Undue Hardship: Policy responses to mental health-related accessibility barriers in higher education

In Canada, 1 in 5 students enters post-secondary with a mental health-related challenge. Many students navigate institutional stigma and ableism without adequate services or support. Learning design is rarely inclusive, and accommodations processes are often inaccessible or ineffective in addressing the demand for mental health-related accommodations. Through interviews with seven experts, including student leaders, accessibility staff, and advocates, this capstone applies a multi-criterion policy analysis to identify policy solutions to address barriers to learning. Interventions assessed include: expanding and improving: a) the accommodations process and b) student services, including student-led services, as well as implementing c) universal design for learning (UDL) and d) whole-campus health promotion. It is recommended that interventions be implemented holistically to create more accessible, equitable, and sustainable learning environments.