Cambrian College Special Needs
Regional Resource Centre

Creating Lifetime of Opportunity

The Ontario Human Rights Code states that it is public policy in Ontario to recognize the inherent dignity and worth of every person and to provide for equal rights and opportunity without discrimination. The provisions of the Ontario Human Rights Code are aimed at creating a climate of understanding and mutual respect for the dignity and worth of each person so that each person feels a part of the community and feels able to contribute to the community.

Creating such a climate benefits the individual as well as society as a whole. On an economic level, our future prosperity depends on our people and our ability to draw upon the skills of all Canadians. This means becoming an inclusive society and creating an environment which offers persons with a learning and physical disabilities a level playing field.

That environment is the Special Needs Regional Resource Centre located at Cambrian College in Sudbury. The only one of its kind in North America, the Centre creates an environment where persons with learning, visual, hearing and mobility disabilities have every opportunity to succeed where personal autonomy, empowerment, and self-advocacy are encouraged and respected where inclusion is promoted over segregation.

The Special Needs Regional Resource Centre features specialized testing, assessment and personal care rooms along with alternative learning methods and the newest computer, interpreter and visual aid equipment to assist reading, comprehension, writing, and tutoring at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. It is the catalyst for creating academic and career opportunities for people from all walks of life and from a variety of local, provincial, national, and international locales. It is a Centre where solutions can be developed and accessed to ensure that society can benefit from everyone's participation.

The first phase of the Centre was completed in the spring of 1996. Phases II and III of the expansion will include an adaptive sports and fitness complex and a therapeutic pool complex, respectively, and are expected to be completed by the year 2000.

Fulfilling Educational Aspirations

Located at Cambrian's Barrydowne campus, the Special Needs Regional Resource Centre facilitates the inclusion of all students into mainstream educational programs and promotes a holistic approach to education and training which includes physical fitness activities and social interaction through team sports.

To assist students in fulfilling their educational aspirations, the Centre provides a variety of services, including:

• educational and screening assessments
• training and monitoring on assistive equipment and devices, such as large print computers, automatic readers, closed circuit televisions, tape recorders, etc.
• computerized and regular note-taking services
• sign language communicator and interpreter services
• academic and disability counseling
• research on effectiveness of intervention strategies
• consultation in suitable types of testing accommodations, such as oral testing, use of proctors and /or writing assistants, and extended time for completion
• recruitment, monitoring and supply of personal and educational attendants and tutors
• alternative delivery modes and formats for distance education (e.g. tapes, Braille, large print)
• liaison with other educational institutions, associations and professionals
• referrals to appropriate associations and agencies
• consultation, training and support for students, educators and trainers throughout the educational system
• consultation for facility access and barrier-free adaptations

Facilitating Workplace Integration

Educational institutions, workplace sites, health care institutions and other agencies can access resources at and through the Centre to enable them to respond to issues relating to disabilities and to address labour market integration, restructuring and transition. The rapid identification of learning disabilities and the implementation of appropriate remedial strategies can:

• facilitate the student's transition into the workplace during field placements or for permanent employment through counseling, consultation, training and support for both student and the employer;
• accelerate the workforce reintegration of workers in need of training or retraining due to workplace restructuring and downsizing; and
• promote the return to work by reengineering the skills of injured workers.

Through the Centre, employees can also access resources and consultation for the purchase of specialized and adaptive equipment and furniture and for demonstrations and training on the use of assistive computer hardware and software appropriate for their application.

A Springboard to Solutions

In addition to providing a much needed resource in education setting, the Centre is also an innovation centre for new assistive and adaptive learning technology, facility access and equipment design. The setting created by joining expertise and practical application is conductive to product development, testing and commercialization geared to finding solutions to the barriers which too often impede learning and the integration of people into the workplace and into society. Through the Centre, professionals with expertise in a variety of fields, such as electronics, teaching and engineering, work with students, clients and the Centre's personnel to create or adapt assistive technology.

Partnerships have been and are being formed with agencies, companies and organizations to bring educational services related to special needs to Northern Ontario through the Special Needs Regional Resource Centre. The professional development and interaction stemming from these partnerships will further encourage and facilitate awareness, innovation and alternative teaching and learning strategies at all levels of education, in the workplace and in the community.

Cambrian College
1400 Barrydowne Road, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada P3A 3V8
(705) 566-8101 • 1-800-461-7145 • TTY (705) 560-ITTY • Fax (705) 524-7329

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