Annual General Meeting
The AGM was an opportunity to share our 2024 activity report, as well as to present our financial statements and our upcoming projects.
We also welcomed Marine and Marie-Pier, our new administrators!
Participation in the ACFAS conference
On May 5 and 6, 2025, we had the privilege of participating in the 637 symposium – Pour une culture favorable à la santé mentale étudiante en enseignement supérieur : miser sur le développement et la mobilisation des connaissances avec les personnes étudiantes (For a culture conducive to student mental health in higher education: building on the development and mobilization of knowledge with students), held as part of the 92nd Acfas Congress at the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) in Montreal.
AQEIPS, in collaboration with Yves-Marie Lefebvre, a master’s student in urban studies at ESG, presented a paper entitled Favoriser l’inclusion en recherche et la santé mentale des personnes étudiantes en situation de handicap (Promoting research inclusion and mental health for students with disabilities), aiming to reflect on ways of enabling the concerned disabled students to participate fully in university research.
It highlighted:
- the systemic barriers encountered by students with disabilities in academic environments;
- the concrete strategies they deploy to meet these challenges;
- and the promising inclusive practices already in place in some institutions.
The AQEIPS team sincerely thanks the various teams involved in bringing this major event to fruition, and salutes the boldness of the presenters who are committed to accessibility and inclusion.
Coffee-meeting
AQEIPS began a coffee-meeting project in the fall of 2024 with the goal of providing a space for our SWD members to come and chat about a variety of topics once a month.
Each coffee-meeting offers a theme or issue that can be discussed or explored, such as accommodations during an internship, accessibility in post-secondary institutions, stress management and much more.
Discussions take place organically, leaving room for each participant to address questions or discussion topics of their choice. The atmosphere with AQEIPS team members and participants is often one of sharing, listening and helping one another, making for pleasant, interesting and warm encounters.
Coffee-meetings will be paused during summer break in July and August, and will return in fall 2025.
See you next time!
Art-QEIPS : artist showcase
Last June, we published the first edition of Art-QEIPS: Artist showcase, a virtual magazine designed to feel like visiting an art gallery. But this isn’t just any art gallery!
Here, we showcase the work of students with disabilities who have answered our call for submissions and shared their perspectives on themes such as “Art as therapy” and “Childhood memories”. In this first volume, we encounter thought-provoking reflections on the relationship to artistic creation, from the bright and darker corners of our minds to illness and the desire to move proudly into the future.
We extend our warmest thanks to Ariella and Ivy for their contributions, and we look forward to the creations of our members across Quebec.
Vivons Visibles : the accessible podcast
Vivons visibles : the accessible podcast is a project that seeks to open up conversations on a wide range of topics related to disability…and life in general!
The four episodes that were recorded last year covered topics such as universal accessibility, living with an invisible disability, access to support services, and accommodations during post-secondary studies.
This summer, AQEIPS is continuing its podcast interviews and is looking to explore more topics such as adapted sports, being a disabled parent, the experience of immigrating with a disability and more.
The beauty of this project is that each interviewee brings their own experiences to the table, adding to the wealth of knowledge of the disabled community.
Below, an excerpt from our first episode with Stéphane Braney, our Executive Director, which you can listen to in full here. After returning to school in 2019, Stéphane initially joined AQEIPS as a project manager. He shares his good humor with us as he talks about his studies, his professional experience, AQEIPS’s missions and his beloved grandchildren!
Follow us on social media and become a member of AQEIPS to stay updated!