National Youth Forum in Ottawa in November

Posted on August 9, 2016 by dicksonn

This fall, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, will host a one-day national forum for youth with disabilities and youth who have life experience, work experience or academic experience related to disability. The event is part of the Government of Canadas consultation process to inform the development of planned accessibility legislation.

This is your opportunity to:

– join other youth from across the country and share your ideas on how to improve accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities in Canada;

– showcase what you have done to remove barriers for people with disabilities; and

– inspire other youth to demonstrate their leadership in promoting the participation of all Canadians in society, including those with disabilities.

The forum will take place on November (tbc), 2016 in Ottawa, Ontario. The date and location of the Forum will be confirmed with participants who are selected. Travel and accommodation expenses for selected participants will be paid, according to Treasury Board of Canada guidelines. Seats are limited, so see if you meet the participant selection criteria below, and send us your application by September 15, 2016.

In order to ensure a broad representation of perspectives, the selection process will take into consideration regional, linguistic, gender and other demographic factors. We also encourage you to participate in the consultation in other wayseither by attending one of the in-person public sessions or through the online consultation website.

Criteria for participation:

– You must be between 15 and 30 years old at the time of the forum.

– You must be a resident of Canada.

– You must have a disability or have life experience, academic experience or work experience related to disability and accessibility.

– You must be able to demonstrate how you have shown leadership or involvement in an area related to disability and accessibility, in your community, your region, or nationally.

Submitting an application: The deadline for the submission of all applications is September 15, 2016. Only complete applications submitted by this date will be considered. Please fill in the application form and send the completed form, along with accompanying documents, (or the URL to your public or private video submission describing your experience) to accessible-canada@hrsdc.gc.ca or by fax to 819-994-4797.

You can also complete the online application form below. If you are selected to participate in this forum, we will contact you by September 30, 2016 with follow-up instructions, including more detailed questions to determine your participation needs.

Download a National Youth Forum Application Form accessible PDF.

Complete the application form online:

https://hrsdc-rhdcc.sondages-surveys.ca/s/forum_national_text/?l=en

If you would like to receive information in another format, including large print, braille, e-text, or Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY), please contact the Office for Disability Issues.

For all information:

http://www.esdc.gc.ca/en/consultations/disability/legislation/index.page?&_ga=1.235746504.891366934.1392394939

– See more at:

http://www.neads.ca/en/about/media/index.php?id=397#sthash.SgvXsVfp.dpuf

Work-Able Graduate Internship Program

Posted on June 10, 2016 by dicksonn

The Work-Able Internship Program is a paid twelve month BC Public Service work experience program for recent post-secondary graduates who self-identify as having a disability. This unique program provides learning, coaching and mentorship throughout the internship and interns will gain valuable skills and public service experience.

We offer extensive training, growth and development opportunities, a competitive salary and offer a balance between work and life commitments. We are committed to continuing to be an employer of choice and providing a professional environment where ideas work.

To be considered for this opportunity, please submit, via the online application process:

1. Resume Profile
2. Personal Essay – In 750 words or less (no less than 500) write a personal essay that responds to the following questions:

Describe how your personal values/ guiding principles align with 2 to 3 of the BC Public Service Values and provide an example of how you demonstrated this in one aspect in your life (e.g. school, work, volunteering);
Describe how your strengths (specific experience, knowledge, skills and abilities) will enable you to be successful over the course of the twelve month Internship; and
Describe what you think will be a challenge for you over the course of the twelve month Internship.

Your written essay will be used to assess the following:

Organizational cultural alignment (alignment or fit with organizational culture);
Self-awareness (relevant knowledge, skills/abilities and integration of strengths into Internship); and
Written communication skills (grammar, spelling, length, tone, clear/ easy to understand language).

Please note:

– Applications that do not include a resume and a personal essay will not be considered.
– Candidates who are selected for an interview will be required to provide an academic reference.
– Successful candidates:

May be asked for supporting documentation regarding their disability to assist in providing accommodation supports;
Will be required to submit documentation that verifies post-secondary graduation requirements for an under-graduate or a graduate degree have been met and are between the dates of April 1, 2013 and September 5, 2016; and
May be required to undergo a Criminal Record Check (CRC).

