Bursary for Students with Disabilities Information Campaign July 5, 2016 Students for Barrier-free Access (SBA)

Questions addressed in this presentation What is Students for Barrier-free Access (SBA), and what do we do? How did SBA get access to information about the BSWD? How is BSWD funding administered by the Ministry of Training and Colleges and Universities (MTCU)? How is the BSWD funding being administered by Ontario universities (and why is the funding allocation different at different univerisities)? What are some of the barriers to accessing the BSWD? Where can you find out more about the BSWD and get involved with the SBA BSWD Information Campaign?

What is Students for Barrier-free Access (SBA)? Students for Barrier-free Access (SBA) is a non-profit, University of Toronto student-levy organization that advocates for equity, access, and the rights of disabled students on campus. SBA and its allies work towards eliminating physical, informational, and attitudinal barriers on campus and in the wider community. The SBA Centre: The SBA Centre is a drop-in centre that hosts a resource library, a computer lab, a lounge area, and a study room (available for individual and group bookings). We organize regular events at the SBA Centre including monthly lunches and colouring and craft nights. Advocacy Committee meetings are also held at the SBA Centre.

How did Sba get access to information about the Bswd? In order to access the guidelines governing the BSWD/CSG-PDSE (referred to in this presentation as simply BSWD or ‘the bursary’) created by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) SBA filed a Freedom of Information Request MTCU supplied SBA with the BSWD/CSG-PDSE Eligibility, Assessment and Review manuals from 2000-2001 to 2015-2016 SBA filed a Freedom of Information request and received internal U of T documents pertaining to the administration BSWD SBA filed a Freedom of Information request for the internal documents pertaining to the administration BSWD at all Ontario universities – received from most universities

How is the bswd administered by the mtcu? BSWD funded by Government of Ontario - up to $2000/year for eligible full-time and part-time students with permanent or temporary disabilities CSG-PDSE funded by Government of Canada - up to $8000/year for eligible full-time and part-time students with permanent disabilities only Eligibility criteria for the BSWD/CSG-PDSE are linked to the eligbility criteria for OSAP. In addition, students must apply for OSAP and have at least $1.00 of calculated financial need under to be eligible for the bursary (exceptions can be made to this rule, in some circumstances). Students are not required to accept the OSAP loan in order to receive the bursary. Students must also submit documentation to their Accessibility Services Office demonstrate ‘proof of disability’ in order to be eligible for the bursary

How is the bswd administered by the mtcu? The Ministry has set caps for the maximum costs for equipment and services E.g. maximum amount that can be spent on adaptive software and how often students can procure them These caps are meant to guide all colleges and universities in Ontario Eligible expenses include desktop computers, laptops, adaptive software, hardware, tutoring, note-taking, digital recorders, interpreter and captioning services, and more The Ministry requires students’ applications for BSWD-CSG/PDSE to be processed by the university’s Accessibility Services Office and Financial Aid Office before being sent to the Ministry for final approval It is important to note that there is no formal appeals process at the Ministry level for decisions about individual student applications

How is the BSWD funding being administered by ontario universities Although the Ministry sets out caps for equipment and services to guide universities, univerisites have the discretion to set their own internal caps, as long as they are lower than the ones set by the Ministry Internally, student applications for the BSWD-CSG-PDSE must follow two steps; first the applications need to be filled out by the student with their disability counsellor, second, the applications are sent to the university’s financial aid office for processing and approval Important notes: Documentation from a health care practitioner outlining services and equipment that would assist a student in completing their studies can help when advocating for supports and services Due to the provision that universities can set their own internal caps, we see different funding amounts being awarded to students across the province.

What are some of the barriers to accessing the bswd? SBA has been consulting with students at U of T, and at universities across Ontario to identify barriers to accessing the BSWD. Here are some of the main barriers that we have heard about so far: Unclear eligibility criteria Lack of consistency in the accommodations approved by the BSWD program both within and across universities Lack of consistency in the funding allocated through the BSWD program both within and across universities International students are not eligible for the BSWD Application deadlines for the bursary and timeline to submit receipts not always clearly communicated Lack of transparency in the administration of the bursary at the university and Ministry level Accessing supports can be triggering or re-traumatizing No formal appeals process

Where can you find out more about the BSWD and get involved with the SBA BSWD Information Campaign? To find out more about the BSWD campaign, to view the data we have collected so far, or to get involved with the campaign please contact Nadia our Advocacy and Volunteer Coordinator at: Email: sba.advocacycoordinator@gmail.com Phone: 416-967-7322 Visit our website at uoftsba.com Drop by our office located in room 924 on the 9th floor of 215 Huron Street