Help and Resources at University

This section presents the help services and resources generally offered in universities. New students are invited to contact their educational institution for additional information.

Universities offer tools, video clips and training sessions to foster student success. They are available to the entire student population, regardless of individuals’ status (whether or not one is living with a disability).

Examples of tools offered:

• Budget calculator
• Guide to disability disclosure (pros and cons)
• Technological tools to help with note-taking and reading
• Voice command and text recognition apps
• Correctors and dictionaries (e.g. Antidote)
• Organizers/planners
• Creation of digital files in various formats

Examples of video clips and training sessions offered:

• Assistance in writing science articles and French-language texts
• Understanding and management of anxiety
• Time management
• Concentration, procrastination and memorization
• Assistance in reading, exam preparation and writing assignments
• Balancing family, work and school
• Podcasts and videos on various subjects (e.g. motivation, oral presentations, distance education courses)

Each university offers mental health consultation services to the entire student community. In cases of psychological distress or various other problems (personal, school-, relationship- or family-related. etc.), students can draw upon these services at any time and make an appointment with a mental health professional. The waiting time for a first appointment varies from one institution to the next.

Some universities in the French sector also have a Réseau de sentinelles  (sentinels network) that students can call upon for themselves or on behalf of other members of the university community when they are in distress. This system is made up of students or staff members who have been trained to respond to requests for psychological help, to recognize signs of distress and to direct people who exhibit such signs to the appropriate resources.

Universities offer peer support services like tutoring and mentoring.

The purpose of tutoring is to help students understand and assimilate course material and to develop learning strategies and processes.

Mentoring is also intended to facilitate the student’s integration into the educational institution, regardless of the program they have chosen. A student is paired with another person who has already started the same program and can answer the mentoree’s questions, steer them toward the appropriate resources and facilitate their participation in student life.

Peer support programs are meant to prevent and offset psychological distress. Peers offer attentive listening and facilitate the use of support resources. They foster the development of connections between students and promote health and well-being through the sharing of information.

For additional information on peer support, students can contact the student community help centre in their educational institution.

Universities have created a variety of measures to improve physical accessibility on campus for people with reduced mobility, such as:

• Free paratransit services
• Adapted entrances to premises as well as elevators and bathrooms for people with reduced mobility
• A campus map showing the locations of entrances, elevators and bathrooms
• Reserved parking spaces
• Option to ask for an adapted worktable
• Rooms adapted for people with reduced mobility in student residences

For all questions and needs relating to mobility on campus, students can check with the support services for students with disabilities at their educational institution.

In addition to the Loans and Bursaries Program, some students may be eligible for other types of financial assistance.

They could also benefit from the Allowance for Special Needs program, which is administered directly by the universities. A university counsellor can help assess a student’s eligibility for this program.

A number of private bursaries are also offered, including annual bursaries for students living with a visual, auditory, motor or sensory disability. Some institutions also offer individualized support in negotiating the procedures used to obtain financial assistance.

For additional information, students can go to their university’s website.

Most universities offer free guidance services, which include individualized services for students living with disabilities.

Support can also be obtained for the following tasks:

• Development of an academic or career plan adapted to the student’s condition
• Validation of a student’s choice of an academic or career path in light of their strengths and condition, the requirements of the chosen program and the reality of the job market with respect to the occupation in question.
• Exploration of employment or practicum prospects adapted to the student’s profile
• Disclosure of the student’s disability during the search for a job or practicum
• Search for resources to facilitate employability development

In some universities, career and employment services are offered by a specialized counsellor. Support can also be obtained by means of information videos, training sessions and individual meetings for the following tasks:

• Writing a cover letter
• Writing a résumé
• Preparing for an interview
• Looking for a job
• Developing a contact network

Some institutions have also published a directory of job and volunteer opportunities that each member of the student community has access to throughout their time in university and even after graduating.

In addition, some institutions offer placement services that are adapted to people with disabilities, giving due consideration to their strengths and limitations. The counsellor or the support services for students with disabilities can provide information on these services.

Finally, the mission of the Regroupement des organismes spécialisés pour l’emploi des personnes handicapées  (ROSEPH, in French only) is to foster the integration of students with disabilities into the job market and to help them remain employed.