Mount Saint Vincent University's Gail and Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Learning Disabilities is the first of its kind in Canada, and will provide graduates with enhanced knowledge and skills to identify and teach children with learning disabilities in a classroom setting. The chair will be involved with teaching, research, and course development in MSVU's education faculty at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
"The appointment of Dr. Metsala as the Chair in Learning Disabilities is an important part of the Mount's commitment to research and education," says Dr. Ramona Lumpkin, MSVU President. "With the generous contributions of our supporters, the Mount is positioned to play a lead role in developing new understandings and responses to learning disabilities."
Meanwhile in Ontario, Queen's University is implementing additional counselling services and supports for students. The university plans to hire an additional full-time counsellor for Health, Counselling and Disability Services, as well as an Associate Director of Counselling.
"The additional counsellors will help shorten wait times for appointments," says Mike Condra, Director of Health, Counselling and Disability Services. "This will enable us to focus on seeing students who are in distress quickly and to avoid a lengthy waiting period, which can increase the difficulty that the student is experiencing."
In light of these positive developments, Dalhousie University stands out as a pathetic example of cuts and outsourcing in the Higher Education sector. The administration decided to lay off the only dedicated learning disabilities specialist, making it more difficult and expensive for students and their families to access vital support services.
Neera Datta's position as Psychologist (Learning Disabilities Specialist) in Dalhousie's Counselling Centre was eliminated as part of larger funding cuts throughout Dalhousie's budget. In her capacity she served students from three universities across Halifax; Dalhousie, King's College and NSCAD.
Students, community groups, and the Dalhousie Faculty Association have been lobbying for the decision to be reversed. In an open letter to the university president, Carrie Dawson, President of the Dalhousie Faculty Association, asks "Why would you cut the academic and psychological supports for those students who need them most?"
In defense of the layoff, VP Student Services Bonnie Neuman explains Dalhousie's strategy towards outsourcing vital student services: "Our Board of Governors recently approved a mechanism for allocating seed money of $100,000 to initiate this bursary program...We believe that since our students will have the means, either through their family's support or through this bursary program, to purchase these services, that more local expertise will quickly develop to meet their needs, and that these professionals will locate their offices close to our campus and their campus clients. We will be advertising our new approach to that professional community to encourage this response."
The position of the Dalhousie Administration was not well received by counsellors, affected students and the wider university community. Dr. Jennifer Rushton, psychologist at the Dalhousie Counselling Services Centre, points out the problem with outsourcing student services to outside providers: "If psychologists in the community are suddenly able to provide learning disabilitiy services [for university students], it means they are not true professionals. It takes years of specialized training to do what Neera does. I don't know a single person in private practice who would decide to relocate to be closer to campus."
"How do students prove that they have learning difficulties to get the bursary? To get an ADHD assessement costs 2000 dollars," Natasha Piper adds. "That was the good thing about Neera. She could understand student's difficulties without you going and spending thousands of dollars just at being diagnosed with something."
