Reimagining student success through accessibility is the goal of a new initiative being lead by OSSTF and its members in District 19, funded by the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility, Employment Strategy & Outreach Division.
Project Accessful aims to dramatically improve employment for youth with disabilities, to diversify the workforce and to grow a stronger culture of acceptance within the province, which exemplifies the goals of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
Five key audiences are invited to participate: students (identified through IPRC); education support workers and teachers; parents; employers; and social agencies – with the goal of strengthening employability skills and accessing employment opportunities for students in Gr 10 through 12 with learning, physical, and mental health disabilities.
Multi-day conferences, called Symposia, will be held for each of the key Accessful stakeholder groups using Open Space Technology (OST), a method for organizing and running multi-day conferences where participants focus on the important task of identifying ‘Barriers to Employment for Youth with Disabilities.’
The project started in 2018. This website has been developed to promote online resources and in-school programming, and access to videos that document the before, during and after stages of Project Accessful.