An assessment of service and resource needs of university students with disabilities

Two studies focusing on the need for supportive services and resources for persons with disabilities at universities are described. Both studies took place in the Kitchener-Waterloo community. In Study One, students and faculty at the University of Waterloo and community service workers were surveyed. In Study Two, students and staff at Wilfrid Laurier University and high school students and staff at the Waterloo County Board of Education were surveyed. In total, eighty-two participants were surveyed by interview or questionnaire methods. The results from the two studies provided information about needs and concerns specific to individual participants and settings as well as a number of shared concerns and ideas. From these results, recommendations regarding the future programming of support services and resources into the community, increasing awareness about disability within universities and more globally in the community, and implementing policies and guidelines for the use of special needs services and resources