{"id":68380,"date":"2020-08-18T11:57:55","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T15:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=68380"},"modified":"2025-10-10T10:25:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T14:25:22","slug":"scholarship-students-with-disabilities","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/scholarship-students-with-disabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Education: Carleton Alum Creates Scholarships to Help Students with Disabilities Kickstart Careers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n The Power of Education: Carleton Alum Creates Scholarships to Help Students with Disabilities Kickstart Careers\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

When Daryl Rock was growing up in Dartmouth, N.S., he played hooky from high school one day \u2014 the only time he ever skipped school \u2014 and visited a Canadian Armed Forces recruitment centre across the harbour in Halifax.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cI\u2019d like to join the navy,\u201d he announced, \u201cand want to become an admiral.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Enrol in military college, the recruiter recommended, and study engineering \u2014 it would impress the brass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Carleton
Daryl Rock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rock, who was looking to escape his impoverished upbringing, did just that, moving to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., to attend Canada\u2019s French-language Royal Military College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After his second year, however, back in Dartmouth for the summer, Rock accepted a ride home from a party with a friend who had been drinking. The crash threw Rock from the car and left him a quadriplegic with a C-5\/C-6 spinal cord injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI woke up at the hospital three days later and the doctor said I wouldn\u2019t be able to walk again,\u201d he recalls. \u201cMy first reaction wasn\u2019t: \u2018Damn, I can\u2019t walk.\u2019 It was: \u2018Damn, my career is over.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, it wasn\u2019t finished \u2014 it just changed direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rock moved to Ottawa for rehabilitation therapy, enrolled at Carleton University \u2014 already a leader by the early 1980s in providing accessibility to students with disabilities \u2014 and earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in Political Science<\/a> in 1986, followed by a master\u2019s in Public Administration<\/a> two years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, after a fulfilling career as a public servant, working to create positive change in areas such as social development, disability rights and knowledge mobilization, Rock is continuing to give back through non-profit leadership and philanthropy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which is why Daryl and his wife, Melanie, who runs the charitable foundation the couple created, have established four new scholarships to support full-time Carleton students with physical disabilities. The scholarships are for students who are registered with the university\u2019s Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities<\/a> and are studying engineering, science, accounting or any program at the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cWithout the education I received, I wouldn\u2019t have had the career or impact on society that I\u2019ve had,\u201d says Rock, noting that people with disabilities face significant barriers to employment, even though studies show that they perform better on the job, have lower rates of absenteeism and stay in positions longer than the national average.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cDespite the gains we\u2019ve made, around 80 per cent of the workforce remains closed to people with disabilities, and that figure is higher for people without post-secondary education,\u201d he says. \u201cFor me, education was a cornerstone. I\u2019ve seen the value of education firsthand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Businessman<\/figure>\n\n\n

Supporting Students in High-Demand Fields<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Melanie and Daryl Rock decided to focus their scholarships on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, as well as public affairs, because they believe there will be high demand in Canada for workers in these professions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when employers look for talent, he says, they often don\u2019t look at the pool of qualified people with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur society still considers people with disabilities to be liabilities, not assets,\u201d says Rock. \u201cOrganizations and companies try to minimize liability. But you treat assets differently. You nurture them. You want them to blossom and reach their fullest potential.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cFor people with physical disabilities,\u201d he continues, \u201cyour brain and your ability to interact with people are among your top assets. But your drive might be your greatest asset.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As a new quadriplegic in 1983, Rock dove back into university studies full-time without the supports, technology or awareness that exist today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I got out of rehab,\u201d he says, \u201cmy focus became building a new life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though Carleton had a unique 24\/7 attendant care program for students living in residence, he found an apartment off campus \u2014 part of the same need for independence that compelled him to move to Ottawa after the car accident and, within a couple years, get a wheelchair-adapted van so he wouldn\u2019t have to rely on public transportation to get to and from class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, Rock says the rehabilitation system\u2019s expectations for people like him were minimal: \u201crealize your potential.\u201d He was encouraged to consider what he calls stereotypical desk jobs such as computer programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he was loving his courses on politics and social engagement. It was an exciting era \u2014 the Quebec referendum was only a few years past, the Meech Lake accord was in progress \u2014 and a career in the public service beckoned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While still in university, Rock recognized that if he wanted to change the way society treated people with disabilities, he would have to become an advocate himself, so he volunteered with a group in Ottawa that was working to improve community-based housing and transportation for people with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cIf we want society to change, we have to take an active role in making it happen,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cToo often it is easier to sit on the sidelines and complain about injustice or inequality than it is to get out there and try to change things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Group<\/figure>\n\n\n

