ERIC Number: ED515668
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Oct-7
Pages: 7
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Strategies for Overcoming Barriers to Training and Education for Canadians with Disabilities. Lessons in Learning
Canadian Council on Learning
If stronger skills and more education are key to greater labour force participation, then it is important to identify critical barriers to education and training for Canadians with disabilities. In 2008, the Canadian Council on Learning's Adult Learning Knowledge Centre funded a "Community Outreach Initiative for Learner's with Disabilities" that focused on those living in Atlantic Canada. The "Independent Living Resource Centre" (ILRC) in Halifax, Nova Scotia was selected to engage in research within the disability communities in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Through partner organizations in each province, respondents were asked a series of questions about; their individual disabilities, their experiences with adult learning, the barriers they had encountered as learners, and the strategies and changes they recommended for overcoming those barriers. How can Canadians with disabilities overcome barriers to adult education and training in order to develop stronger skills and improve their labour force outcomes? Respondents to the ILRC community outreach project made several recommendations to assist in addressing the physical and societal barriers they face. Several common themes emerged, including the importance of: (1) securing funding accessible to learners with disabilities; (2) providing accessible transportation and building/classrooms; (3) providing alternative formats for learning and testing; (4) creating peer support networks and services for adult learners with disabilities; and (5) establishing disability awareness training for educators. (Contains 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Outreach Programs, Disabilities, Adult Learning, Foreign Countries, Barriers, Change Strategies, Accessibility (for Disabled), Educational Needs, Needs Assessment, Access to Education, Employment Potential, Community Based Instruction (Disabilities), Interest Inventories, Adult Education
Canadian Council on Learning. c/o University of Ottawa, 50 Laurier East Suite 108, Ottawa, ON K1N 1H7, Canada. Tel: 613-569-7600; Fax: 613-569-6129; e-mail: info@ccl-cca.ca; Web site: http://www.ccl-cca.ca/Home.html
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Canadian Council on Learning
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A