Inclusion program ending at BU

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This article was published 10/03/2021 (2057 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Barring a last-minute funding boost, the Inclusive Post-Secondary Education program at Brandon University will be shutting down by the end of the school year, leaving special needs students with a much harder path forward in their academic career.

Even though Inclusion Westman made this announcement in late February, executive director Amanda Hamm told the Sun on Tuesday that local families are still reeling from the news, since this initiative was designed to give people with intellectual disabilities an authentic post-secondary student experience.

“It allows for them to do what many other people do in a university setting: they connect and make friends and study and learn and create connections that can lead to employment,” she said.

Unfortunately, Hamm revealed that this program has been underfunded since its inception in 2017, with Inclusion Westman relying on a few spare grants to keep everything running.

But now that those grants have been expended, the non-profit organization simply doesn’t have the financial means to help these students navigate a post-secondary environment.

“We knew that there would come a day when those grants were gone,” said Hamm. “But our hope was that the province and/or BU would follow in line with other universities and provinces and see the value in the program and step up to help us provide stability and sustainability in the long term.”

Program co-ordinator Victoria Lelond told the Sun that she was similarly disappointed by the lack of intervention from BU and the province so far, especially since there is no other initiative like IPSE in the Westman region.

“Basically, what you’re telling these students is they’re not worthy and it’s just very unsettling on that level,” she said.

As of right now, Lelond revealed that four students are currently enrolled in the IPSE program, two of whom are set to graduate this summer.

Even though the remaining two pupils will get the chance to complete their program, Lelond said Inclusion Westman will only be able to provide them with limited support during this period, which is particularly worrisome now that most classes are taking place online.

“Typically, I would support students year-round and we would be doing some career investigations, that kind of thing,” she said. “But now those two students would just be supported to complete their classwork and the hours are very minimal.”

One of these remaining students is Abbey Kingdon, who has been enrolled in the IPSE program since January 2020 and is aiming to receive her certificate of completion in anthropology by December of this year.

Having been diagnosed with a non-verbal learning disability at age seven, Kingdon revealed she never really thrived in a traditional classroom environment, which made the IPSE program a real godsend.

“It’s so awesome to have that same support from Victoria and the professors,” she said on Tuesday. “Even though it’s so hard to do it online, I feel for me, personally, they’ve been very supportive.”

As such, Kingdon said she was heartbroken to learn that IPSE will not be continuing next year due to funding issues, especially since she believes this initiative could help a lot more people.

“Because this is something for people like myself who have been doubted, who haven’t been able to get their education past high school,” she said.

For right now, Kingdon is joining other IPSE students and advocates who are writing to their elected representatives, BU leaders and members of Manitoba Family Services, hoping to convince them to throw their financial support behind this program.

Hamm even mentioned that Inclusion Westman will be meeting with the province on Monday afternoon, where the aim to secure some new funding by highlighting the initiative’s overall value to the community.

“It’s not just the students who benefit from the program,” she said. “We have heard from the university community, both students and faculty, who feel that the experience they receive in their university setting is much richer by having all people represented.”

In the meantime, Hamm encourages their supporters and stakeholders to contact BU leadership, the Minister of Families’ office and their local MLAs directly in the hopes of getting this issue on their radar.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @KyleDarbyson