Status: completed
Progress: completed
In 2017-2018, Co-operative Education and AccessAbility Services, with support from the Government of Ontario, engaged in a project to create toolkits and online resources for co-op students, staff and employers. The following deliverables were produced from the project:
- The Co-operative Education Self-Study Guide – a comprehensive resource designed to support post-secondary institutions in facilitating a process of reflection and collaboration that will strengthen strategic planning efforts to enhance accessibility in a way that is visible and tangible for students.
- Ready for Co-op? – A web-based self-assessment tool directing students, including students with disabilities, to targeted supports that address gaps in foundational competencies.
- Accessibility and hiring co-op students – A web-based resource designed to support current and prospective employers in providing an accessible co-op experience for students with disabilities.
- A new appointment type related to the co-operative employment process that is offered by AccessAbility Services.
From Fall 2018 to Spring 2019, Specialisterne Canada engaged with the Waterloo’s Co-operative Education and the Centre for Career Action in a partnership known as the Postsecondary Employment Bridging Program for neurodiverse students in Ontario. This program offered a new avenue through which students with autism, or who identify with other neurodiversities, could gain access to important employment experiences while enrolled in postsecondary studies.
To help build a culture of inclusivity across the Co-operative and Experiential Education department, an on-campus accessibility working group across Co-operative Education and the Centre for Career Action with key membership and a dedicated project lead was established in Fall 2019. The mandate of the working group (among other priorities) is to respond to student accommodation cases, maintain relationships and ensure alignment across campus, develop standards, processes and resources to facilitate the accessibility and inclusivity of Co-op.
