As her peers sit in classrooms and lecture halls, fourth-year journalism student Kimberley Chiasson has to log in to Zoom from her home in Sudbury, Ont. and hope her internet does not cut out.
Chiasson is one of many Carleton students with physical disabilities who could not live on campus this fall after the university suspended its Attendant Services Program (ASP) in May. The program offers students on-call attendants who help them facilitate basic needs, such as going to the cafeteria and doing laundry.
While the university announced the program will resume in January, the absence of ASP prevented clients from returning to campus alongside their peers earlier this academic year and had lasting effects.
“Right now, [the ASP] is consuming my experience as a student,” Chiasson said.
Not being able to return to campus meant Chiasson missed out on in-class discussion and collaborative work offered in-person.
“It’s just taking a lot of more effort to keep up with my other classmates when they have certain advantages that I don’t,” Chiasson said.
Chiasson is not alone. First-year political science student Benjamin BourneFlosman is also unable to live on campus without the ASP.
Missing out on in-person activities means he cannot access the same networking opportunities as his peers, BourneFlosman added.
“A big part of the university experience is making connections,” BourneFlosman said. “I want to be a politician or a lawyer, so it’s really important to me to make these connections to get into the workforce.”
When BourneFlosman and Chiasson tried to hire personal caregivers to help them return to campus, the university denied them.
Steven Reid, a spokesperson for Carleton, wrote in an email to the Charlatan that having individuals hire their own caregivers to return to campus was not possible. He wrote this solution was not viable for the same reasons the ASP was suspended.
“The unique needs of the [ASP], the current pandemic, and public health and safety requirements means the program cannot be offered this fall in a safe manner,” Reid wrote in the email.
Chiasson said she approached the university with a legal team in May asking to hire her own personal caregivers to help her return to campus. Chiasson added she would provide proof the workers were fully vaccinated and have them adhere to the university’s COVID-19 protocols, but Carleton University denied her proposal.
BourneFlosman has been receiving care for most of his life through an agency called the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). The agency is run by Ontario Health and connects clients with living assistance across the province.
BourneFlosman said he emailed the university in June asking if he could continue receiving care from attendants vetted by LHIN while he lived in residence. The university denied BourneFlosman’s request in August.
Reid said allowing third-party attendants on campus introduced additional issues.
“The university also reviewed the option of individuals hiring their own personal support workers,” Reid said. “This is not a possible option for the reasons previously stated as well as additional liability, risk and insurance requirements.”
Time and effort spent trying to return this fall is not the only cost of the program’s suspension. Chiasson said the status of the ASP impacts her graduation timeline. She added she is currently taking a reduced course load and is expected to graduate in her fifth year.
Not being able to return to campus impacted his mental health, BourneFlosman added.
“Most of [my friends] went to university, so I don’t have as much of a social life. I’m home alone,” BourneFlosman said. “It is deeply saddening to sit at home and watch as my peers go to university.”
Matthew Cole is the executive director of ASP. He emailed ASP clients in late October announcing the services would resume this winter.
BourneFlosman and Chiasson spoke to the Charlatan in October, after the program’s return was announced. They said there is still more work to be done.
“I’m really relieved that we’ve had gotten an answer,” Chiasson said. “The winter term is only a couple of months away now and people do need a lot of planning when it comes to being able to return to campus.”
BourneFlosman said while he was “really thrilled” to hear the program would resume, but wished the initial statement explained why the ASP could not resume alongside other in-person services.
*Kimberley Chiasson has contributed to the Charlatan.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
