January-March: quarterly report

26th edition of the bursary program

The 26th edition of our bursary program was a resounding success!   

With over $90,000 received from our donors, we were able to award a total of 57 bursaries to students with disabilities (SWD) at all post-secondary levels. This is a record for our program, and we are grateful to everyone who made this success possible. Thank you to all candidates, donors and jury members!  

The bursary program is rooted in our mission to support SWD in their academic and professional careers, notably by helping to offset the costs inherent to the context of disability.  

We are grateful for the generosity of our donors at all levels. Every donation makes a difference and enables us to offer even more support to our members. 

AQEIPS at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)

On March 10, 2025, the AQEIPS team travelled to Trois-Rivières for the first edition of the awareness day entitled Rendre visible l’invisible : une journée pour comprendre et agir. Initiated by Chloé Séguin & Philippe Dorion, two students from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, in collaboration with AQEIPS, a number of activities were proposed to highlight the accessibility issues experienced by post-secondary students with disabilities.

Through an immersive wheelchair course, our project manager Felicity was able, alongside other students, to experience some of the challenges encountered: navigating access ramps, the problematic height of lockers, and even hazardous movements in toilets labelled as accessible.

Discussion periods with the students, as well as a board game on the theme of accessibility, provided food for thought and rich exchanges around the realities experienced by our members. Not to forget the presence of advisors from the university’s services and support center, available to answer everyone’s questions!

The day’s events enabled us to build bridges between our experiences, find out about the resources available at the university and fuel our determination to act collectively, as concerned students and allies, for a more accessible post-secondary environment. 

AQEIPS at Cégep du Vieux Montréal (CVM)

March 18, 2025, marked the 4th edition of Universal Accessibility Awareness Week at Cégep du Vieux Montréal.

AQEIPS set up a kiosk to meet with students and partners. Organized by RADAR, a listening and support service by and for students, the event was presented under the slogan “We’re everywhere, all the time! Let’s fight together against ableism.”. The event provided an opportunity to meet the college community and discuss the meaning and use of the terms “equality”, “equity” and “inclusion” in our educational institutions.

In the Cégep hall, the energy was palpable as our exchanges fuelled our demands for better access to post-secondary education. Several kiosks and a quiz game mobilized students to discuss and learn about their right to accessibility.

Once again, AQEIPS applauds the awareness-raising initiatives undertaken by our institutions, and looks forward to future editions. 

Documentary video filming

This winter, AQEIPS was able to work on a video project thanks to the collaboration and financial support with the SAC-UQAM. The goal of the project is to create short videos on various subjects of interest for our members and the general public.

With the cinematic expertise of a student studying at UQAM, we spent two days filming at our office, interviewing student volunteers who wished to share their experiences on living with a disability and pursuing a postsecondary education. Thank you to Bryen, Amélie, Léa, Rivellie and Mathias!

We also spent a day creating a video with our director Stéphane Braney focusing on the theme of architectural accessibility in a post-secondary institution. 

Follow us on social media and become a member of AQEIPS to stay updated! 

L'équipe AQEIPS et les personnes étudiantes participant au projet.