Full title: Literature review: Educational and legal perspectives on the employment of students with disabilities in sectors related to their field of study
AQEIPS is currently conducting a project reviewing existing literature to identify barriers and stepping stones to the employment of students with disabilities in the Quebec job market, in sectors related to their field of study. This project, led by two students from the Université du Québec à Montréal, Maude Chartier-Desjardins, a doctoral student in education, and Djélika Keita, a doctoral student in law, is in line with our associative mission to promote the collective defense of students’ rights and encourage full social participation, both academically and professionally.
As AQEIPS’ mission is rooted in the post-secondary environment, we feel it is essential to gain a better understanding of the professional realities that our members are facing and will face throughout their careers.
Many barriers to hiring, such as prejudice, lack of accommodation and inaccessibility, are reported by our community and seem to take root as early as the academic path. Based on a review of the scientific and grey literature (reports, theses and dissertations, government and organization publications, etc….), we aim to offer a complementary portrait, both rigorous and critical, of the situation in Quebec, and to encourage concrete avenues of improvement to facilitate the transition to the job market.
We hope that a better understanding of these issues, and of the practices welcomed by the people concerned, will enable us to better adapt support services, adjust internship settings and ensure real continuity between training and professional arrival, according to the wishes of the students.
The results of this work will be disseminated in a final report accessible to all stakeholders concerned or interested in the issue, including post-secondary institutions, internships and workplaces, political players and students themselves.