A group of high school students spent time on campus this week learning about the many opportunities available at Brock for those experiencing disability.

About 20 upper-level high school students from W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Brantford participated in Brock’s Ability Empowerment Day (AED) on Tuesday, May 14. Hosted by the University’s Office of Human Rights and Equity, the event included a series of workshops and activities meant to introduce students to various aspects of post-secondary life.

Educational Co-ordinator Marisa Parker was among the teachers and support staff who brought the group of students to campus.

“It’s important for our students to be in the University’s buildings to get a feel for their size and learn about some of the expectations that might be different from their current secondary environment,” she said.

Having both knowledge and the ability to connect with people can be helpful as students explore different options for the future, Parker said.

AED brought together eight Brock departments and services to talk about life on campus and saw students take part in a facilitated discussion about how the University can best support their success.

“Twenty-five per cent of the population identifies with a disability community,” said Kinesiology Professor Maureen Connolly, a member of the Ability Empowerment Committee. “Therefore, we should assume that 25 per cent of the students we welcome to campus comprise a similar demographic.”

AED was a passion project of Keely Grossman (BA ’17, MA ’20), who helped to bring the event from conception to fruition in 2019 as a way to show high school students with disabilities that higher education is within their reach.

“It is good for prospective students to know that we have people here at Brock with the competencies to teach with inclusion,” Connolly said, “as well as teachers who understand there are lots of different ways to learn and are willing to adapt so our learner community across disciplines can become more diverse.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, AED was offered virtually twice between 2021 and 2023. This is the first year AED has returned in person.

The Ability Empowerment Committee included Connolly; Alison Rothwell, Accessibility and Inclusion Advisor; Carly Dugo, Senior Recruitment Officer, Events and Operations; Nwakerendu Waboso, Child and Youth Studies doctoral candidate; Ashley Giroux, Applied Disability Studies master’s student; and Justice Cowe, Child and Youth Studies master’s student.