CommunAbility FAQs

FAQS are organized according to the following sections

CommunAbility

Find out more about the PSDNet project and the work we are doing.

See FAQs

Mentoring and e-Mentorship Program

Learn about mentoring and find out about our e-Mentorship program: what are the requirements to join, and how it’s structured and supported.

See FAQs

Managing My Account

Information about your CommunAbility Account: How your information is used and secured, and how to manage your account, including deleting it.

See FAQs

CommunAbility

  • PSDNet stands for Post-Secondary Students with Disability Network. The PSDNet project is an applied research project funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada. The primary aim of the PSDNet project is to further the work underway in post-secondary education to remove barriers and create opportunities that promote the success of students with disabilities. Click here to learn more about the PSDNet Project.

  • CommunAbility is the name of our website! The name CommunAbility combines terms that reflect the PSDNet project’s objectives and focus – community, commune, communication, ability, and disability. Click here to learn more about the PSDNet Project.

  • CommunAbility is created and operated by a team of researchers from George Brown College, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Nipissing University, York University, and the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS). The website is part of a project funded through a grant from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council. Our research team is diverse, consisting of members who have the lived experience of disability and those who work in allyship with students and graduates with disabilities. Click here to learn more about the PSDNet Project.

  • Yes, there is a research component to the PSDNet project. We offer users of the website and mentorship program an opportunity to participate in research that will help us better understand the use of social media and our website by students with disabilities. The research also will examine the experiences of the participants in our e-mentorship program. Click her to learn more about research.

  • Yes. The research been reviewed by the ethics boards of the post-secondary institutions affiliated with research team members - George Brown College, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Nipissing University, and York University. The research also has the support of the Board of Directors of the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS).

  • Participating in any research is 100% voluntary. You can use the website and any services it offers without having to participant in research.

  • You can send us a message on our contact page. On this page, you willd information on how to contact the PSDNet project team. You can also provide feedback by participating in the research that evaluates your experience using the website, such as its features and services. Go to our Give Us Feedback page for more details about the study and how you can participate.

  • For technical problems not addressed by the FAQs, you can get help by submitting a request using our contact form. Click here to access the contact form.

  • The CommunAbility website is designed to work on most web browsers available today. However, because of how different browsers interpret our pages and the type of operating system being used (e.g., Windows) certain aspect of our website may look and function differently depending on the browser you use.
    For the best experience, we recommend that you use the latest version of Chrome.

Mentoring and Mentorship Program

  • Our mentorship program is a 16-week program that connects mentees and mentors. Mentees will set mutual goals and work towards them with the support of a mentor. Click here to learn more about our mentorship program.

  • As a mentor, you will:

    • Feel good about supporting the success of a student with disabilities

    • Give back to your community

    • Develop and build upon skills transferable to many professional and personal situations

    Our mentoring learning module provides more information about the benefits of being a mentor and mentoring relationships. Click here to access the mentoring learning module.

  • A mentor in the CommunAbility e-mentorship program supports a post-secondary student with a disability by:

    • Being a positive role model

    • Sharing your life, academic life, and professional experiences

    • Listening with an opend

    • Exploring career paths and helping to clarify the mentee's goals

    • Communicating regularly

  • In the CommunAbility e-mentorship program, we match post-secondary students with disabilities with graduates with disabilities with whom they share commonalities. Being a mentee in this program offers the opportunity for personal growth and development and to gain support from a mentor with a wealth of knowledge and experience.

  • We match mentors and mentees using a matching algorithm specifically designed for the program. We use the preferences that mentors and mentees voluntarily provided to create a custom matching score for each possible match. Mentees then receive a list of the top matches that are ready to mentor them. Once a mentee makes a selection, the match is complete.

  • Nothing! The program is FREE to all college and university students who self-identify with a disability.

  • The CommunAbility e-mentorship program provides mentorship opportunities for students with disabilities enrolled in post-secondary education Ontario.

  • Yes, Mentors must be at least 21 years or older to participate in the e-mentorship program. Mentees must be at least 18 years or older to participate in the e-mentorship program.

  • Currently we are serving students with disabilities enrolled in post-secondary education in Ontario.

  • We collect information so that we can generate the best match possible using our matching algorithm. We also collect certain information such as demographics so that we can describe the general characteristics of our participants to the public, funding agencies, and members of the post-secondary education community. We may also use the information we collect to make improvements to the website and services we offer. For more information about the information we collect and how it is used, click here to access our Privacy Policy.

  • Yes. For more information, click here to access our Privacy Policy.

  • Yes. For more information click here to access our Privacy Policy.

  • No. Our mentors are volunteers. They are graduates of post-secondary education programs with disabilities. Their time is given freely to support students with disabilities to achieve their goals.

