Earlier this year, Memorial undertook a review of the Glenn Roy Blundon Centre for Students with Disabilities.

The centre has supported students who need accommodations at Memorial University since 1992, and had last been reviewed in 2007. Students’ needs have substantially diversified and increased since then.

Review complete

The 2016 review was led by Dr. Alice Collins, professor emeritus and former dean of the Faculty of Education. Dr. Collins’s review consisted of consultations and interviews across the university and in the community, an assessment of current policies, procedures, infrastructure and operations, and a literature review. The review was completed this summer, and results are reflected in the report, From Accommodation to Accessibility: A Path Forward. A Review of the Glenn Roy Blundon Centre (August 2016).

The report includes 16 recommendations, ranging from policy review; reconsidering the centre’s mission and name; space renovations, staffing, systems and information infrastructure; naming and terms of reference for the Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities; web accessibility, and more.

Primary focus

“In response to this report, we will combine the recommendations to focus on two primary areas: a) policy review and; b) enhancing programming and delivery of supports,” said Dr. Noreen Golfman, provost and vice-president (academic). “Starting immediately, I will pull together a team to consider the recommendations and plan our steps forward, and in January 2017, we will commence a policy review for the Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Policy.”

The university community is encouraged to review the report and initial action plan, available on the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) website.

Updates on the process to address the recommendations of the report will be shared with the university community as they become available.