Disabled Students’ Leadership On-Campus

Student leadership and disabled student groups are important on post-secondary campuses if positive change is to occur. Just as a student council is a vital tool for bringing the needs and concerns of all students to a post-secondary school’s administration, a disabled students’ group can serve to address the needs of a school’s disabled population. Such groups can allow students to network with their peers and to share ideas, offer counseling and information services, and often house a resource library on disability-related information.

Many Canadian colleges and universities have groups or access committees for students with disabilities. Each offers unique programs, services and features that make it an important part of a school’s structure. The following profiles, taken from NEADS’ CampusNet Web site, identify four groups as exemplary models of student leadership in our community.

• Starting an Organization of Students with Disabilities on Your Campus
• Profile: ABLE-York
• Profile: Carleton Disability Awareness Centre (CDAC)
• Profile: MUNDISC
• Profile: Rye Access