Steps to Apply:

Create a profile by clicking on “Create Profile” at the top of this page.
To update an existing profile, click on “Career Centre Login” at the top of this page.
Review your profile before hitting “submit” to ensure all your information is there.
After submitting your profile, you will be taken to the Cover Letter page where you can add your personal essay (the personal essay is your Cover Letter).
As the final part of your application process, you will be prompted to fill out a questionnaire which must be completed in order for your application to be considered. IMPORTANT: You will not be able to go back at a later time to complete the questionnaire so please allot up to twenty minutes to fill it out after clicking the submit button below.
Please ensure you have completed all three stages of this application – resume profile, personal essay and questionnaire.
Once you have clicked on the submit button and completed the questionnaire, you will receive an email confirmation of receipt. Please save this email confirmation.

For full description of accountabilities and qualifications, please review the attached job profiles.

To learn more about this opportunity, please contact Nancy Valley at Nancy.Valley@gov.bc.ca.

NEADS – Scholarship and Awards Applications

Posted on February 23, 2016 by dicksonn

NEADS Accepting Applications for National Student Awards/Holly Bartlett Memorial Award/AMI Scholarships/Christine Nieder Memorial

Award: Deadline April 30th

The National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) is now accepting applications for the NEADS National Student Awards Program, the Holly Bartlett and Christine Nieder Memorial Awards and the AMI Scholarships. These awards are offered to encourage full access to post-secondary education for persons with disabilities enrolled in undergraduate, graduate or professional degree programs at recognized Canadian universities, or in certified diploma programs at Canadian colleges. Two outstanding applicants who meet eligibility criteria will be eligible for the $5,000 Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) Robert Pearson Memorial Scholarship (one English, one French). Up to six deserving applicants, who meet the criteria of the NEADS Student Awards Program, will be receiving an award in the amount of $3,000 to support the costs of their tuition and student fees. One or more eligible and outstanding applicant(s) will receive the Holly Bartlett and Christine Nieder Memorial Awards, in the amount of $1,000.

Funding for the NEADS Student Awards is provided this year by our sponsors Scotiabank, Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services as well as private donors. Other corporate sponsors will be announced soon. “We are very proud of the NEADS Student Awards Program, and our close to 80 recipients over its first 9 years,” said Dr. Mahadeo Sukhai, NEADS’ Senior Advisor and the director of the student awards program. “This program is the first of its kind in Canada, and was created to recognize overall excellence among students with disabilities in all aspects of post-secondary education. Our winners to date all embody the very best qualities of academic and community involvement. We hope that the program continues to grow, and we look forward to this year’s crop of outstanding applicants.”

Formerly known as the AMI Scholarship, the bursary has been renamed the AMI Robert Pearson Memorial Scholarship in honour of the organization’s Accessibility Officer who passed away in December, 2015. Robert Pearson was a long-time employee of AMI and fervent supporter of accessibility in Canada and around the world.

“Renaming the AMI Scholarship in Robert’s memory ensures that his hard work lives on and forever reminds us of his commitment to accessibility and creating a more inclusive society,” explains Peter Burke, AMI Vice-President of Marketing and Communications. “The Scholarship program was created to further strengthen the organization’s commitment to making accessible media for all Canadians; a role that Robert embraced with great passion and enthusiasm. He was an inspiration to all of us.”

Entering its fifth year, the AMI Robert Pearson Memorial Scholarship program offers much needed financial assistance to students with a disability. In 2016, AMI will once again collaborate with the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) to administer the program and engage students with disabilities from across the country. Two $5,000 bursaries will be awarded to two deserving students with a permanent disability; one from the English community and one from the French.

“Holly Bartlett was loved by all who knew her”, said Frank Smith, NEADS’ National Coordinator. “It was my privilege and pleasure to work with Holly while she served on our Board of Directors. Holly’s accomplishments, in a life that was way too short, were phenomenal.

We believe that the Holly Bartlett Memorial Award is a fitting tribute because it will help other students with disabilities realize success in post-secondary education. This is the sixth year for the Award in Holly’s memory.” NEADS has given out 9 Holly Bartlett Awards since the inception of this program.

Mahadeo Sukhai, said of the Christine Nieder Memorial Award, in its second year: “Christine was a valued part of NEADS, and the National Graduate Experience Taskforce, as well as an important contributor to our work nationally and in British Columbia, and a good friend. We honour her legacy and her passion for research and volunteerism with this new award.”

