Student FAQs

ACT works with students with disabilities at Carleton. We currently have over 1700 students registered, and our program grows weekly. Our pool of job search candidates includes current students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, some of whom are also active participants in Carleton’s official Co-op program).

The ACT intake meeting allows you to discuss your:

• Interest in taking part in the Accessible Career Transitions (ACT) Program;
• Academic program;
• Previous employment history;
• Skills, abilities, interests, and strengths;
• Current academic accommodations;
• Anticipated workplace accommodations; and
• Career goals

The intake meeting also allows you to meet a member of the ACT staff team, and to familiarize yourself with the supports that are available to you through ACT.

The intake is not a formal interview, it is intended to be a relaxed conversation about the ACT Program and about your skills and interests. The intake meeting usually takes about 50 minutes.

After the intake, follow the next steps listed in the ACT Intake Recap and Next Steps email you received following your intake meeting and check out our Intake Resources and Next Steps Module on the ACT to Employ Resource Hub on Brightspace!

The short answer to this question is, no. The decision to disclose the specifics of your disability to an employer is entirely up to you. As an ACT participant, you understand that employers will know that you have a disability and that you may require accommodations; however, specifics about your disability will not be disclosed without your consent.

Check out the Disclosure and Accommodations Modules on the ACT to Employ Resource Hub on Brightspace for more details about disclosure and accommodations.

The ACT team encourages students to maintain open communication about their accommodation needs with employers. If you would like assistance facilitating a conversation with your employer about your specific needs, please contact the ACT to Employ Student Counsellor – that’s what we are here for!

No, you do not have to register with the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) to take part in ACT. However, registering with the PMC is a great way for students with disabilities at Carleton to connect with a community of supportive folks (such as a Disabilities Coordinator) who can assist you with your academic journey at Carleton.

ACT Advising works with students who identify as having disabilities at Carleton. If you identify as having a disability and are a current Carleton student you may be eligible to participate in ACT to Employ!

No. ACT does not consider your CGPA or the number of courses you are enrolled in when determining eligibility.

For those eligible for ACT to Employ, the ACT to Employ program is listed in the Treasury Board database of approved co-op programs, making the hiring of ACT to Employ students a bit easier for government hiring managers.

While ACT to Employ is not an official “co-op” program (because Carleton does have an official co-op program, with whom ACT works closely), ACT to Employ falls under the definition of a co-op program for the purposes of government hiring.

The Treasury Board and PSC agreed that because the ACT to Employ program supports students with disabilities in finding work opportunities, it aligns with the Government’s mandate to hire more persons with disabilities.

For those eligible for ACT, the ACT Advisor can also help with your job search, resume review, interview skills, related to your search for a government role.

Transferable skills are those that you acquire and develop through experience, and transfer to a future employment opportunity.

Examples include:

• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Organization and Time Management
• Leadership

For more information, please see the transferable skills website (https://carleton.ca/employability-framework/process/employability-framework/).

Students are encouraged to visit Career Services (401 Tory Building) to have your resume reviewed. Drop-In appointments are available 1:00-4:00pm, Monday to Friday (except statutory holidays).

Career Coaches and Consultants can review your resume, conduct mock interviews, and help you explore what you can do with your degree. Click this link to be directed to the Career Services website. 

You may access Career Services’ Job Search Support website at any time for education and resources regarding job postings, job search, networking, and resumes.

There are 5 ways students and new grads may obtain employment through ACT to Employ:

1. Access and apply to job postings on the ACT to Employ job board, the On-campus job board, or the Career Services job board through mySuccess (via Carleton 360). 
2. Inform the ACT to Employ Student Counsellor of a department or campus service you are interested in working with. In this case, the ACT team will endeavor to reach out to the department or campus service on your behalf and discuss the possibility of creating a placement for you.
3. Obtain an external employment opportunity and connect with ACT to Employ for support. Although we cannot provide funding for community employment options, we are happy to support you with setting up accommodations or providing education around accessibility and inclusive hiring practices.
4. Let your ACT Advisor/Counsellor know you are interested in government opportunities to be considered for government employment opportunities with ACT support.  

The ACT to Employ Team cannot guarantee student placements. We will work diligently to place ACT to Employ students in valuable experiential learning opportunities.

ACT to Employ offers different types of jobs. Positions are available both on-campus and off-campus with our community employer partners.

Some examples of on-campus ACT to Employ employers are:

• Student Experience Office
• Carleton Library
• Campus Card Office
• From Intention to Action (FITA)
• Campus Safety
• Registrar’s Office
• Research-related roles
• Department-specific roles
• Equity and Inclusive Communities
• Accessibility Institute
• Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities

And many, many more!

Our community employer partners are those outside of the Carleton community, and include private, non-profit, and Government partners.

ACT to Employ does not provide funding for off-campus roles, but we are still able to support placements with community employers, such as assisting with accommodations and disclosure, creating an inclusive workspace, training for employers and supervisors etc.

Placements are generally part-time (between 5-10 hours per week), as current students may be enrolled in courses.

Questions about the number of hours per week (e.g. whether you can work more than 10 hours per week) may be directed to the ACT to Employ Student Counsellor.

Registered and active Co-op participants are eligible to explore full-time employment opportunities that fall within their work/study pattern.

The focus of the ACT is to support Carleton students in gaining hands-on, experiential learning opportunities. This means that each placement must align with your field of study, interests and/or skills, as well as offer an opportunity for you to use and develop your transferable skills.

Students who successfully complete an ACT to Employ placement may apply to placements in future terms. Generally speaking, students are unable to take part in two placements in the same term. During the summer term, students may be eligible for more than one part-time position at a time. 

Please be advised that each request for an additional placement is reviewed on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by the ACT to Employ Team.  

ACT to Employ provides on-campus employers with a wage subsidy in line with the current Ontario minimum wage for part-time positions (up to 120 hours per term). Employers are required to pay students at least the Ontario minimum wage, but can offer more if they are able to do so.

Employers are required to pay students during the work term via Carleton payroll. As such, students in on-campus roles will be required to complete hourly time sheets to be submitted to HR (your employer will provide training).

There are a number of factors to keep in mind when considering disclosing accommodation needs to an ACT employer:

The need for accommodations should not impact your chances of getting a job, unless the requested accommodations are to the point of ‘Undue Hardship’ for the employer; 

Your employer will not know any specifics about the nature of your disability unless you choose to disclose them; 

Part of the ACT team’s job is to educate employers about the potential associated with hiring persons with disabilities, and to dispel the notion that requiring accommodations makes an individual less qualified to do the work; from an ACT perspective, it is important for employers to understand that the person who is most qualified, regardless of accommodations needs, should be offered the position; 

Whether or not an individual requires accommodations, they will bring a unique perspective to the workplace that an individual without a disability might not be aware of – diversity of perspectives is a benefit to employers.