Support for students with disabilities
The Bursary for Students with Disabilities (BSWD) and the Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment – Students with Disabilities (CSG-DSE) help eligible full-time and part-time students pay for disability-related services and equipment needed to participate in postsecondary studies.
What is the BSWD/CSG-DSE?
The BSWD/CSG-DSE is a program funded through the Ontario and Canadian governments. If you receive financial aid from another province or territory please contact their office to learn more about the disability-related programs that may be available to you.
What does the BSWD/CSG-DSE cover?
Funding overview
The amount of funding you may receive depends on the costs of the eligible disability-related educational services and equipment you need.
- If you have a permanent disability or a persistent or prolonged disability you may be considered for funding from the BSWD and the CSG-DSE.
The maximum funding per academic year is:
- BSWD: $2,000
- CSG-DSE: $20,000
Each eligible service or equipment request is considered based on your specific disability-related functional limitations. Information provided by your health care provider (physician or other regulated health care professional) and/or from Accessibility Services is used to determine what eligible costs may be funded.
You may be provided funding for all or a portion of the costs of the eligible services or equipment requested. Approved funding for eligible items is subject to maximum limits, so it is possible that not all your costs will be covered.
Non-eligible expenses
Costs that you incur as part of your participation in post-secondary studies, such as textbooks, living expenses, or a computer to access virtual courses or run specific programs/software required for all students in the course.
Disability-related expenses that you may incur which are required for daily life activities regardless of your participation in post-secondary studies, are not eligible, such as hearing aids.
Additional information
Not all disability-related services and equipment are eligible for funding. This includes purchases made before your BSWD/CSG-DSE application is approved (e.g., your school may offer the service or equipment at no charge, or it may not be included in the recommended accommodations you need).
Equipment purchased more than 60 days before your study period start will not be eligible for either BSWD or CSG-DSE.
For students with a learning disability, the costs of a psycho-educational assessment may be eligible for BSWD and/or CSG-DSE. To be considered, your assessment must have taken place no more than 6 months before your study start date.
Am I eligible for the BSWD/CSG-DSE?
Eligibility requirements
For the BSWD:
- You’ve self-identified as having a permanent or a persistent or prolonged disability and your status as a person with a disability has been verified through required supporting documentation for OSAP purposes.
- You’ve applied and are eligible for funding from one of the following sources:
- OSAP for full-time students and have at least $1 in calculated provincial need; or
- OSAP for part-time students and are receiving an Ontario Part-Time Grant; or
- an Institution-Funded Special Bursary (students at public universities and colleges in Ontario only).
- You must be registered with Accessibility Services.
- You must be registered at Georgian College currently or will be registering in the upcoming semester.
For the CSG-DSE:
- You’ve applied and are eligible for funding from one of the following sources:
- OSAP for Full-Time Students and have at least $1 in calculated federal need; or
- OSAP for Part-Time Students.
- students in micro-credential studies are not eligible for the BSWD and/or CSG-DSE.
- You must be registered with Accessibility Services.
- You be registered at Georgian College currently or will be registering in the upcoming semester.
How do I apply for the the BSWD & the CSG-DSE?
- Be OSAP-eligible to access the BSWD.
- Submit an OSAP Application Form and a Disability Verification Form (DVF) to Financial Aid and Awards.
- Indicate on your OSAP file if you have a permanent disability or persistent/prolonged disability status.
Already have proof of OSAP eligibility? Begin at Step 2.
- In order to get started, you will meet with an Accessibility Advisor (AA) and then if required, an Adaptive Technologist (AT).
- Your AA or AT confirms your program eligibility with Financial Aid and Awards who will check your OSAP status and ensure you have an approved DVF on file, as well as review your funding history.
- Your AA and/or AT will confirm an application is reasonable and will support you with the application process for appropriate equipment or services.
- Your Student Accessibility Advisor (AA) will contact you if the submission needs to be revised.
- If your application can be processed, you will be notified by email from a Financial Aid and Awards Officer with exact instructions on your next steps.
- This funding is issued to you to cover the cost of the items and/or services specified in the application.
- You are responsible to purchase these items or services as soon as possible.
- You must provide receipts as proof of purchase for these equipment and/or services. If you were approved for tutoring or note taking services, you must also provide a time log that matches the receipts provided.
- You must provide all receipts no more than 30 days after the end of your current study period.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
No, these are provincial and federal programs and therefore which items are eligible are determined by the government.
No, you can only use the funds for items and/or services approved in your BSWD application. You must provide receipts of purchases.
Every approved item has a fixed purchase amount. If you choose to spend over the allotted amount, it is your financial responsibility to cover the difference.
Unused BSWD funds must be returned after all purchases are made, and cannot be carried forward to another academic session.
As funding is not guaranteed we advise against purchasing any services or items in advance of receiving your funds.
If your academic status and/or course enrollment has changed since you submitted your application, do not deposit/use the funds. Contact your Accessibility Advisor and/or Adaptive Technologist to determine next steps.
You can submit receipts any time and don’t need to wait to gather them.
You may be required to repay all or part of the funding you received and your eligibility for further funding from OSAP could be impacted if:
- You don’t purchase your goods or services before the end of your study period.
- Your receipts don’t match the amount(s) corresponding to the equipment and/or services you were approved for.
- Your receipts were not received by Financial Aids and Awards by the receipt deadline.
Award, scholarship and bursary funds issued by Georgian may be considered taxable income. A T4A summary will be issued before the end of February of next year to all awarded students. If you have not submitted your Social Insurance Number (SIN), you cannot be issued any funds. Please log in to Banner to ensure your mailing address is updated and to confirm your SIN has been provided. If you need to provide your SIN, select the Social Insurance Number Update link in the Personal Information menu.
Need more information?
Connect with Georgian’s Financial Aid and Awards team: Call 705.722.1530 or email financialaid@georgiancollege.ca.
You can also visit the Ministry of Colleges and Universities website for the most up to date information about these programs.