Lynn Connaty, a professor in the Durham College School of Integrated Studies, is this year's recipient of the Accessibility Advocate Award.
Lynn Connaty, a Durham College professor of the Community Integration through Co-operative Education (CICE) program is tireless in her promotion of accessibility for all individuals in the campus. As a result of her hard work, Connaty has been chosen as a recipient of the 2008 Accessibility Advocate award.
Connaty will be honoured at a meeting of the Durham College/UOIT Accessibility Working Group on May 22.
"I am honoured to receive this award and it has been a privilege to work with Durham College and all the stakeholders to develop the CICE program," said Connaty. "I have had a wonderful experience acting as the co-ordinator this year."
The goal of the accessibility working group is to continuously ensure that the educational environment on our shared campus is accessible for people who have disabilities.
Each year, the Accessibility Advocate awards are given to leaders at UOIT and Durham College who adhere best to the group's practices and/or who offer services that are inclusive to individuals living with a disability.
Connaty's leadership in the development of the CICE program and her work as the co-ordinator this past year are strong examples of why she is this year's award recipient.
CICE is a two-year program launched in September 2007 for individuals with intellectual disabilities, learning challenges and other identified needs. It enables students to learn the skills they need to be employed by placing them in an integrated and supported educational setting that ensures their growth academically, socially and emotionally.
Both community and academic stakeholders were involved in the implementation of CICE, including parents from the Action Committee on College Education for Students with Special Needs (ACCESS). The committee was formed in response to their desire to increase the number of post-secondary educational opportunities for children with learning challenges.
In total, there were 21 students who participated during the first year of the program. All stakeholders involved have worked hard to ensure that CICE students were able to experience full inclusion in all aspects of college life, both socially and academically.
Students involved in the program also develop job-ready skills in a number of career-related, supervised field placement opportunities, allowing them to receive on-the-job training from leading employers in Durham Region.
"We have had a very successful first year and it has been very rewarding and a truly exhilarating experience for all of us," said Connaty.