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Join NEADS on the Winnipeg State of the Schools Tour Stop (April 3, 2023)

Join the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS), the University of Winnipeg Students Association (UWSA)’s Access Lounge and Disability Justice Collective on Monday, April 3rd from 12-4pm CT at University of Winnipeg’s Student Association’s The Hive and on zoom for our Winnipeg State of the Schools Tour stop!

As part of NEADS’ Virtual Access for All Project and Back to School National Advocacy Campaign, the NEADS Team is partnering with UWSA’s Access Lounge and Disability Justice Collective for this hybrid event focusing on accessibility, accommodations, education, and employment for disabled post-secondary students.

Contact tracing, social distancing, and masking will be enforced for in-person participants, and closed captioning and ASL interpretation will be available through zoom. Both in-person and online participants are encouraged to share their lived experience, questions, and concerns during the discussion period. Pre-packaged lunch and snacks will be provided to in-person participants.

All participants must register for this free event – please register here. Please indicate any accessibility requirements through the registration form, or email carly.fox@neads.ca

About USWA’s Access Lounge

The Access Lounge was initiated by the 2016/17 UWSA Accessibility Director, who worked with the board of directors, executive team and UWSA, along with U of W staff, to develop a consultation process for students to give their input.  Today, the Access Lounge reflects the needs and wants from students who gave their input during our consultations sessions or through our online survey.

This project was completed with the support of the Disability Justice Collective (formerly UWSAccess), a student group working to bring together, advocate for and support students with disabilities/disabled students/mad students/students who are mentally ill/ neurodivergent students. Students with self declared disabilities are welcome and there is no need to be registered with Accessibility services. This is a space for students with disabilities, but those who give support to members, and are allies, are welcome.

The Access Lounge is a space on campus dedicated to students who are disabled by barriers. This space is for those students to study, hang out or complete course work. The Lounge offers; Power operated doors, powered window blinds, dimmable lights, a height adjustable desk, computer with adaptive software, a sofa, and a kettle for tea/coffee.

Find them on Facebook and Instagram (@uwsa.accesslounge) or contact them by email (accesslounge@theuwsa.ca)

More About NEADS 

About NEADS’ Virtual Access for All Program

NEADS' Virtual Access for All Project provides educational support and awareness aimed at students with disabilities transitioning into post-secondary education. Accessibility and accommodations resources are provided through our quarterly State of the Schools publications, while our regular webinar series addresses topics such as self-advocacy, accessing accommodations at work and school, and transitioning into the workforce. Further, financial support is available through NEADS' Student Awards Program and Accessibility Resilience Program. Virtual Access for All is generously supported by Employment and Social Development Canada's Goal Getters Program, and has recently received an upward amendment in response to positive reception.

About NEADS’ Back to School National Advocacy Campaign

As vaccine and mask mandates lift and online learning options are rolled back, the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) has launched a national advocacy campaign to support disabled post-secondary students' rights to safe and accessible education.

Disabled students are asked to provide written submissions detailing their thoughts, feelings, and anxieties as they prepare for an unsafe and inaccessible Fall term, and submissions will be shared in a final report and social media campaign. Submissions are being accepted on an ongoing basis for the social media campaign, and a follow up report will be published upon the completion of the campaign.

Meet the NEADS Touring Team

Carly Fox, Communications & Partnerships Director

Carly Fox (she/her/elle) is a queer, neurodivergent, and disabled young woman based out of Algonquin Anishinabe Territory (Ottawa, ON). Fox is NEADS' Communications & Partnerships Director, the Council of Canadians with Disabilities' International Chair, a disability advocate, and recently attended the 15th Conference of State Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as a member of Canada's Delegation. As a disability advocate and blogger, Fox aims to raise awareness on different types of invisible disabilities and the interactions between them, and aims to use her privilege to dismantle systemic forms of oppression to create space for others to share their lived experiences. Fox is currently in her third year at uOttawa, where she majors in International Development and Globalization and minors in Human Rights and Conflict Studies. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter (@ItsCarlyFox, @CarlyFox_DisabilityAdvocacy), or on her blog https://CarlyFoxDisabilityAdvocacy.ca