Apply for all programs through the NEADS website:

http://www.neads.ca/en/about/projects/ete2/scholarship/

For more information:

Frank Smith,

National Coordinator

National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) Rm. 514 Unicentre, Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6 tel. (613) 380-8065 ext. 201 www.neads.ca

“Supporting access to post-secondary education and employment for students with disabilities”

– See more at:

http://www.neads.ca/en/about/media/index.php?id=354#sthash.aeuiPnTt.dpuf

The AEBC & T-Base Scholarship Program now accepting applications for the 2016/2017 academic year

Posted on February 3, 2016 by dicksonn

For the fifth consecutive year, T-Base Communications is proud to partner with The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC) in offering a scholarship program to help fund the educational pursuits of up to three outstanding blind, deaf-blind or partially sighted students in Canada who are continuing their academic education at the post-secondary level.

A total of $4,000 to be awarded!

The Jennifer Laura Eve Wilson Memorial Scholarships

Two Jennifer Laura Eve Wilson Memorial Scholarships (worth $1,000 each) will be offered.

Jennifer was someone who was always selfless, always there for someone in need. She showed courage in overcoming adversity. She took the challenges life put her way from the complications of Type 1 diabetes including visual impairment, and rose above them by her courage, inner strength and determination to make the world a better place for others. These annual AEBC scholarships continue her tradition of helping others.

T-Base Communications Scholarship

The T-Base Communications Scholarship is designed to help students pursue their educational endeavors and is not limited to any one discipline. One T-Base Communications scholarship valued at $2,000 will be awarded for the 2016/2017 academic year beginning in the fall semester of 2016.

Award Criteria

Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of:

Academic performance;
Community involvement; and
Overcoming adversity.

While each criterion will contribute in the overall evaluation process, equal weight will not be applied in determining a final score. Rather, each criterion will serve to assist in distinguishing the exceptionalities and strengths of one candidate from another in the awarding of scholarships.

The winner of the T-Base Communications scholarship is expected to participate in 2 ad-hoc advisory committee meetings on the topic of T-Base Communicationsâ educational services.

The AEBC Student and Education Council Committee is comprised of one AEBC member from the national executive and two regular members of the organization. This committee reviews all applications and selects the scholarship recipients.

In the case of the T-Base scholarship program, the top three applicants are identified to T-Base Communications and T-Base Communications makes the final decision.

Successful recipients will be notified of their selection by July 31st, 2016.

Applicant Qualifications

Students at the undergraduate and graduate levels (masters, doctorate, or post-doctorate),as well as students in college, vocational, educational upgrading, and performing arts programs, are welcome to apply.

Unless an applicant indicates otherwise, all applicants will be considered for each scholarship for which they are eligible. A separate application for each scholarship program is not required.

Previous applicants or recipients of AEBC scholarships are eligible to reapply if qualified.

To be eligible for these scholarships, you must meet all of the following qualifications.

You must be blind, deaf-blind or partially sighted. For our purposes, you are considered to be âblindâ if you have no vision or only light perception in the better of your two eyes, and âpartially sightedâ if you have a visual acuity of 20/60 or less (as measured on the Snellan eye chart) in your better eye with best correction, or if your visual field measures less than twenty degrees.
You must be studying (or planning to study) at a post-secondary institution in Canada. (Canadian citizens or permanent residents studying abroad under an exchange program and paying fees to a Canadian educational institution are eligible, as are students who choose to study abroad for lack of a similar program in Canada, failure to be accepted into a Canadian program, or the clear superiority of a program abroad.) You will be required to provide your social insurance number for income tax purposes if you receive a scholarship.
You must be attending (or planning to attend) a post-secondary program during the period between September 2016 and April 2017, on at least a part-time basis (i.e. taking the equivalent of at least two courses per semester).

Membership in AEBC

Scholarship applicants and recipients need not be members of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians. However, involvement in the organization is strongly encouraged, as we seek to gain a stronger voice in Canada, and membership benefits those who are blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted both collectively and individually.

A year’s free membership to AEBC is part of each scholarship. This affords the winner an opportunity to learn about and participate in our organization.

Completing Your Application

A complete application is comprised of the following five items. You may submit your application in either English or French. Please double check that your application is complete before submitting it. A complete application will include:

(a) The application form. You can find a blank copy of this form at http://www.blindcanadians.ca/programs/scholarship.

(b) A copy of your most recent transcript. This need not be an official copy â a printout from your schoolâs web site is acceptable. We may ask for an official copy at a later date.

(c) A one-page (500 word) personal statement: This is an opportunity for you to describe yourself, provide background on your visual condition (and any additional medical or disability information that may be relevant), your academic goals, interests, school and community activities, work experience, and so on. In writing this essay, you should try to answer the question: âWhat barriers or obstacles have you faced and conquered in your life (which may include financial hardship), as a result of your disability?â Please do not simply send a resume.

