Debt Load

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Debt Load Financial Barriers for Students with
Disabilities in Canadian Postsecondary Education

• Centre for the Study of Students in Postsecondary
  Education
• Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
• (University of Toronto)
• Presenter Melissa Bolton (M.A. Candidate
  OISE/UT)

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Partners

• National Educational Association of Disabled
  Students (NEADS)
• Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation -
  Project Funder
• Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario
  (HEQCO) - Project Funder
• Canadian Association of Disability Service
  Providers in Post-Secondary Education (CADSPPE)

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Presentation Overview

• Purpose
• Phases of research
• Methodology
• Preliminary analyses results

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Purpose

• To assess the academic/educational debt load and
  financial barriers of students with disabilities.
• The goal is to understand the relative debt
  incurred by students with disabilities in post
  secondary education, the financial barriers and
  the impact their debt has on their educational
  experience and decisions.

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Phases of Research

• Phase 1 Interviews with disabled students in
  Canadian postsecondary education
• Phase 2 Interviews with financial aid offices
  and disability service providers across Canada

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• Phase 3 Pan Canadian online survey of students
  with disabilities in colleges and universities in
  Canadian postsecondary education.
• Phase 4 Quantitative analysis of National
  archival data supported by the Data Liberation
  Initiative (Statistics Canada)

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Phase 1 Interviews with disabled students in
Canadian postsecondary education
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Telephone Interview
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Preliminary Analyses
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Methodology

• Preliminary Analysis
• Grounded theory- constant comparison
• Corbin, J., Strauss, A. (1990). Grounded theory
  research Procedures, canons, and evaluative
  criteria. Qualitative Sociology, 13.

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Financial barriers encountered during studies

• Qualifying for external funding (for example
  OSAP qualifications).
• Limited number of bursaries, grants or awards for
  Students with disabilities

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(No Transcript)
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What individuals or organizations were involved
in assisting students?

• Financial aid officers
• Disability services
• Provincial disability support programs (eg. ODSP)
• Family members
• Community centers and religious groups

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Impact of Financial Barriers on the Student
ExperienceHow did financial barriers
facilitate or hinder postsecondary educational
experience?

• Hindrance
• Stressor
• Limitation on social engagement

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Educational Employment Aspirations after
Graduation

• Jobs related to field of study
• Educational attainment
• Helping professions

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Feedback from Students with Disabilities

• Systemic Changes in Policy and Funding
• Greater access to resources
• Having a voice/advocating for change

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• For more information, please contact the
• Centre for the Study of Students in
  Postsecondary Education
• http//css.oise.utoronto.ca/index.html

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References

• Corbin, J., Strauss, A. (1990). Grounded theory
  research Procedures, canons, and evaluative
  criteria. Qualitative Sociology, 13.
• Statistics Canada. Participation and Activity
  Limitation Survey (2001). CANSIM (database).
  Using CHASS (distributor). Version updated May
  31, 2005. http//dc1.chass.utoronto.ca/ (accessed
  September 1, 2008).