The intent is to explore barriers and facilitators of work-integrated learning such as internships in higher education for students with disabilities. Both colleges and universities offer programs that provide internships and other work-integrated learning (e.g., nursing, physiotherapy, social work, engineering). What is needed are answers to questions such as “What are the facilitators and barriers that students with disabilities face when they transition to the internship setting?” “What are the internship preparation and supervision practices that instructors of technical programs and adapted services counsellors implement for students with disabilities?” “What characterizes successful technology-based and other support strategies? ” and “What are the differences in needs among students according to their different functional limitations?” The goal is to provide preliminary information based on a series of interviews with (1) college and university students and recent graduates with disabilities who have participated in an internship component as part of their career/technical program, (2) adapted services counsellors, (3) post-secondary instructors, and (4) site supervisors.
This project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).