Creating an Inclusive University

We anticipate a wonderful year working closely with student leaders who have a strong commitment to accessibility and advocacy. The challenge is to make the necessary shift to a culture of inclusion of people with disabilities. If we are successful Canadian Universities will be at the leading edge of the disability movement world wide.

In my view the University has special obligations and responsibilities to remove remaining barriers to the full participation of disabled people in post secondary education and in society. It has been tempting for the universities to hope that they could open their doors to ever more diverse students and yet remain essentially unchanged. Not possible. The presence of women, Aboriginal students, students of colour and especially disabled students requires a willingness to do things differently. I believe students are the ones who need to champion this transformation.

So far the university has responded to the arrival of more and more hundreds of students with special needs by providing individual adjustments over and over again to increasing numbers of disabled students. The thing is; the individual adjustments are only needed because the institution remains essentially unchanged from how it was before we arrived. Much of the individual accommodation the university provides to disabled students would not be necessary if the institution realistically integrated the needs of disabled students into course design, instructional strategies and exam practices. Students with disabilities continue to arrive in ever increasing numbers and will continue to organize and advocate for greater understanding and acceptance. Ideally, fellow students will take strong pro-active measures to support this self-advocacy.

It's useful to remember that improving the university for students with disabilities benefits everyone. Faculty attitudes, teaching skills and campus culture have been identified as primary obstacles to providing equal educational opportunities to disabled students. When university instructors are given the benefit of professional preparation to work with disabled students in their classrooms they gain teaching skills that enhance the educational experience of all students. A campus culture that expands to include disabled people within its image of "typical student" is a culture in which all kinds of students can recognize themselves and feel accepted. It is the culture of an inclusive university.

Rose Mariana Robb is the Executive Director of The Access! Association of Disabled Students.