Policy for people with disabilities

Policies table of contents

The School of Social Work, in its commitments to feminist, First Nations, and anti-oppressive practice should endeavor to take a pro-active role in providing an inclusive environment for all students, including students with disabilities. The School will continue raising awareness of ableism among its faculty, staff and the larger community.

This policy will take as its principle that students with disabilities are the best source of information about their individual disability. It will redress inequality for access, opportunity, and outcome for persons with disabilities, and remove barriers to give persons with disabilities full inclusion.

Definitions:
Disability: the term disability is socially constructed. Disabilities include physical, mental, emotional, and/or a visible/invisible type of impairments and functional limitations of ability to perform an activity as experienced by the individual. The lack of ability may be permanent or transient at various points in their lives. Disability is a noun, not an adjective. Therefore the term used is "persons with disabilities".

Ableism: is a construct that defines what is "desirable" and "undesirable" in terms of individual functioning. Ableism is a term used to describe the discriminatory thoughts, actions, and practices against persons with disabilities. Ableism may be individual or systemic depending on the type of discriminatory process.

1. Student resources:
   
   1. Faculty, staff and students with disabilities will familiarize themselves with resources for students with disabilities within in the School of Social Work and the University of Victoria. The School of Social Work will inform students of the University's Resource Centre for Students with a Disability.
   2. The equity circle will continue collection and maintenance of current resources within the School taking into account the diversity of the population (race, sexual orientation, gender, class, type of disability, and age). These resources will be made accessible to students, staff, and faculty.
2. Accessibility issues (i.e. structural designs):
   
   1. Faculty and staff when planning, should take into consideration access issues with students with disabilities. The student and School should try to solve accessibility difficulties prior to the event taking place.
   2. In collaboration with the Resource Centre for Students with a Disability, the School of Social Work will establish a positive working relationship with Facilities Management and should take into consideration and advocate to improve accessibility. This should include all issues pertaining to structural accessibility that directly impact social work students.
   3. Students with disabilities are all assigned a faculty member as an advisor to them. Whenever possible, students should take the time to update their advisor with their particular disability related needs when changes occur.
   4. Within the School of Social Work, students with disabilities will not be required to 'prove' the fact of their disability through any documentation. The need for such documentation creates a barrier in itself.
3. Accessibility ideology:
   
   1. Faculty, staff, and students will endeavor to use inclusive language and critically reflect upon the use of constraining language with reference to persons with disabilities. This will include examining classroom practices that place students with disabilities at a disadvantage.
   2. Faculty, staff, and students should consider the variables of power and oppression as they relate to issues of marginalization.
   3. The School of Social Work will be responsible and ensure that any increased financial pressure placed on students will be minimized.
   4. The School of Social Work events should be held in universally accessible locations.
   5. School of Social Work will promote diversity in its workforce by including people with disabilities in their faculty/staff selection.
4. Advocacy:
   Upon admission to the School, every student is assigned a faculty advisor. The role of the advisor is to provide support to students regarding academic concerns the student may have.
   1. Students have the freedom to change faculty advisors if she/he makes the necessary arrangements to do and/or she/he deems the change necessary as per the School of Social work handbook.
   2. If a student is in need of an advocate, the student may request her/his faculty advisor, another faculty/staff member, or another student to act as an advocate, or any other person the student chooses.
5. Submission of assignments:
   
   1. It will be the responsibility of the student to make the instructor aware of her/his need for academic consideration or accommodation. It is the School's responsibility to create a climate of acceptance to promote their needs.
   2. It will be the responsibility of the instructor to make students aware that they are open to discussion of alternate deadlines and formats for assignments and to accommodate the students' needs.
      1. The instructor will consider each student's case independently, for the purpose of accommodation of her/his needs.
6. In-class accommodations:
   
   1. The School of Social Work will ensure that students with disabilities are accommodated in the following ways:
      1. by meeting with the course instructor, prior to the starting date in order to raise an awareness of the student's learning needs;
      2. by allowing at least one break for a specified duration for a three hour class;
      3. through the use of alternate forms of note-taking during lectures;
      4. facilitating the presence of certified assistance dogs in the classroom;
      5. welcoming the presence of sign language interpreters in the classroom;
      6. by handing out materials in advance of class to enable students to make the necessary arrangements to have these materials transposed into alternate format;
      7. by enabling students to write scheduled exams in an alternate location as per University policy.
7. Practicum selection
   
   1. The process of practicum selection can be an arduous task for students with disabilities because of the specific needs related to their disabilities, which must be addressed when selecting an appropriate practicum placement Practicum placement agencies will not discriminate against students with disabilities. In accordance with its commitment to accessibility and equity, the School will lobby practicum agencies to become more accessible and to reasonably accommodate student's needs
      1. Practicum coordinators and students will work together to ensure to ensure that student's needs and agency concerns are properly addressed.
      2. When deemed necessary by the student with a disability, practicum selection may begin in advance of others in the School.
      3. In order to maximize student choice, practicum coordinators will be directed by the student as to the method and extent of their assistance.
      4. The practicum coordinator will advocate with the student to assist in finding appropriate placement.
      5. When warranted, the student and prospective practicum agency may negotiate contract, criteria, and hours to accommodate the needs of both the student and the agency. Students with a disability may choose to involve a support person.
      6. If a practicum agency does not provide a bona fide reason for disqualification of a student with a disability, the School will take steps to remedy the situation.
8. Inclusion of issues pertaining to ableism within school curriculum
   
   1. The School of Social Work will include up-to-date materials on the topics of ableism and disability within their curriculum, readings and resources.
      1. The faculty will model anti-ableist practice through their teaching, by paying attention to language, examining their own assumptions in class, and checking out with students with disabilities if the curriculum is inclusive in addressing issues of ableism and anti-ableist practice.
9. Policy/procedures review
   
   1. The policy and procedures will be reviewed by the School's Equity Circle every two years following implementation, or at the request of students, faculty or staff.
   2. Concerns regarding policy content or implementation should be brought to the attention of the director of Social Work.
10. University policy for students with a disability
    Until such time as the School of Social Work formally adopts the above policy and procedures, the policies and procedures established by the University at large must take precedence.

Policies table of contents