(d) A one-page (500 word) essay on âaccessible educationâ: Tell us how accessibility in learning makes a difference in your education. Please let us know what format (print, large print, Braille, audio, etc.) is most important to you for your success as a student and why. NOTE: We can only know you through the information you give us. Please be thorough and complete.

(e) One letter of reference: You should include one current letter of reference (written in the last twelve months) from an individual who can comment in detail on your academic progress, personal strengths, community involvement, and any other aspects of your life that support your application. The individual may be an employer or supervisor, clergy member, academic advisor, department head academic planner, etc. If possible, this reference letter should be forwarded with your application package. If your reference would prefer to send it directly to AEBC, please ensure that they clearly indicate in their e-mail who they are writing on behalf of.

Submitting Your Application

The deadline for scholarship submissions is Thursday, March 31st, 2016.

Each part of your application should be submitted as a separate electronic file, preferably in Microsoft Word (.DOC or .DOCX), Rich Text (.RTF), or plain text (.TXT) format. Some members of the Student and Education Council committee are themselves blind, and picture files (.JPG, .GIF, .PNG, etc.) are not accessible. Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) files may or may not be accessible to users who are blind and should be avoided if possible. (We understand, however, that some documents, such as your transcript, may only come in one format from your institution).

Please attach all of these documents to an e-mail message and send them to: scholarship@blindcanadians.ca

Incomplete applications, as well as any applications (complete, incomplete, or parts of applications) received after March 31st, 2016 will not be considered for scholarship awards.

Please distribute this announcement as widely as possible to ensure it reaches your eligible blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted students.

Application deadline is March 31, 2016.

For full details on how to apply and to download the information package, visit http://www.blindcanadians.ca/programs/scholarship.

About The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians is a national charitable organization, founded in 1992, that is dedicated to promoting the increased inclusion of blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted Canadians in all aspects of social life, from employment to participation in elections. Our members, comprised of blind, deaf-blind, and partially sighted consumers and supporters from across the country, participate in working groups and committees, engage with local, city-based chapters, and engage in public awareness and education activities on a daily basis. www.blindcanadians.ca

About T-Base Communications

T-Base Communications specializes in quality and on time delivery of alternate format educational textbooks and learning materials in braille (literary, music, computer, chemistry and Nemeth), e-Text, Audio CD, Accessible PDF, DAISY, and Math ML. Our goal is to provide accessible learning materials for you to offer students who are blind or print-disabled and to ensure the delivery and quality matches that of the learning materials their sighted peers have access to.

www.tbase.com

For further information:

Media Contacts

Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians Dar Wournell National President AEBC

1-800-561-4774

dar@blindcanadians.ca

T-Base Communications

Deanna White

Media Relations

(613) 236-0866 Ext. 1231

dwhite@tbase.com

Accepting Applications for the Sarah Gaulin Memorial Scholarship

Posted on January 20, 2016 by dicksonn

January 19, 2016 – Laval – The Gaulin Foundation is pleased to announce that it is once again accepting applications for the $1,000 Sarah Gaulin Memorial Scholarship a national scholarship that promotes the resilience of individuals with mental illness pursuing post-secondary education.

The Sarah Gaulin Memorial Scholarship was established in honour of Sarah Gaulin, who died at age 26 after a longtime battle with mental illness. Along with her passion for Paralympic sport, Sarah actively pursued a career in the healthcare field. Notwithstanding her health issues, Sarah persevered and continued to attend and excel in her educational field of choice.

Although she battled with mental illness, she never gave up on education and her dream of one day helping others.

The scholarship seeks to support and encourage the resilience of individuals with mental illness pursuing post-secondary education, which Sarah believed strongly in. Students must be registered in a post-secondary institution and provide documented proof of their mental illness. The scholarship will be awarded to outstanding applicants who meet the criteria of the program.

The awards will be paid directly to the post-secondary institution (in the students’ accounts) that the recipients are attending to defray the cost of tuition fees for post-secondary study. In order to apply, students must be registered in a post-secondary institution and provide documented proof of their mental illness.

The scholarship will be awarded to outstanding applicants who meet the criteria of the program.

Deadline for applications is April 1, 2016.

Details about the scholarship can be found at www.gaulinfoundation.org

Contact: The Gaulin Foundation 2334 De Mexico Laval, QC, H7M 3C9 Telephone: 514-360-3500 E-mail: info@gaulinfoundation.org

– See more at:

http://www.neads.ca/en/about/media/index.php?id=337#sthash.5mR6YXMf.dpuf