Re-envisioning the Disability Service Model: The Advising and Access Services Centre at Dalhousie University

1. Re-envisioning the Disability Service Model: The Advising and Access Services Centre at Dalhousie UniversityJill Malolepszy, Jen Davis & Quenta AdamsAdvising and Access Services CentreHalifax, Nova ScotiaCanada

2. What We Plan To Discuss • Past • Background of our Unit and Service Provision • Process to Change Our Delivery Model • Present • Partnerships and Collaborations • Future • Room for growth • Transitions programming • Opportunities Present in Your Institution For Adopting a Similar Model

3. Who is responsible for accessibility on your campus: Philosophically?Practically?

4. Human Rights Legislation “Dalhousie University is committed to providing a learning environment in which students are able to participate without discrimination, on grounds prohibited by human rights legislation, and to facilitating students’ access to the University’s academic programs, activities, facilities and services.”

5. Our History Practice and Philosophy • Approving accommodations • Focus more on the ‘condition’ as opposed to the barrier • Separate, and often disconnected supports • Decisions were often extreme • Hard line on what was reasonable, or • Over-accommodate • Accommodation policy had procedures built into the document • Any changes (no matter how minor) would require Senate and Board approval

6. Our History continued Practice and Philosophy • ‘Fixing’ not empowering • Business process • Mirrored an assembly line • Advising was done elsewhere • Silos remained intact – internally and externally • Outcomes • Quantitative only, no qualitative • Who are we helping, How are we helping • No frame of reference – Student Development Theories

7. Our History continued Practice and Philosophy • Too few staff during peak accommodation intake periods • Staff burnout • Increased sick time and/or overtime, turnover • Lack of expertise • Challenges navigating inter-connectedness of disability, race, gender, class and sexuality

8. Our History continued • Accommodation staffing • Three full-time staff • Bachelor’s degree only • Limited experience with issues of accessibility • Narrow focus of job duties • Fragmented approach to working with students • Academic Advisors • Three full-time staff • Master’s degree • Professional advisors with range of skills • Broader focus of job duties • Fragmented approach to working with students

9. Our Process For Change • Policy and Service Review in Fall 2011 – External Reviewer • Interviews (students, staff, faculty) • Focus groups (students, faculty) • Questionnaires (students, faculty) • External Scan (other university practices) • Internal Scan (existing strengths) • Revised policy and service model recommended

10. How can you be the leader or champion of campus-wide accessibility? Where are the natural collaborations on your campus?

11. Our Present Practice • Creation of a holistic, integrated model in winter 2012 combining Academic Advising with Accommodation Services. • Represents a shift from a focus on accommodations to a focus on access. • Away from a medical model focused on illness or impairment • Moved towards a holistic model focused on overcoming barriers to enable full participation in student life

12. Our Present Practice continued • Students always ask: • I have [enter disability here]. What can you offer in terms of accommodations? • We always answer: • Tell me what are the barriers you face by having [enter disability here]?

13. How does the new system work? Student in a wheelchair • Old system • Automatically approved for writing exams in separate room • Approved for extra time • Working on assumption that student is less capable. • New system • Student writes most exams with classmates, without accommodations • Writes in a separate room only when has difficulty accessing large stadium to write exam

14. How does the new system work? Student with LD • Old system • Provided with ability to write in own room automatically. • Approve note taking in almost every circumstance. • Working on assumption that student is less capable. • New system • We ask student to show how having an LD is a barrier to writing in an exam room with other students. • We discuss the student’s note taking strategies, refer for skill development and possible note taking.

15. Our Present Practice • Focusing on barriers to participation allows us to provide accommodations for requests based on all protected characteristics under human rights legislation in Canada, not just disability. • We are guided by human rights legislation which states we have a duty to accommodate. • We provide reasonable accommodations up to the point of undue hardship (which might differ from student’s ideal or perfect accommodations).

