KEY DEFINITIONS Disability Disability is umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and “…an participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations” (World Health Organization). Disability is considered complex phenomenon, reflecting the interaction between “…a features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives. Overcoming the difficulties faced by people with disabilities requires interventions to remove environmental and social barriers” (World Health Organization). Disclosure Disclosure is approach used to inform an [employer, prospective employer, or “an postsecondary institution] of a disability that needs to be addressed and accommodated” (Ryerson University: ). Accommodation Need human rights terms, accommodation is the word used to describe the duties of an “In employer, service provider or landlord to give equal access to people who are protected by [provincial] Human Rights Code,” including persons with disabilities (Human Rights Legal Support Centre: ). Accommodation needs are the and functions that a person with a disability “tasks cannot fully perform without some type of accommodation” in the context of their course, program or discipline (Work Without Limits: ). Disability Services Office Disability Services Office (DSO) is one of a collection of terms (including Accessibility Services Office, Disability Support Services, Disability Support Centre, Centre for Students with Disabilities, etc.) used to refer to the office within a college or university responsible for providing academic accommodations to students with disabilities. Students typically register with the DSO through an intake process requiring disclosure of their disability and/or accommodation need, with appropriate documentation. DSOs
KEY DEFINITIONS Disability Disability is “…an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations” (World Health Organization). Disability is considered “…a complex phenomenon, reflecting the interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives. Overcoming the difficulties faced by people with disabilities requires interventions to remove environmental and social barriers” (World Health Organization). Disclosure Disclosure is “an approach used to inform an [employer, prospective employer, or postsecondary institution] of a disability that needs to be addressed and accommodated” (Ryerson University: ). Accommodation Need “In human rights terms, accommodation is the word used to describe the duties of an employer, service provider or landlord to give equal access to people who are protected by [provincial] Human Rights Code,” including persons with disabilities (Human Rights Legal Support Centre: ). Accommodation needs are the “tasks and functions that a person with a disability cannot fully perform without some type of accommodation” in the context of their course, program or discipline (Work Without Limits: ). Disability Services Office Disability Services Office (DSO) is one of a collection of terms (including Accessibility Services Office, Disability Support Services, Disability Support Centre, Centre for Students with Disabilities, etc.) used to refer to the office within a college or university responsible for providing academic accommodations to students with disabilities. Students typically register with the DSO through an intake process requiring disclosure of their disability and/or accommodation need, with appropriate documentation. DSOs
NEADS-National-Graduate-Experience-Report_KEY-DEFINITIONS.docx