Katja Newman, NEADS Student Awards Programs Director

Katja Newman (she/her/elle) is the National Educational Association of Disabled Students’ Student Awards Scholarship program manager. A resident of Halifax Nova Scotia, she is in her final year of an online Masters in Grant Writing and Program Evaluation from Concordia University Chicago. Prior to her Masters, Katja received a Bachelor's of Social Work from Carleton University and a Child & Youth Work Diploma from Georgian College. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys hiking, tandem bike riding, baking, cooking and educating audiences on the accessibility and inclusion related highs and lows that come with living life as a blind post-secondary student who navigates the world with the help of a guide dog.

Elizabeth Mohler, Research Consultant

Elizabeth Mohler currently works for NEADS as a Research Consultant, where she leads the Virtual Access for All Project and writes its quarterly publication, State of the Schools. She also works for Left Turn Right Turn as an accessibility specialist; sits on the Canadian Institute for Health Research external advisory committee on systemic ableism and accessibility; and, is an experienced presenter, keynote speaker, lecturer, and published writer. Elizabeth is currently a doctoral candidate at Western University in the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Program. Her work explores how discourses and practices within Direct Funding shape how disabled persons access services, and in what ways service users resist and negotiate these discourses. Follow Elizabeth’s work at: www.elizabethmohler.ca

Aliyah Petzak-Grant, Website Manager

Aliyah Petzak-Grant (she/her/elle) is NEADS' Website Manager, a creative and driven website designer, and a passionate disability advocate. Aliyah aims to educate others about online accessibility and assistive technology through her work. As NEADS' Website Manager, Aliyah oversees multiple sites including disabilityawards.ca - the largest online directory of disability-specific financial aid.  When time permits Aliyah also does freelance and on occasion volunteer website design and accessibility consultations.  Past work experience includes Researcher for the Accessible Career Transitions Project (now ACT to Employ) at Carleton University. While earning her degree in Psychology at Carleton focusing on Human Computer Interactions (HCI) and accessible technology user experience, Aliyah also volunteered with the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities. Outside of work, Aliyah enjoys playing board games, Dungeons and Dragons, and spending quality time with her dog.

Chloée Godin-Jacques, Research Consultant

Chloée Catherine (she/they) is a white settler disabled queer person. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Education at Western University. Chloée is an activist and strives to generate awareness about accessibility, disability, and intersectionality and dismantle preconceived notions by sharing her own diverse lived experiences through the means of blog posts and social media posts. She is also a Lead Consultant at Chloée Catherine Consulting, where she supports businesses and other organizations to further foster inclusive spaces for disabled persons. Chloée’s personal and professional interests lie within the realms of accessibility, activism, community-building, disability, higher education, intersectionality, and sexuality. You can follow Chloée’s journey via @chloeecatherine (on Instagram) and chloeecatherine.com

Alan Bridgeman, IT Support

Alan Bridgeman (He/Him/Il) is the CEO & Founder of a Vancouver based tech start-up called Bridgeman Accessible that works to make technology in all formats from digital documents and media, to websites, to innovative technologies accessible for all. Alan's passion and expertise in digital accessibility has lead him to work with a wide variety of clients including Accessibility Standards Canada, the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, Shared Services Canada, and Manoverboard amongst others. Alan has been a disability advocate for a little over a decade contributing to organizations like MLPD, VIRN, Neil Squire Society, CNIB amongst many others and has been involved with NEADS in various capacities since 2016. When not coding, working with organizations or volunteering Alan can usually be found creating 3D art in Blender, video editing, listening to podcasts or trying out new technologies.

Carly Fox (she/her/elle), carly.fox@neads.ca, NEADS Communications and Partnerships Director |Directrice des communications et des partenariats de NEADS

National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS)
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