One of the core objectives of the CDPA is to train future scholars in disability policy who will carry on the legacy of the CDPA well beyond its funding cycle.
We engage students in several ways:
- Student research assistants: We hire graduate and undergraduate students to act as research assistants. These students participate in every aspect of the research and knowledge mobilization, and gain experiences that are invaluable to them as they pursue both their academic and professional careers. We have been extraordinarily fortunate in attracting high calibre students from a variety of different backgrounds (eg., English Literature, Engineering, Gender Studies, Geography, Sociology, History), several of whom have gone on to pursue disability-related graduate work or employment. All have developed a commitment to disability and equity that will influence their future endeavours.
- Scholarships: For 5 years, from 2009-2014, we annually awarded scholarships to support graduate students conducting theses on topics compatible with our goals.
- Classroom teaching: A number of CDPA investigators are university faculty who have teaching responsibilities that overlap with the mandate of the Partnership.
- Grad student supervision and support: Investigators contribute to graduate supervision in their respective university departments for students with programs of research connected to the goals of the CDPA. They also act as comprehensive examiners or thesis examiners for students whose research is associated with disability policy or disability issues.
Under leadership from CDPA, an inter-disciplinary under-graduate curriculum on disability studies was launched. The program is offered annually, in the spring, at the Bader International Studies Centre in Herstmonceux, England, and attracts students from more than 20 universities around the world
Click here to see more about the students we supported.