{"id":55099,"date":"2019-04-02T15:16:36","date_gmt":"2019-04-02T19:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=55099"},"modified":"2025-09-30T14:00:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T18:00:01","slug":"volunteerism-and-accessibility","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/volunteerism-and-accessibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteerism and Accessibility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Volunteerism and Accessibility\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

Carleton is increasingly recognized as the most accessible university in Canada, but it\u2019s a bit of a secret that the strong culture of volunteerism among students is a crucial part of the school\u2019s ability to create such an inclusive and supportive environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe hold volunteers in the highest regard,\u201d Raymond Cho<\/a>, Ontario\u2019s Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, said on April 1 at a celebration in the University Centre galleria honouring the more than 1,800 students who volunteer at Carleton\u2019s Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities<\/a> (PMC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Minister<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVolunteers, all of you, you love what you\u2019re doing, and what\u2019s more valuable than love?\u201d said Cho. \u201cAnd not just love, but you share your time, which is life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cho, who came to Carleton last August<\/a> for a look at the university\u2019s accessibility-related research labs and programs, told an audience of a couple hundred \u2014 including several dozen PMC volunteers \u2014 about his own journey to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After immigrating to Canada from Korea in 1967, he faced discrimination and could only get a job as a dishwasher. But he was guided by advice from his mother, who ran a shelter for homeless people and told her son, \u201cAlways help people who are in need. You have to dream big and think big, but always work hard and help others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Minister<\/figure>\n\n\n

Canada’s Number One Accessible University<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Cho went on to earn master\u2019s degrees in social work and education and a PhD in counselling psychology in Toronto, working as a social worker before becoming a city councilor and then entering provincial politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Cho has led volunteer groups that built homes in typhoon-ravaged Philippines and worked with AIDS patients in Jamaica, when he was a university student he only thought about getting good marks and winning the next basketball or baseball game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Minister
Minister Raymond Cho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never thought about helping other students, but you are different,\u201d he said at Carleton, which he called “Canada\u2019s number one accessible university.”<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cYou can change the world. Not just here. Each one of you, you have unlimited potential. We need you to help change the world for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Cho also talked about one of his sons, a Cambridge and Yale graduate who is now a plastic surgeon, who taught a senior citizen to swim as a volunteer when he was still in high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I could do that, I can do anything,\u201d his son said at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery one of you,\u201d said Cho, \u201cyou have that potential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Minister<\/figure>\n\n\n

Good Things Come Through Volunteerism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Cho was introduced at the event by PMC Director Larry McCloskey, who recalled the early days of accessibility at Carleton, when the university\u2019s first-of-its-kind 24\/7 residence-embedded attendant services<\/a> program relied on volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood things come through volunteerism,\u201d said McCloskey, noting that these days the centre\u2019s 1,800 volunteers serve about twice that number of students, performing duties<\/a> such as notetaking, tutoring and transcribing audio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Minister
Larry McCloskey, Taylor Battah, and Minister Raymond Cho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has become such an amazing phenomenon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s an unheralded aspect of the culture of accessibility here \u2014 volunteerism is hugely important.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

McCloskey and Cho presented the PMC\u2019s Janice Elliott Students Services Award \u2014 named after a longtime and deeply loved Carleton staff member<\/a> who passed away in 2016 \u2014 to student and volunteer Taylor Battah, who has won the bursary in both of its first two years.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Minister<\/figure>\n\n\n

The Best Volunteer Notetaking Systems in the Country<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Bruce Hamm, the PMC\u2019s student support and financial administrator, also spoke at the gathering and said he didn\u2019t recall that many volunteers ever getting together before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe we have one of the best if not the<\/em> best volunteer notetaking systems in the country,\u201d said Hamm.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cWe are matching volunteers with notetaking requests at a rate of 95 per cent, which is the best rate in the province.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The PMC\u2019s notetaking match rate used to be about 58 per cent, which was around the provincial average, until about five or six years ago, said Hamm, when it became “the thing to do.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy the leap?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Minister
Bruce Hamm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Typically, Hamm explained, a student will request notetaking support, a professor will make an announcement to their class, and a volunteer will step up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, however, students have volunteered to become note-takers proactively, telling the PMC which classes they\u2019re enrolled in should a request for notetaking emerge in any of their classes.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cStudents have recognized there\u2019s a need among students on campus, and have stepped forward to do something about it,\u201d said Hamm, adding that the week of April 7 to 13 happens to be National Volunteer Week<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cWe know that each and every one of you brings a very specific skillset and talent,\u201d he said to the volunteers in attendance, \u201cand we also know that employers recognize that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Minister<\/figure>\n\n\n

Expertise in Accessibility, Disabilities and Inclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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The culture of accessibility at Carleton goes beyond the underground tunnels and PMC, said Hamm, and includes programs such as the READ (Research, Education, Accessibility and Design) Initiative<\/a> and David C. Onley Initiative for Employment and Enterprise Development<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ was established to highlight, celebrate and cultivate Carleton\u2019s expertise, leadership and collaboration with the community to create greater accessibility and a more inclusive world. It supports increased program emphasis and facilitates academic programming, course offerings and training expertise in accessibility, disabilities and inclusion, and advances research to inform applied development and design in accessibility across disciplines and sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Minister<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The $5-million Onley Initiative is an Ontario government-funded partnership between four post-secondary institutions in Ottawa to develop knowledge, resources and tools to support students with disabilities in their employment readiness and career aspirations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The PMC, meanwhile, provides a variety of support services to students with disabilities, including one-on-one learning support, adaptive equipment loans and sign language interpretation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It plays a leading role in the co-ordination of disability services on campus and, since opening in 1990, the centre has worked in partnership with the Carleton community to increase accessibility and the integration of students with disabilities into all aspects of university life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These programs and initiatives are crucial, said Hamm.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cBut I think there is one other reason \u2014 and possibility the most important reason \u2014 why Carleton is the most accessible university in Canada,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cTo see that reason, you only need to look to the people here today, whose efforts day in and day out make Carleton the most accessible university in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carleton is increasingly recognized as the most accessible university in Canada, but it\u2019s a bit of a secret that the strong culture of volunteerism among students is a crucial part of the school\u2019s ability to create such an inclusive and supportive environment. \u201cWe hold volunteers in the highest regard,\u201d Raymond Cho, Ontario\u2019s Minister for Seniors […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":55189,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[28,25],"cu_story_tag":[1930],"class_list":["post-55099","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-community-partnerships","cu_story_type-student-experience","cu_story_tag-equity-diversity-and-inclusion"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":"blueprint"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/55099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/55099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97983,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/55099\/revisions\/97983"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=55099"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=55099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}