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NEADS x MyLearningCoach: Expanding Access for Disabled & Neurodivergent Post-Secondary Students

Join the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) and MyLearningCoach on Friday, November 24th from 7-8pm ET via zoom for our latest Virtual Access for All Webinar!

Please join us as MyLearningCoach’s founder, Deanna Fidelak, walks us through how MyLearningCoach came to be and the ways in which MLC is helping post-secondary students across Canada experience academic success. In this session, MyLearningCoach shares how they work creatively to remove systemic barriers and increase access to post-secondary education for students with disabilities.

Closed captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided. Registration is required - please register here. This event is a feature of our Virtual Access for All webinar series, which is generally supported by Employment and Social Development Canada's Supports for Student Learning Program.

Deanna Fidelak, MyLearningCoach Founder

Deanna Fidelak (she/her) is a proud graduate from the University of Alberta where she earned a Bachelor of Education in Special Education and a Masters in Educational Psychology. She also holds a teacher leadership certificate from the University of Upper Iowa. Deanna works in post-secondary education in the fields of accessibility and educational psychology. She is a former K-12 educator, inclusive education coordinator and school leader.

Deanna is the founder of MyLearningCoach Educational Solutions. MyLearningCoach is a collective of educational professionals who have come together to provide a variety of academic coaching services that ensure Canadian post-secondary students have full access to their education. Using a collaborative coaching model, MyLearningCoach works with students to remove barriers to learning with the goal of ensuring full access to an equitable education.

Deanna draws on her lived experience to relate to students and has designed MyLearningCoach to support students who experience barriers to learning. Deanna has first-hand experience navigating post-secondary education as a student with learning disabilities and ADHD, which allows her to empathize with many of the challenges students face.  She is a first-generation university graduate and successfully navigated graduate school as a single parent while working full-time. Deanna’s life experience and career path has brought her full circle as she now finds herself advocating for the rights of post-secondary students.

About MyLearningCoach

MyLearningCoach has brought together motivated educational professionals who are passionate about increasing access to postsecondary education. We strive to be a central hub of information/resources to support post-secondary learners to navigate and access necessary supports to mitigate disability-related barriers to learning.

Our Mission is to ensure post-secondary students have full access to an equitable education. We do this by providing educational services, such as academic coaching, that empower and support post-secondary students to reach their full academic aspirations.

MyLearningCoach Services

MyLearningCoach provides a variety of services aimed at increasing access to post-secondary education through services that remove barriers to learning. Their services are designed with the post-secondary students in mind and support learners to access grant funding to cover the cost of their services.

Academic Coaching

Academic Coaching is our most requested service. Academic Coaching is a blend of academic strategy instruction and more traditional tutoring support, as outlined in the services below. Students are paired with a coach that guides them through their post-secondary studies. Through this model, we educate learners on the resources available and guide them to develop the necessary skills and strategies for post-secondary success.

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Academic Strategy Instruction

Academic Strategy Instruction is designed to teach students to use research-validated academic strategies. Effective academic strategy use allows students to master course content, demonstrate learning, and experience academic success.

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Tutoring

Tutoring is designed for students who need to supplement class instruction through more traditional support. Tutoring is appropriate for students who require support in one specific course or subject area.

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Assistive Technology Consultation & Training

Assistive Technology (AT) can be any item, piece of equipment, system or program that supports students to overcome barriers to learning. Many post-secondary learners benefit from the use of various forms of AT to support them in their studies.

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Academic & Accessibility Advising

Academic and Accessibility Advising offers students guidance in navigating the post-secondary world.

We support students with accessing information to make informed decisions about their post-secondary options and accessibility needs.

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Counselling & Therapy

Mental wellness is important for all students and thus, we have partnered with psychologists, counselors, and student interns to offer accessible counseling services to our students.

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Educational-Psychological Assessments

Educational-Psychological Assessments are standardized assessments that look at an individual’s intellectual and academic abilities.

These assessments are administered by a psychologist or a psychometrist and, combined with clinical interviews, observations and historical information, identify how individuals learn best.

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About NEADS’ Virtual Access for All Project

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.

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)
Rm. 514 Unicentre, Carleton University
Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6

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