  • Yes. We require both mentors and mentee to complete online training before they begin their mentorship relationship.

  • Before mentors and mentees are matched, they spend about 1 to 1.5 hours completing online training modules. Once matched, we encourage participants to spend about 30 minutes every two weeks over a 16-week period (8 sessions in total) connecting through the program’s online chat app.

    Some mentee and mentor matches may need to spend a little more time in the early phases of the program so that they can establish their relationships. Additionally, mentee-mentor matches may decide together to meet online more often than the recommended biweekly schedule.

  • Mentor-mentee matches communicate online using our built-in chat application. It takes 3 easy steps:

    1. Sign into your account and schedule a date and time to chat using the calendar application

    2. On the date and time of your meeting, sign-in to your account and click on the Chat icon

    3. Enter your password when prompted and chat away!

  • No. Participating in research is 100% voluntary. Once you are approved for the program, you will receive an invitation to participate in the evaluation of the program. If you decide not to participant in the research, just ignore the invitation and continue on in the program.

  • We use an account verification step in keeping with best practices for web applications that store personal data. Your privacy and security are very important to us, and this step helps us to ensure that your account will be under your control.

  • Prior to the start of the mentorship relationships, online training is provided to learn about mentoring relationships, the CommunAbility e-mentorship program, and roles and responsibilities of a mentee. The online training program also reviews the policies and procedures of the program. Additionally, mentors have access to the program handbook and other resources on their profile page.

    At any time, mentors can also obtain direct assistance by contacting a project team member through email or telephone with questions and to get help problem-solving.

  • Prior to the start of the mentorship relationships, online training is provided to learn about mentoring relationships, the CommunAbility e-mentorship program, and roles and responsibilities of a mentee. The online training program also reviews the policies and procedures of the program. Additionally, mentees have access to the program handbook and other resources on their profile page.

    At any time, mentees can also obtain direct assistance by contacting a project team member through email or telephone with questions and to get help problem-solving.

  • You can stop using the service at any time. We ask that you contact us and let us know before ending your relationship with your mentor or mentee. Click here to find out more about the expectations of participating in the mentorship program.

Managing my Account

  • We take your privacy very serious and we’ve built in a number of features to make sure your information is secure and private. Check out our Privacy Policy to learn more.

  • Deleting your account with CommunAbility means you will no longer have access to the member areas and any personalized content relating to the features and services of the site. Content including mentorship program profiles, timelines and chats will all be deleted from our server. We cannot restore your account once deleted.

    To delete your account:

    1. Login to your account and click on the to access your settings

    2. From the list of setting options, select Delete my Account and then follow the instructions.

    3. Once confirmed all associated data with your account will be deleted in x days.
      If you change yourd during that time, simply login using your username and password information to reactivate your account again.

    For more information about how your information is handle please review our Privacy Policy.

  • Once confirmed all data associated with your account will be permanently deleted. You will receive an email confirming that your account has been deleted. If you have a mentor/mentee, they will receive a message indicating you have deleted your account.

  • Write to us and ask us. You can also check out our Community Forum section. Your question may have already been answered in a thread. Note: you must be a registered member to be able to access the CommunAbility Forums.

  • CommunAbility accounts are usually disabled if we think that the account’s owner hasn’t followed our policies. These policies include our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, e-Mentorship Program Agreement, and e-mentorship program policies and procedures. Behaviours that are against of terms for use include: - Harassment, advertising, promoting, or other inappropriate conduct towards a user of the website or e-mentorship program
    - Continued prohibited behaviour after receiving a warning or multiple warnings from CommunAbility
    - Impersonating a person or entity or any misrepresentation of identity
    - Posting content that infringes on or violates someone else’s rights or otherwise violates the law
    - Posting content that violates terms of use

    Note: CommunAbility can cancel and remove an account at our discretion and might not provide notice.

  • You can request access to your account by following these steps (Note: only the account’s owner can submit a request to restore the account)
    1. Review CommunAbility’s policies. If you are a mentor or mentee, also review the e-mentorship program policy manual.
    2. If you believe you haven’t violated any of these policies, contact us at admin@communability.ca and lets us know.

  • We are sorry that you are having a bad experience in our forums and we want to help. If you want to report something at goes against our forum rules and guidelines or website terms of use, use the Contact Us link in the bottom menu on the forum page and report it to us.
    If you want to report something that goes against our rules and guidelines but you don’t have an account, you can still use the Contact Us link to let us know.
    Remember that if you feel threatened by something you see in our forum, you should contact law enforcement in your community. Please keep in mind that something you don’t like in a forum discussion may not go against our forum rules and guidelines.