Ontario increasing funding for students with disabilities

Ontario is providing an additional $6 million to help students with disabilities across the province pursue their passions and get the skills they need to succeed at college or university.

Reza Moridi, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, made the announcement at McMaster Tuesday.

There are now twice as many students with disabilities enrolled in postsecondary education than there were in 2002-2003. Students with disabilities make up 8.8 per cent of postsecondary students, which totalled 54,300 students last year.

To help colleges and universities support students, the province is investing $4.5 million in the Accessibility Fund for Students with Disabilities and the Summer Transitions Program that:

• Provide a wide range of services to students with disabilities on campus

• Offer workshops and courses for high school students transitioning into postsecondary education.

The province is also investing $1.5 million in other programs including:

• Note-taking services for students with visual impairments

• Interpreter services for students who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing

• Learning assessments to help students determine what accommodations they need

• Computers and tablet applications that change text-to-speech or speech-to-text, provide word prediction capabilities and graphic organizers.

Enhancing funding for students with disabilities in colleges and universities supports the government’s economic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives and building a secure retirement savings plan.