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
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 amount of funding you may receive depends on the costs of the eligible disability-related educational services and equipment you need.
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. Some examples are: services or equipment offered by the school, which are of no charge to the student, or that were not recommended by your healthcare professional. Purchases made before your BSWD/CSG-DSE application is approved may also be deemed ineligible.
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 must 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 and/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 your application meets the eligibility criteria and will support you with the application process for appropriate equipment and/or services.
- Your AA and/or AT will contact you if the submission needs to be revised.
- Once your application is reviewed, 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 and/or services as soon as possible.
- You must provide receipts as proof of purchase for these items 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.
- For one-time purchases, please submit your receipts as soon as the purchase is made. For on-going expenses (e.g. tutors, note-takes, counselling, etc.), please submit receipts on a monthly-basis.
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.
If you have received funding and do not use all of the funds provided on the approved technologies or services, please note that:
The remaining funds cannot be deferred for use in a future academic year.
If the remaining funds exceed the ministry’s determined threshold amount, they must be returned to Georgian College. Specific instructions will be communicated by Financial Aid and Awards.
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.
Submit your receipt as soon as the purchase is made. For on-going expenses (e.g. tutors, note-takes, counselling, etc.), please submit receipts on a monthly-basis.
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.
Here are possible reasons why your request could be denied (or as noted in your application correspondence):
- Your OSAP application does not reflect the required $1 of federal or provincial need.
- You have a restriction on your OSAP account.
- You received an OSAP overpayment.
- You did not submit BSWD/CSG-DSE receipts from a prior term.
- You already received funding for that item within the last four years.
- The requested item(s) and/or service(s) are not eligible for funding for BSWD/CSG-DSE purposes.
- You have applied after the deadline.
- You are in the final term of your program.
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.