16. Our Present Practice • A disability determination, however, should not be based on abstract lists as categories of impairments […]. In fact, the regulations note that a finding of disability is not necessarily based on the name or diagnosis of the impairment the person has, but rather, on the effect of that impairment on the life of the individual. Some impairments may be disabling for particular individuals but not for others […]. 29 C.F.R. App. Sec. 1630.2(j). • AHEAD (2008) Retrieved from http://www.ahead.org/affiliates/connecticut/documentation

17. Examples of protected characteristics common to human rights legislation • Age • Race • Colour • Religion • Creed • Ethnic, national or aboriginal origin • Sex (including pregnancy) • Sexual orientation • Physical disability • Mental disability • Family status • Marital status • Source of income • Irrational fear of contracting an illness or disease • Association with protected groups or individuals • Political belief, affiliation or activity • Gender Identity/Gender Expression

18. Our Staff & Allies • Staff with significant experience and specialised expertise • 6 full-time staff, all with relevant Master’s degree [Education, Special Education, Social Work, Ethics, Occupational Therapy] & several years of experience • On-going professional development • Partnerships with: • Faculty & Assistant Deans • Office of Human Rights, Equity & Harassment Prevention • Health Services & Counselling Services

19. Our Present Practice • Accommodation policy adopted for September 1st 2014 • Anticipate increase in numbers of students seeking accommodations for reasons other than disability • More complex requests, including accommodations for clinical placements/rotations in health professions • Able@Dal: • An orientation for incoming students with disabilities to assist with the transition, and to develop self-advocacy skills • Joint project with School of Occupational Therapy, now resides with us, with goal to expand to other areas of transition

20. Future initiatives: What can you add into your existing practice?

21. Characteristics Other Than Disability • Request increase • Focus on identifying the barriers to full participation • Centre of Expertise • Referrals and partnership: • Black Student Advising • International Centre • Native Education Counselling Unit • Indigenous Blacks & Mi'kmaq Initiative • Dal Allies (LGBTQ)

22. Protected Characteristics: Other Than Disability • Attend lecture with infant • Bring infant into exam room • Stop-time breaks during exam • Family Status • Schedule conflict between infant feedings and class lecture and scheduled exam

23. Protected Characteristics: Other Than Disability • National Origin/Age • Student completed schooling without the use of computers. • Hand write exams in a program that requires all exams to be typed.

24. Protected Characteristics: Other Than Disability • Religion • Schedule conflict between exam dates and religious observance • Defer exams • Pray during exams by using stop time breaks

25. Advising As Coaching

26. VP Student Services:Integrated Career Coaching Philosophy WHO • Faculty & Assistant Deans • Academic advisors • Career counsellors & staff • Faculty career & co-op offices • Alumni • Employers WHAT • Career awareness • Career planning • Employability skills • Applied experience • Job search skills

27. Career Development for Advisors • Training Winter 2014 Semester: • Foundations of career development and the process of career counselling • Issues confronting students and career counsellors • Intervention strategies • Career development strategies and techniques to enhance career conversations

28. Community Engagement • 100 Days of Listening Initiatives: • Fostering relationships with community • OT Student & Social Work Student Placements • Workforce Re-Entry Placements: • Local community members living with disabilities

29. First Year Advising • Student Success Coaches and Advisors • Course selection, registration and transition to university life • Outreach provides initial contact with EVERY incoming first year student • Academic accommodation conversation included in outreach

30. Fostering Collaboration on Campus • Breaking down silos • Strengthening programming for students • Centre for Learning and Teaching • Certificate program for faculty • Facilities Management • Physical space and accessibility concerns • Case Management Team • Us, Counselling, Assistant Deans, Student Dispute Resolution, Residence Life

31. Tracking Our Progress • Number of requests beginning September 2014 • Able@Dal and “Able After Dal” • 4 year transition support • First Year Advising • College Student Inventory • Interventions with specific populations

32. Group Discussion Where are the natural collaborators on your campus?What can you add to your existing practice?

33. Who We Are • Jill Malolepszy: • Academic Advisor – Coordinator Funding and Note Taking jill.malolepszy@dal.ca • Jen Davis: • Academic Advisor – Accommodations/Professional Faculties jen.davis@dal.ca • Quenta Adams: • Director, Advising and Access Services Centre quenta.adams@dal.ca