(640 kb)
(640 kb)
In 1987, the University of Alberta launched the On Campus program, an experiment in inclusive education, and gave eight students with developmental disabilities the chance to receive postsecondary education. Students in this program spend up to four years doing university course work in faculties such as the arts, science and education, as well as participating in work-experience placements during the summer. To date, some 30 participants have completed the program. Several are now employed with local businesses, rather than in a sheltered workshop, which is one of the few options normally open to developmentally disabled persons.
A large university campus can be challenging, so student volunteers and project workers assist On Campus participants to get to and from their classes, and provide help with class-work and campus life. Approximately 500 faculty and teaching staff have worked with the 30 On Campus participants.
Once described as a daring innovation, the University of Alberta's On Campus project has been adopted by four other Canadian post-secondary institutions and by the University of Jyvaskula in Finland.