Françoise Trudeau-Reeves
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On campus, more than 500 students living with a disability or a learning difficulty can turn to Access Service to take advantage of services that have been modified to allow them to pursue their studies in the best possible conditions.
Some have a visual or auditory deficiency, while others live with a physical or mobility disorder. For others, their method of learning is more directly affected by dyslexia, schizophrenia, or attention deficit disorder.
But whatever the nature of their disability, these students must meet the same requirements as others. “They are admitted to the University according to the same criteria as all other students,” explains Yolaine Ruel, manager of Access Service. “It is their training and evaluation requirements that are modified.”
Dumalski chairs the association that represents disabled students at the University of Ottawa. Established a year ago, this association plays a role in raising awareness and in counselling management as well as the University community. “I expect there are more disabled persons on campus,” suggests Dumalski. Consider that 50 percent of disabilities are not at first apparent.
Some students with a disability have been subject to derision or a lack of understanding, such as the case of a student suffering from narcolepsy who inevitably fell asleep during afternoon classes, inciting laughter from her fellow classmates. A hard-of-hearing student was told his sign-language interpreter was disruptive during class.
Dumalski’s priority is to raise awareness, a point of view Yolaine Ruel shares. She believes that the largest obstacle to integration is in attitude. “Some believe that once an access ramp is installed, the issue is settled,” she says.
