Financial and Social Supports

This page provides Financial Assistance resources for Post-Secondary Students with Disabilities   

Financial Aid   

  • First, consult with a Financial Aid Advisor at the Registrar’s Office for other sources of funding open to all students. UTM has a variety of funding options you may qualify for.  Below are some good disability-specific resources to find funding that suits your needs.  

  • OSAP Disability Bursary    

 

Assistive Devices  

 

Services and Resources within the University of Toronto   

  • UTM Accessibility Services – Get advice, academic accommodations such as note-taking and extended time for test-taking and peer support, to ensure your academic success at UTM whether you have a temporary or permanent disability   

  • UTM Accessibility Services – Peer Mentor Learning Community. This program is a collaboration between the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre (RGASC) and Accessibility Services. The PMLC Program is a free, non-credit program that aims to help Accessibility students build academic skills and a sense of community. There are four types of events in the PMLC Program: Interactive Workshops, Social Events, Zoom Study Groups, and One-on-One Mentoring. PMLC events are facilitated by Peer Mentors: upper-year undergraduate student volunteers who are highly trained in facilitation and accessibility.

  • University of Toronto Services for Students with a Disability – similar services to those offered at UTM (above) but offered at the St. George Campus for students taking courses there.  

  •  The on-campus student organization Students Offering Support provides exam and test review sessions conducted by peers who have strong communication skills and who have excelled at that course.   

If you have an experience on campus where you feel you’ve been unfairly treated due to your disability either by individuals, groups or by institutional practices, always be assertive and state your perspective calmly stating the behaviours you have observed and using your knowledge of your human rights (See the Know Your Rights section of these pages for more on this topic). Seek support through your allies on campus and take it up directly with the parties involved. Escalate the matter within the University if you do not get a successful resolution using the offices listed below.   

  • University of Toronto Mississauga Equity and Diversity Office – fostering equity, removing a range of barriers and providing support our community members in fulfilling their academic, research and employment goals. Students who have concerns about discrimination or institutional barriers to inclusion and success may contact the office for one-on-one help.  

  • University of Toronto Office of the Ombudsperson  - An independent body providing confidential advice and support around concerns and complaints about fairness and human rights within the University of Toronto’s community of students, staff and faculty. This resource is for use when other avenues of redress have not resolved the issue.   

  • University of Toronto AODA Office  This department is concerned with providing all students, faculty and staff with access to our programs and services as required in the Access for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). They are focused on institutional and structural barriers to access and can be consulted if other avenues to resolve your concern have not been successful.  

  •  UTM’s Student Union is also a source of support and advocacy for all students and works toward equity for all students.   

 

Advocacy and Support Outside the University   

NEADS 

National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS), is a consumer-controlled, cross-disability charitable organization with the mandate of supporting full access to education and employment for post-secondary students and graduates with disabilities across Canada.

 

The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work  

This not for profit advocates for and does policy research and programs to promote and support meaningful and equitable employment of people with disabilities. Canadian Council on Work and Rehabilitation  

 

We Connect Now  

An organization dedicated to uniting people interested in rights and issues affecting people with disabilities, with particular emphasis on college students and access to higher education and employment issues. We Connect Now  

 


updated August 27, 2022