PRCVI Post-Secondary Transition Resource Guide for British Columbia Students 2023

The Government of Canada has several grant programs for disabled students pursuing post-secondary studies:

• Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Students with Permanent Disabilities (CSGP-SEPD): The CSGP-SEPD program provides up to $4,000 in funding per year to qualifying students with permanent disabilities. Eligibility includes eligibility for a federal student loan, attend an eligible post-secondary program, and have a permanent disability that require education-related costs for services or equipment.
• Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Students with Permanent Disabilities: Students may be eligible for up to $20,000 in grant funds for education-related services or equipment.

Students who are BC residents and are pursuing part-time or full-time studies at an eligible post-secondary institution may apply for student loans and grants through StudentAid BC.

• BC Supplemental Bursary for Students with a Permanent Disability (SBSD) - Students who are eligible for federal student grants are eligible for SBSD. Between $400-800 is available.
• BC Access Grant for Students with a Permanent Disability (BCAG): BCAG supports full-time students with a permanent disability by replacing $1,000 of Canada Student Loan funding. Qualifying students must be eligible for a federal student loan, attending an eligible post-secondary program on a full-time basis, and have a permanent disability as defined by the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program.
• Assistance Program for Students with Permanent Disabilities: This program is available to students with permanent disabilities in British Columbia who are in eligible full-time post-secondary programs or have exhausted CSGP-SEPD funding.

• PRCVI Scholarships Page: The PRCVI website lists several scholarship and bursary opportunities that are specific to students with visual impairment who are pursuing post-secondary studies. Please note that each specific program has its own application deadline.
• Military Police Fund for Blind Children (MPFBC): The Military Police Fund provides financial assistance for children and youth up to the age of 21 across Canada. Categories of funding include medical items requiring a prescription, educational and skill development items, non-prescription lifestyle enhancement items, recreational activities, and other items that benefit children and youth who are blind or low vision.
• DisabilityAwards: This resource from the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) provides a database of hundreds of scholarships across a range of disabilities and Canadian post-secondary institutions.

There are online resources from the Province of British Columbia that are available to all current and prospective post-secondary students to assist in the process of planning, applying for, and managing their programs of study.

• EducationPlannerBC is a government-funded online resource that allows students to compare post-secondary programs in BC and to locate programs by institution, subject area, program length, and program credential. Students can also apply to some British Columbia post-secondary institutions through EducationPlannerBC.
• BC Transfer Guide: Many post-secondary institutions in BC accept transfer credits from other institutions. The BC Transfer Guide allows students to check how individual courses transfer from one institution to another.

Post-secondary institutions task disability resource centres on campus to provide support to students with disabilities. Linked above is a listing of all disability resource centres at post-secondary institutions in BC. Students are encouraged to contact the disability resource centre at their prospective post-secondary institution to make the connection and to enquire about the supports available on campus for students with visual impairment.

• NEADS EdLink: The National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) maintains an online directory of contact information for disability resource centres at colleges and universities across Canada. Please note: The naming of these programs (e.g., Access & Diversity, Accessibility Services) varies between institutions.

• Centre for Accessible Post-Secondary Education Resources (CAPER-BC): CAPER-BC provides accessible teaching and learning materials to students with visual impairment enrolled at qualifying post-secondary institutions.
• Assistive Technology BC (AT-BC): AT-BC provides assistive technology through loans and grants to post-secondary students and employees with disabilities in British Columbia.
• WorkBC Assistive Technology Services: Providing access technology and devices to individuals with disabilities to gain and sustain employment or to engage in their communities. 

• Universal Design for Learning Materials (UDLM) from ARC-BC: ARC-BC’s UDLM portal contains easy step-by-step guides for educators to create and curate with accessibility in mind. Content is focused on document accessibility.
• Accessibility Toolkit – 2^nd Edition from OpenBook BC: Resources for content creators and curators at the post-secondary level, including librarians, instructors, and teaching assistants. Provides guidance using disability personas to represent learners’ diverse access requirements.
• FLOE Project – Inclusive Learning Design Handbook: Created with and for educators, content creators, web developers and learners to develop or re-develop open education resources or other forms of digital curriculum.

Organizations based in BC who deliver programming to youth. Check with individual organizations for specific information on target age/stage for programming.

• Blind Beginnings: Blind Beginnings is a non-profit organization that runs a variety of programs for children and youth with visual impairments in BC. A focus of many of Blind Beginning’s youth programs is development of leadership, communication, exploration, and self-determination skills.
• CNIB Foundation BC/Yukon: Youth-focused programming offered across a range of topics and formats.

Virtual and in-person programs to learn new skills and brush up on established skills with visually impaired instructors with lived experience.

• VCC Visually Impaired Adult Program: The Vancouver Community College Visually Impaired Adult program is designed to provide adults with visual impairments with the skills needed to pursue other post-secondary programs. Courses cover a range of topic areas, from high school upgrading and ESL to braille and access technology.
• Get Together with Technology (GTT): The Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) runs Get Together with Technology groups in communities across Canada. These groups are designed to help people who are blind or partially sighted explore and integrate assistive technologies into their lives.

• Project Aspiro: Project Aspiro is a Canadian career-planning resource for people with visual impairments. It includes success stories and profiles of blind and low vision employees, resources for career planning from education through to work experience, and resources for families and service providers.
• CareerConnect: CareerConnect is an employment information resource offered by the American Printing House for the Blind, providing information, career exploration tools, and job seeking guidance for visually impaired job seekers and those who support them.

• Volunteer BC: Volunteer BC offers resources and training for both volunteers and organizations, including a database to search for volunteer opportunities that meet your interests and needs.
• WorkBC: WorkBC provides information, programs, and resources to people seeking employment in British Columbia, including services specifically for people with disabilities.