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NEADS State of the Schools Tour Halifax Stop, Friday November 25, 2022

Join the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) and the Dalhousie Accessibility & Inclusion Society (DAIS) on November 25th from 12-4pm AT in Room 307 of the Dalhousie Student Union Building and on zoom for our Halifax 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 the Dalhousie Accessibility & Inclusion Society (DAIS), the Dalhousie Disability Advocacy Society (DDAS), the Schulich Disability Allies Society and local speakers 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. IF you wish to participate in person, register quickly as only 40 spots are available for on-campus attendance! Please indicate any accessibility requirements through the registration form, or email carly.fox@neads.ca

About Dalhousie Accessibility & Inclusion Society

DAIS is a society dedicated to improving accessibility and accessibility services at Dalhousie University One in seven Canadians have a disability. Nova Scotia has the highest rate of disability in comparison to all other provinces and territories in Canada, at a rate of 19%. Furthermore, university graduation rates are lower for those with a disability in all provinces in Canada. These three facts are just a few out of the many statistics out there that are a result of the lack of complete accessibility, support, and inclusion in our communities. Our society aims to increase the accessibility services at Dalhousie for both the students and the community. Our society aims to hear our student population’s concerns about Dal’s accessibility, and work together to make an impact.

About Dalhousie Disability Advocacy Society

Raising awareness of disability by having positive and real discussions, addressing common misconceptions, and fighting against stereotypes to better inform others.

About Schulich Disability Allies Society

Schulich Disability Allies (SDA) is an advocacy group and community for students with disabilities. Disability can constitute anything from a physical impairment, a learning impairment, to mental health struggles such as depression or anxiety. This list is non-exhaustive and often many fit somewhere on a spectrum for all of these.

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 director of the National Educational Association of Disabled Students’ Student Awards financial assistance programs, the NEADS Student Awards Program and Accessibility Resilience Program. A resident of Halifax Nova Scotia, she recently completed 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 her role at NEADS 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 Nova Scotian 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.

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.

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

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