SCOTIABANK & EASTER SEALS PARTNER TO HELP STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL THROUGH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND MENTORSHIP SUPPORT

April 2022 — Easter Seals Canada is pleased to announce a new partnership with Scotiabank that will provide resources for Canadian youth living with disabilities, to support them in reaching their full potential throughout their high school education.

ScotiaRISE, Scotiabank’s 10-year $500 million initiative that aims to promote economic resilience among disadvantaged groups, has provided Easter Seals with a grant to support youth with disabilities who require assistive equipment and technology for their education. The grant will fund the ScotiaRISE and Easter Seals: Supporting Students through Accessible Technology and Mentorship Program, which will be delivered in collaboration with Easter Seals provincial organizations in six provinces: Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

Both organizations recognize that the cost of accessible accommodations, specialized technology, learning aids, attendant care, support services, and accessible transportation can be a barrier for students living with disabilities, often straining their ability to purchase additional technology required to successfully complete their high school education. The Supporting Students through Accessible Technology and Mentorship Program will provide accessible technology and mentorship, helping remove some of the barriers to achieving a high school diploma for youth living with disabilities.

The program will enable students to purchase laptops, specialized technology, learning aids or tutoring required for school. Students will also be paired with a mentor to not only ensure they have the physical technology required to succeed, but the emotional and educational support of someone who has graduated high school and successfully moved on to a post-secondary studies. Volunteer mentors will support students’ preparation for high school graduation, college applications and post-secondary education.

According to Dave Starrett, President and CEO of Easter Seals Canada, the organization is proud to be partnering with Scotiabank, an organization that is similarly passionate about supporting youth in their education and future-readiness. “At Easter Seals, we strive to develop and deploy programming that improves the well-being, self-confidence, and independence of youth living with disabilities. With the help of our partners at Scotiabank, we will be able to assist youth in further developing these traits through the Supporting Students through Accessible Technology and Mentorship Program. The funding we have received will aid students, and their families, in purchasing the tools they need to graduate high school and take the necessary steps to achieve their future, post-secondary education, and career goals.”

“We are proud to invest in the Supporting Students through Accessible Technology and Mentorship program and provide youth with disabilities with the necessary accommodations to reach their full potential,” says Maria Saros, Vice President and Global Head, Community Investment Strategy and Communications at Scotiabank. “We realize the importance of this initiative as a means to create a more inclusive and accessible environment.”

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