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Accessibility Year in Review 2019-2020: You called, we answered

Updated July 13, 2021

By Kirsty Clarke

Download infographic: Accessibility Services Year in Review 2019 and 2020 (PDF)

The Accessibility Services team helps students with temporary or long-term disabilities reach their full potential at U of T, providing services and supports for learning, problem solving and inclusion. Based on a survey administered for 2019-2020, stigma and loneliness were the most often reported barriers to success for students registering with the office.

Here’s what Accessibility Services has been doing to address identified student needs:

  • The front desk team has answered and processed 41,785 emails and phone calls, and received and triaged more than 10,470 health-related documents. We’ve also welcomed an indigenous student liaison to the team.
  • There have been more than 1,450 hits on a focused on navigating disability. We’ve also provided 306 hours of peer-to-peer support during virtual programming and developed 133 outreach, orientation and workshop events across campus.
  • More than 90 percent of students reported feeling satisfied with their responses from Accessibility Services.
  • As services have been provided remotely since March 2020, we’ve offered more than 17,000 virtual appointments with accessibility advisors, made 30,000 archived available for download, and developed Accessibility Dialogues on intersectionality based on feedback from 1,386 students.
  • More than 65 strategies and resources were provided to manage mental health while engaging in online learning (PDF).

We’ll be asking about your experiences with this year’s programs soon—look for our survey.

Meanwhile, register with Accessibility Services by July 14, 2021 for accommodations or supports to be put in place for the start of the fall term. Student intake packages received after the deadline will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis for exceptional circumstances.