DCOI Field Guide

The DCOI Field Guide stems from our first-phase research. It details four practices—with related knowledge, tools and resources—for service providers at post-secondary institutions to adopt. By executing these practices, service providers will improve their capacity and ability to serve students with disabilities as they embark on their employment journeys. The ultimate goal of DCOI 2.0 is to create an online platform that is fully effective and used by all post-secondary institutions in the province.

Four Field Guide practices

The DCOI Field Guide is made up of four practices. Through our first-phase research, we determined that these practices—and related knowledge, tools and resources—are essential actions for post-secondary institutions to take to bridge the employment gap experienced by students with disabilities:

1

Work together across your campus

This practice centres on the knowledge and resources that already exist within a campus. Through it, post-secondary institutions will look into creating more formal connection points and opportunities for knowledge sharing, so employees of these institutions know how to satisfy student needs when such needs fall outside a particular employee’s area of expertise. Institutions may have informal conversations already, but this practice enables them to be more intentional about collaboration across their campuses.

2

Design accessible career and networking events

This practice enables those who host career events to see them—and therefore design them—through an accessibility lens. Otherwise, event planners leave out an entire population of students who may not be able to participate and engage in such events in meaningful ways. Designing events with accessibility in mind unlocks employment opportunities for a greater number of students and gives employers a chance to tap into a labour pool they may not have considered.

3

Get students with disabilities and employers preparing for employment early

This practice emphasizes the steps students with disabilities follow on their journeys to obtaining meaningful employment after post-secondary education.

4

Support students with disabilities to explore and address their career needs

This practice focuses on enriching the accessible employment experience through the implementation of the functions of an Employment Pathway Facilitator (EPF). The EPF is a student service that provides a space for students to speak about or explore their employment journeys as they relate to their actual lived experiences as students with disabilities.

Launching
Fall 2024

Check back then to explore the DCOI Field Guide to learn more about the four practices and related knowledge, tools and resources.