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The National Educational Association of Disabled Students receives three year operating grant from the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnerships Program – Disability Issues

Ottawa, July 26, 2019 -

The National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) is thrilled to announce that it has been successful in its application for a multi-year federal grant funding. An agreement is now in place for the association to receive a total of $190,000 in a grant from the Government of Canada for fiscal years 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022. The funding supports the NEADS project: “Full Access to Post-Secondary Education and Employment for Disabled Students and Graduates.” This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnerships Program – Disability Issues.

The grant is annual funding over three years for NEADS to:
- Provide information, support and vital unique resources to thousands of persons with disabilities to assist them to fully access services, accommodations and financial assistance in Canada’s colleges and universities;
- Maintain an online presence for disabled students through its websites and social media platforms including the main website: www.neads.ca  financial aid portal: https://www.disabilityawards.ca/  and employment portal: http://breakingitdown.neads.ca/ ;
- Continue to support the employment and education of people living with disabilities;
-  Promote hiring and retention of educated disabled persons in all fields in the workplace;
-  Address gender-based violence against women with disabilities and deaf women in Canada’s post-secondary system;
- Respond to mental health challenges faced by students with disabilities while they are in school;
- Leverage partnerships and relationships within the post-secondary sector, other non-governmental organizations and private sector to benefit our constituents.

Roxana Jahani Aval, NEADS Chair says: “I am so proud of the work that NEADS does as a consumer group fighting for the rights of students and graduates with disabilities. The Government of Canada -- under the outstanding leadership of Minister Carla Qualtrough -- has just passed the historic Accessible Canada Act. And NEADS is being supported through Minister Qualtrough’s department with this grant funding to continue making a difference in the lives of Canadian students with disabilities. It’s a very exciting time! We sincerely thank Minister Qualtrough and her department staff in Employment and Social Development Canada.”

Tayler Glaspey, NEADS Treasurer and British Columbia Director adds: “It’s great news! This grant funding from the Social Development Partnerships Program represents a portion of the operating funding we require to meet our mandate and objectives as an organization. But we’ve seen over the years how important a stable foundation of grant funding from the Government of Canada has been vital to the work that we do. With this funding, we’re able to leverage support from other funding programs within governments, through foundations and the private sector to initiate other projects and continue core programs including the NEADS Student Awards Program, that provides scholarships to outstanding college and university students with disabilities across Canada.”

About the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS):

Since its founding in 1986, the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS), has had the mandate to achieve full access to education and employment for post-secondary students and graduates with disabilities across Canada.
NEADS is a consumer-controlled, cross-disability charitable organization. We represent our constituents through specific projects, resources, research, publications and partnerships. NEADS is governed by a national Board of Directors representative of all of the provinces and territories.

Our work as an organization focuses on three core Strategic Program areas:
1.    Disabled student debt reduction
2.    Disabled student experience in class and on campus
3.    Disabled student and graduate employment

The organization functions collaboratively with post-secondary stakeholders, other non-governmental organizations, employers, disability service providers (on college and university campuses) and communities that can improve opportunities in higher education and the labour market for persons with disabilities in Canada. NEADS also provides ongoing expert advice to Employment and Social Development Canada and provincial/territorial governments. We have been a stakeholder group of the Government of Canada’s National Advisory Group on Student Financial Assistance — Chaired by the Director General of the Canada Student Loans Program — since 1987. Our work includes promoting government programs and services that support higher education for Canadians with disabilities. The Association is a member organization of the Council of Canadians With Disabilities (CCD).

For further information:

Frank Smith
National Coordinator
National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS)
Rm. 514 Unicentre, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, tel. (613) 380-8065, ext. 201
www.neads.ca
https://www.disabilityawards.ca/
http://breakingitdown.neads.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/myNEADS/
https://www.canadahelps.org/dn/344