More on the Challenges facing Disabled Post-Secondary Students in Nova Scotia

 

By Kendall Worth!

Access to post-secondary education should be a basic human right. This is particularly true for disabled individuals who face many struggles in life just trying to secure a job and housing, and leading a so-called “normal” life.  Access to post-secondary education can be a transformative opportunity.

In a recent BLOG I reflected on the case of Carrie Ann Budgen, a disabled student from Newfoundland whose struggles in Nova Scotia with issues of access, resources and accommodation I documented over several BLOGS.  A central feature of Carrie Ann’s story is the fact that she was an out-of-province student who was unable to access some of the minimal benefits available to students from Nova Scotia, itself.

The posting of my June BLOG prompted a series of questions and conversations in my community. Some of these were general in nature, - making the case that THE WHOLE SYSTEM NEEDS TO CHANGE! – if we are ever to make progress. But other feedback tended to cluster around four questions: 

1.    Is access to higher education truly a “human right”?  Should everyone, regardless of capability, have the right to attend post-secondary education, regardless of ability or capacity?

2.  Is it fair that the taxes paid by Nova Scotians should be used to help people from other provinces?

3.   Is it unreasonable to expect out-of-province students to research the funding resources that will be available to them before arriving in NS?  Surely, there should be no surprises for new arrivals.

4. To what extent should disabled students be granted special “accommodations” so that they can complete their study programs?

With regards to these questions, I have the following thoughts:

Yes, education is a basic human right – its explicitly mentioned in the United Nation’s International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.  However, this does not mean that education is always free and accessible, particularly with reference to post-secondary education. However, most countries aspire to ensure that disabled students have equal access to educational opportunities as do able-bodied students. This usually means special funding arrangements as well as various academic accommodations.

Yes, Career Seek, the program that provides financial support to disabled students is a Nova Scotian program paid for and targeted at Nova Scotian residents. Most provinces have their own, similar but distinct programs. I strongly urge provinces to make their different programs portable or transferable between provinces. Or perhaps the whole program should come under the Federal Government, so that disabled Canadians – no matter where they live - can access post secondary educational opportunities across the country with no penalty.  

No, it is not unreasonable to expect out-of-province students to do their “due diligence” to assess the costs of their educational programs and the nature and extent of funding available to them, particularly if they are moving to a different province.  However, in many cases it is not possible to confirm such arrangements before arriving on site, and it also happens that terms, conditions and assessments change once the student has already started their program. In Carrie Ann’s case, there were numerous occasions in which pledges were made to her and then broken, or in which arrangements were agreed to but then subsequently changed. We should not blame out of province students in such cases.   

 The topic of educational accommodations for disabled students is a complicated one.  These can include provision of adapted materials, access to assistive technology, personal support for both living and academic purposes, etc. Most educational institutions give themselves considerable flexibility in determining what is needed to ensure equal access to education for disabled students, including adjustments to some academic requirements such as examinations and theses. Some people questioned the rumoured academic accommodations that were afforded to Carrie Ann, who has since graduated from Mount St Vincent University. But I consider this a private arrangement between the University and an individual student, I do not have the specific details and do not have a comment on this matter.  

 I do however, have many thoughts on the bigger issue as to “how best to ensure equal access to post-secondary education for persons with disabilities?”.

Firstly, - a word of caution: access to post-secondary education is of interest to only a minority of persons with disabilities and other recipients of Income Assistance in Nova Scotia. It could be an important step up in life for this select minority, but for the vast majority in our community – many of whom struggle with learning disabilities, invisible disabilities and mental health issues, - fair access to university is FAR down on our list of priorities. Let us not have any delusions in this regard: improved access to post secondary education is NOT the ladder out of poverty for most people on Income Assistance.

Secondly, for this community, the most impactful policy change would be the introduction of some form of Guaranteed Basic Income.  Now THAT would make an immediate improvement in the daily lives of people who continue to struggle on IA benefits.

I have been an advocate of the Guaranteed Basic Income approach for many years, as this article from 2016 indicates. At the time, the provincial government had expressed an interest in “transforming” the Income Assistance program and I was hopeful that there would be major changes. However, that was not to be.

Furthermore, there are many issues around the concept of a Basic Guaranteed Income that will need to be addressed before it is actually rolled out. For example, many of its strongest advocates make the case that a great strength of the BGO concept is that it is universal, - it covers all Canadians exactly the same way.  However, we know already how a standardised approach to benefits may adversely impact different groups of people and not recognize special needs. For example, students have distinct needs from pensioners. (Perhaps a scholarship fund could be part of the benefit system for disadvantaged or disabled post secondary students?)

There is a certain irony that for many people living with disabilities, the quickest way to secure a short-term increase in household income might well be to register as a student and then apply for a student loan. Yes, that loan will need to be repaid at some indefinite point in the future. But for most Income Assistance (IA) recipients, accessing a student loan would mean an IMMEDIATE increase in revenue, when compared to basic IA rates.

In summary, I am deeply skeptical of the “universality” of the Basic Income approach, if that means that one size must fit all. Instead, I advocate for a more flexible approach, including a separate Disability Component. The experience of Carrie Ann Bugden reported in this BLOG here clearly illustrates this point.

In Closing:

Multiple issues have been raised with me in the past month over issues related to access to post secondary education for students with disabilities. Most of this BLOG has focused upon issues of government programs and policies. But some of the issues raised need to be addressed by the educational institutions themselves. For example:  

•        ALL universities in Nova Scotia need to make their campuses more wheelchair accessible.  While the Carrie Ann case focused public attention on MSVU, I have also heard of problematic experiences at St FXU and beyond.

•        Universities also need to improve the quality of the medical insurance coverage provided to students, with a particular focus on covering disability-related needs. Standard provincial benefits (from NS or beyond) are simply not adequate.

At core, is the urgent need to secure improved coverage or benefits for the range of disability related needs for students, so that they have the opportunity to fulfill their educational goals.

There is much that remains to be done on this issue.

 

Kendall Worth is an award-winning anti-poverty activist who lives with disabilities and tries to make ends meet on income assistance.