Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to Written Question asked by Ms. Lee on June 18, 2002, regarding financial assistance for students with disabilities.
In order to be eligible for financial support from the NWT, students must be attending approved, post-secondary programs leading to a licence, certificate, diploma, undergraduate, masters or doctoral degree.
The SFA Program offers the NWT Study Grant to students with permanent disabilities. This grant provides assistance of up to $8,000 per academic year to eligible students taking full-time post-secondary, and up to $1,000 per course for students taking part-time post-secondary programs. The expenses must be directly related to the student's program of study or course; for example, a specialized computer screen or a tutor to take notes. Students who are not eligible to apply for the NWT Study Grant can apply to the NWT Council of Persons with Disabilities under the NWT Literacy Program funding provided by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. Aboriginal students may also be eligible for disability assistance through their band. As each student's needs and eligibility are unique, detailed assistance information differs from student to student.
Governments across Canada follow a stringent designation process to determine the institutions and programs eligible under their government financial assistance program. To determine post-secondary institution and program eligibility, SFA refers to other Canadian government lists of approved and designated post-secondary institutions. When required, SFA will also research specific program eligibility through the institution's web site, government financial aid offices or school calendars.
ECE is currently in the process of researching and developing private institution policies for institutions within the NWT. However, the SFA Program will continue to rely on the expertise of other governments across Canada when approving students who wish to attend institutions outside of the NWT.