Student Life
Student’s experiences, stories, research, events and more
Choose UCalgary Podcast
Welcome to Choose UCalgary, the University of Calgary’s prospective student podcast!
Season 5 Episode 3: In this episode, season 5 host Aidyn Vanattan chats with Cayley Hodgson, a current student in our Community Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies (CRDS) program in the Cumming School of Medicine. Cayley explains what makes the CDRS program unique and shares all of the amazing opportunities she’s been able to become involved with at UCalgary.
Global Learning
Discover new ways of thinking about disability, community, and rehabilitation beyond borders and immersed in other cultures and educational learning.
A study abroad program will build on and enhance on what you are learning in this program through new courses, people, and sometimes new practicum experiences.
There are many opportunities to meet new people, build a network and gain valuable personal development experiences without interrupting your studies or your career path.
Fourth year student Diego Carrillo Baez reflects on his study abroad experience at Flinders University in Australia. Diego's experience
Through this practicum experience I was able to view the medical model in action and understand how incredibly complex it is to merge the social and medical model in industry. I was forced to think critically about how wheelchair design can promote accessibility and inclusivity in a sustainable way.
Maeve Butts
Third Year CRDS Student
Community in the Classroom: What our students do in their practicums
Hello! My name is Maeve and I am in my third year of the Community, Rehabilitation, and Disability Studies program at the University of Calgary. In my first year practicum, I worked with Mike, a professor of engineering at the University of Alberta. Along with a team of engineering students, he began designing a wheelchair for a quadriplegic patient at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton. Mike assembled a highly interdisciplinary team, and agreed to bring me on board to provide a disability lens. Through this practicum experience I was able to view the medical model in action and understand how incredibly complex it is to merge the social and medical model in industry. I was forced to think critically about how wheelchair design can promote accessibility and inclusivity in a sustainable way.
In addition to my work with Mike, I was able to consult other professors at the University of Alberta who were interested in the CRDS program and integrating a critical disability lens into their design initiatives. For example, with one professor we discussed the moral implications of the technological approaches that promote aging in place, to address health dilemmas in long-term care
facilities for elderly patients, especially prevalent over COVID. Through these discussions I could explore the highly interdisciplinary way in which the theory explored in this degree can be implemented in practice. Within one practicum, I was able to acquaint myself with numerous professors that benefit from a disability perspective and valued my opinion. In addition, I was able to evaluate my position, concerning theories and practices, by understanding them from a different point of view. The disability sector is continually evolving and expanding and, although I used to have my heart set on a specific field prior to my practicum, my experience with Mike completely shifted my worldview and opened my eyes to the necessity of a disability lens and the endless possibilities and diverse workforce this program offers.
-Maeve Butts
BHSc & BCR Research Symposium
A night showcasing student research
2023 Symposium
The BHSc & BCR Research Symposium returned after a three year break due to the pandemic. Over 60 Bachelor of Health Science students and Bachelor of Community Rehabilitation students presented their research projects at this year's symposium which was held on Thursday, January 19, 2023.
