-time enrolment at colleges and universities by about 86,000 students since 2002-03, bringing participation in postsecondary education to historic levels;
• Doubling investment in student aid by 2009-10 to help more families with the cost of higher education. Enhancements to student aid will benefit 145,000 students this year;
• Investing $55 million by 2009-10 in the Access to Opportunities strategy, to help postsecondary institutions deliver programs that improve access for persons with disabilities, francophones, Aboriginal peoples, and those who would be the first in their families to attend college or university. 

“We are on the side of hard working families who want their children to find opportunity through access to higher education,” added Bentley.  “That's why our government is committed to ensuring that all Ontarians, including students with disabilities, have the opportunity to reach their full potential.”

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Contacts:
Sheamus Murphy
Minister's Office
416-325-7215    Tanya Blazina
Communications Branch
416-325-2746
Public Inquiries: 416-325-2929
or 1-800-387-5514
TTY: 1-800-263-2892

Disponible en français

www.edu.gov.on.ca
www.resultsontario.gov.on.ca

Backgrounder

February 1, 2007

ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITY – FUNDING FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

As part of the Ontario government's Access to Opportunities strategy, $4 million is being provided to colleges and universities in 2006-07 to provide supports and services to students with disabilities.  With the addition of the Access to Opportunities funding, the Ontario government will provide a total of over $40.7 million in 2006-07 to support the over 30,000 postsecondary students with disabilities. 

The $4 million in Access to Opportunities funding will be used to support the following initiatives:

Increased support for the Accessibility Fund for Students with Disabilities - $1.2 million
All Ontario colleges and universities will receive a share of this funding to support the wide range of services provided through offices for students with disabilities.  These services include providing adaptive computer and software learning technology; arranging note-taking for visually impaired students and interpreter services for hearing impaired students; and ensuring that the institution is physically accessible for students with reduced mobility.

Increased support for the Interpreter Fund – $1.85 million
Most Ontario colleges and universities will receive a share of this funding to support crucial services for students who are deaf, deafened and hard-of-hearing.  These services include providing classroom interpreters, real-time captioning and computerized note taking.

Innovative Project Funding - $500,000
Some postsecondary institutions have developed projects to:

• assist students with disabilities in their transition to high school and support them to pursue a postsecondary education
• provide outreach and support for students with learning disabilities from economically ‘at-risk' communities  
• encourage connections between first-year students with disabilities and their senior counterparts to improve student success. 

Enhanced Access to Print Alternate Learning Materials - $350,000
These funds will be used to expand access to and reduce wait times for print alternate materials.

Enhanced Access to Career / Employment Counselling - $100,000
These funds will be used in part to develop a series of regional workshops that bring together students with disabilities, disability and employment counsellors at postsecondary institutions,

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community agencies/organizations and local Chambers of Commerce.  We will develop more
tailored career and employment counselling for students and graduates with disabilities to help them find meaningful employment and ease their entry into the job market.

In 2005, the government also established a Postsecondary Advisory Committee on Disability Issues, which provides ongoing advice to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities on issues affecting postsecondary students with disabilities.  Last year, the McGuinty government passed the landmark Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.   The act requires government to work with the disability community and the private and public sectors to develop standards to be achieved in stages of five years or less, leading to an accessible Ontario in 20 years.

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Contact:
Tanya Blazina
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
416-325-2746

Disponible en français
www.edu.gov.on.ca

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