A new research project led by Amanda Uliaszek, a professor in the University of Toronto Scarborough’s (UTSC) Department of Psychology, is examining academic and mental health outcomes for students registered with U of T’s tri-campus Accessibility Services.
Like many service providers on postsecondary campuses, disability services have been confronted with increasing levels of severity, complexity, and frequency of mental health distress, without associated increases in resources, or adapted service models to address this growing issue. Further, the disability services model was developed to primarily address learning and physical disabilities; less is known regarding the impact of accessibility on student mental health, or the unique needs of students with a primary mental health disability.
Uliaszek, who is the recipient of a strategic research grant from the Inlight Student Mental Health Research (Inlight) initiative, aims to elucidate the specific needs of students with mental health disability and highlight possible areas for intervention and policy change. Her project will guide best practices in service delivery, increase support and access from an equity, diversity and inclusion lens, and address challenges students face as they navigate their academic journeys.
“It was clear through engagement with students and staff that there was a significant need to better understand the students who were registering with Accessibility Services noting a primary mental health disability. Accessibility Services were working hard to accommodate all students, yet there was a lack of empirical understanding regarding who these students are and what they need most,” says Uliaszek.
“The Inlight strategic research grant allowed me to engage with students to put forth an informed research design with clear impact and deliverables. Further, this research provided us with the knowledge base to pursue Tri-council funding, in the hope of determining core outcomes relevant to further work with disability services in postsecondary settings,” adds Uliaszek, who has recently secured a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CHIR) Catalyst Grant to further support her research.
Uliaszek spoke about the project and moderated a panel discussion at the November 2023 UTSC Mental Health Network event that brought together U of T students, faculty, and staff to explore student mental health and wellness research at UTSC.
Inlight is committed to improving student mental health and wellness outcomes by investing in high-quality, impactful research and driving scalable research innovations. Inlight responds to the mandate and recommendations set out by the Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health.