The Carleton University Accessible Experiential Learning (CUAEL) Project ran from May 2018 to August 2019. Carleton University Career Services, in collaboration with the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities and the Accessibility Institute (then the READ Initiative), launched the Carleton University Accessibility Experiential Learning (CUAEL) Project in May 2018.
In its pilot year, the CUAEL Project aimed to address the employment gap that exists for students with disabilities by creating employment opportunities for 300 students with disabilities in order to provide them with hands-on quality work experiences while they obtain their post-secondary degree at Carleton.
The CUAEL Project also worked to educate employers about the benefits of hiring students with disabilities and enhance employer knowledge of disability-related best practices in the workplace.
The CUAEL Project was funded by the Career Ready Fund, a part of the Ontario Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development’s Career Kick-Start Strategy to help colleges, universities, employers and other organizations create experiential learning opportunities for post-secondary students and recent grads.
Due to the success of the project and high student interest in the concept of a dedicated employment program for students with disabilities, the CUAEL Project evolved into the ACT to Employ Program during the 2019-2020 academic year. For more information about ACT to Employ, you can visit: https://carleton.ca/act/.
The Accessibility Institute’s role in this project was to provide research support when conducting research for the funding applications, as well as assist in identifying the overall objectives of the project and what issues the funds would be best suited to address.