During the past four years the Learning Opportunities Task Force (LOTF) and its pilot projects have been engaged in researching the supports that students with specific learning disabilities most value and benefit from during their post-secondary education. Based on the Task Force's findings, it is clear that three key components should now be made available to all students with learning disabilities throughout the post-secondary educational system. These are:
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an appropriate diagnostic assessment of the student's learning disabilities;
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access to the supports that can be provided by an appropriately qualified and knowledgeable learning strategist;
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access to the services and accommodations made possible through the work of an assistive technologist, who is knowledgeable about learning disabilities.
This observation is based on the information provided to the Task Force by the over 1400 participating pilot students over the past four years, whose strengths, needs, talents, interests and support requirements were, as one would expect, quite diverse. Clearly one size or one model does not fit all. It is demonstrated through the data obtained to date that students tend to value program components that provide them with:
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greater levels of self awareness and an understanding of their learning disabilities (assessment, self-awareness and self-advocacy training, and individual counseling);
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their educational success and achievement ( assistive technology, accommodations, individual advising and planning and metacognitive and learning strategy training).
On the other hand, they appear to value less those components that they do not see as benefiting them directly, e.g., social skills training, college success or other non-credit specialized courses and self-help support groups. This does not mean that these components are not or cannot be beneficial to the students, but rather that the students do not always recognize the potential benefit and therefore are less likely to utilize them.
The above preliminary findings led the Learning Opportunities Task Force to submit a number of preliminary recommendations to the Government of Ontario. The Government of Ontario in turn announced the establishment of the new Post-Secondary Enhanced Services Fund for Students with Learning Disabilities.
The Minister, the Hon. Dianne Cunningham, stated on February 7, 2002 , that this fund will enable eligible colleges and universities to enhance and strengthen their abilities to serve the academic support needs of post-secondary students diagnosed with specific learning disabilities. The funds will be provided through the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU). The project will be administered by the Learning Opportunities Task Force, the group, led by Dr. Bette Stephenson, that has been engaged, together with ten pilot institutions, in researching what these students need in order to be successful in their post-secondary education throughout Ontario .
These funds are new not reallocated dollars, amounting up to five million dollars per annum and are in addition to the Ministry's well-established Accessibility Fund, which supports existing offices and services for students with disabilities in colleges and universities across the province.
The Enhanced Services Fund for Students with LD recognizes the high proportion of students with specific learning disabilities who now have better access to Ontario colleges and universities. Improvements in accessibility have created particular pressures for post-secondary institutions eager to assist these motivated students. The continued academic and future employment success of such students requires dedicated attention. The Ministry and the Learning Opportunities Task Force will work with interested post-secondary institutions to help such able students more closely realize their true potentials.
The Enhanced Services Fund for Students with LD is available to publicly funded colleges and universities in Ontario who demonstrate:
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willingness to use these funds to help hire and retain qualified staff filling either or both of two direct service positions in disability services: Learning Strategists and Assistive Technologists;
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commitment to ensuring that the new service provider staff will work directly with students diagnosed (“confirmed”) with specific learning disabilities;
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recognition that monies from the Enhanced Services Fund for Students with LD supplement the Accessibility Fund allocation, and enhance current service provision, i.e., recipient institutions are expected to continue fulfilling their special needs obligations and their responsibilities under the Ontario Human Rights Code to provide access, services and accommodations to eligible students with disabilities;
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commitment to meeting the reporting and accountability expectations related to these funds, including a willingness to share their findings and results with other post-secondary institutions.
To guarantee consistency in the diagnostic process for identifying and assessing learning disabilities in the student population, the LOTF and MTCU have stipulated the use of the new definition of learning disabilities, developed by LDAO in 2001 and the application of a consistent diagnostic and documentation process, based on the new definition.
Funding will be provided for the hiring of Learning Strategists. The value of learning strategy instruction and coaching has been well established within the LOTF pilot projects. Over 80% of pilot students stated how beneficial this support has been to them over the past four years. The role of the learning strategist is pivotal in helping students to understand their learning disabilities, to assess their capacity to use learning strategies and to apply such strategies to better actualize their academic abilities.
Funding will also be provided for the hiring of Assistive Technologists, who are experts in the technology field but also have extensive knowledge and understanding of learning disabilities. The increasing availability and successful use of assistive technology suitable to individuals studying in the post-secondary sector makes this one of the more productive and requested academic accommodations. But LOTF's research has shown that the benefit of such services without the support of a knowledgeable assistive technologist is minimal.
All colleges and universities in Ontario were invited to submit applications for the Enhanced Services Fund. The LOTF was delighted that all institutions within the public sector submitted applications for the enhanced services fund in April 2002. It was most encouraging to see how committed these institutions are to providing the requisite supports and services to their students with learning disabilities.
Funding has been offered to all colleges and universities starting in September 2002. A total of close to 3300 students with learning disabilities will benefit from these proposed enhanced services, which are expected to supplement and complement the institutions' existing services to their students with LD. The enhanced services fund is an annually renewable allocation, depending on the participating institutions' results, reports and demonstrated accountability. There is no question that this initiative will substantially improve the post-secondary educational opportunities that are available to secondary school graduates with learning disabilities throughout Ontario .
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