Helping Canada Make Good on its Commitments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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The disability rights movement was gaining steam in the 1980s, and though Rock didn\u2019t want to be pigeonholed, he was lured by the opportunity to become an agent of change. After graduating with a master\u2019s degree, he got a job doing community development work for the federal Secretary of State, travelling across Canada and helping Ottawa make good on its commitment to improve conditions with people with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He went on to design and lead programs at Human Resources Development Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and didn\u2019t slow down upon retiring in 2008, shifting to the voluntary and not-for-profit sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the last dozen years, Rock has worked with and sat on the boards of an array of organizations, including the National Capital Commission\u2019s accessibility advisory committee, the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation, the Rick Hansen Institute, the Canadian Paraplegic Association and Freedom At Depth Canada<\/a> \u2014 an organization, which he helped launch, that teaches people with disabilities how to scuba dive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a diver and avid traveller, Rock has visited dozens of countries throughout Asia, Europe, the South Pacific and the Caribbean. \u201cI scuba dive because I love being underwater,\u201d he says, \u201cnot because of the freedom it gives me, but because I love to look at fish.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cI travel because I want to learn as much as possible,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you go somewhere new, you learn about and engage with its people, its history, its food, its language, its culture. Lifelong learning is a passion of mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMelanie and I believe in the power of education, and believe it\u2019s a way to help people with disabilities who are under-represented in the workforce. The best way to address that is through quality education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Daryl<\/figure>\n\n\n

Changing Perceptions Through Leadership<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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The Rocks\u2019 new scholarships will provide $5,000 a year for four years to the four recipients. They wanted to provide opportunities for people with physical disabilities to develop high-demand skills that will help them throughout their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s our immediate objective,\u201d he says, \u201cand it\u2019s definitely concrete.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cBy developing critical skills in a group of young, passionate individuals with disabilities, we hope to provide them with the skills and experience necessary to succeed in all aspects of life,\u201d he says. \u201cIt is also our hope that as they go through life they will take on leadership roles in various areas to help remove public perceptions about the skills and abilities of people with disabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

They also want to help develop an awareness within the general public that people with disabilities can and do want to work full time in professional capacities, and that people with disabilities \u2014 just like everybody else \u2014 can be valuable contributors in any workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter whether you\u2019re male or female, able-bodied or disabled, or where you come from, we are all on the same big rock travelling through space in the same direction \u2014 together,\u201d says Rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am passionate about making the world a better place for everyone. There\u2019s an expression I learned long ago that has shaped how I view my life: \u2018Standing on the shoulders of giants.\u2019 I have achieved what I have, not on my own, but thanks to the support and efforts of many people from many different backgrounds, including my wife, my family, my friends, mentors and colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCarleton has always been there for me, and now I would like to give back so that others can benefit as I have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Carleton<\/figure>\n\n\n

—
\nMore Stories<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Daryl Rock was growing up in Dartmouth, N.S., he played hooky from high school one day \u2014 the only time he ever skipped school \u2014 and visited a Canadian Armed Forces recruitment centre across the harbour in Halifax. \u201cI\u2019d like to join the navy,\u201d he announced, \u201cand want to become an admiral.\u201d Enrol in military […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":68387,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[17,1931],"cu_story_tag":[1930],"class_list":["post-68380","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-alumni","cu_story_type-social-innovation","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\/68380","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\/68380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97977,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/68380\/revisions\/97977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=68380"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=68380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}