The Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) is celebrating its silver anniversary this year, marking 25 years of supporting students.
The centre was established in 1990 and is the main support centre for students with physical, mental, and learning disabilities on campus. The centre works to create a more accessible learning environment through special support plans for students, allowing them to learn to their fullest potential.
Bill Hamm, student services administrator of the PMC, said the biggest change he has seen is the number of students the centre helps.
“Over the years, it is not just the absolute number [that] has increased, but the number of disabilities that students present themselves with has also increased,” Hamm said.
“There are more students enrolled at Carleton with invisible disabilities than visible [ones], and there is a lot more understanding with mental health. We’ve started to see more of our students present themselves with mental health disabilities.”
Larry McCloskey, director of the PMC, said the centre has made significant improvements in the past 25 years.
“Twenty years ago, the graduation rate for students with disabilities was 20 per cent lower than the general Canadian population,” McCloskey said.
“Now, the graduation rate for our students is one or two per cent higher . . . The need for post-secondary education for people with a disability is almost twice as high as the able-bodied population.”
The centre was named after Paul Menton, a Carleton graduate who was the first co-ordinator of the program for the disabled, according to the centre’s website.
Menton became a quadriplegic after several strokes, with tests later showing vascular and arterial abnormalities in his brain stem and upper spine.
Erika Wagner, a fourth-year history student, just started using the centre this year and said the staff have made a difference to her. She has a learning disability involving spelling and phonetics. She said she spells words the way she thinks they sound, which is not always correctly.
Wagner said she has a volunteer notetaker and writes her exams on the computer. The centre has also introduced her to a voice recognition program for working on assignments.
“I don’t feel as overwhelmed because when I write notes I take the time to really think about what I’m writing and then I zone out and miss what the professor says,” Wagner said.
“With a notetaker I can write and not worry about my spelling, because I know I have it typed out on another page.”
Taylor White, a former Carleton student, said she has also been helped by the centre. She said she tried to attend Carleton last year but dropped out because she did not use the centre to her advantage.
White said she has been diagnosed with major depression and anxiety for ten years, making school difficult. With the help of the PMC, she said she plans to go back to Carleton in the future.
“The PMC and Sonja Tanguay have helped me immensely in the last few months. They make it feel so safe to self-identify your disability, and help you find your strengths and weaknesses,” she said.
“Having the PMC is so important because every disability is different . . . It has enticed me to go to classes and try my hardest because I know someone is in my corner.”
McCloskey said the centre helps the university keep students enrolled, but the value of the service goes beyond tuition fees students pay.
“Retention of students with disabilities has also increased, which is important for the institution but also for students reaching their greatest potential,” McCloskey said.
