Allowance for Special Needs Program – Adults
Secondary school (vocational training or adult education), college and university education
The Allowance for Special Needs Program is intended for you if you have a major functional disability or another recognized disability.
It provides financial assistance for the various types of support required to offset the effects of your disability and enable you to pursue your studies at an educational institution (specialized services, paratransit services and housing allowance) or at home (material resources1), if applicable, provided those needs are not already covered by another program or organization.
Types of assistance offered
Specialized services
You and the resource person who is delivering the specialized service must sign a service contract. You may use the Service contract (1089) form provided for in Print forms under the Items of Interest section of our Web site. If you do not use that form, be sure that the contract you sign contains the same information required by our form. Afterward, you must send us the service contract, duly completed and signed. Note that we may use it at a later date for verification purposes.
The following specialized services are recognized:
- Reader
Recording on audio cassette of the required books and class notes for a person with a severe visual impairment
- Note-taker
Note-taking manually or using a keyboard for a person with a major functional disability or another recognized disability
- Transcriber
Taking of class notes verbatim for a person with a major functional disability or another recognized disability
- Interpreter
Translation into Québec sign language or American Sign Language (ASL) or signed French or English of the class contents for a person with a hearing impairment.
- Attendant
Assistance provided to a person with a major functional disability or another recognized disability for certain needs, such as academic support (writing exams, library research, tutoring), hygiene, mobility.
Paratransit service and housing allowance
The Allowance for Special Needs Program provides for the reimbursement of paratransit expenses in the event of reduced mobility due to a disability and in the absence of an appropriate public transit service.
If you need to rent a dwelling close to your educational institution due to a disability, a housing allowance may be granted. In this case, an allowance for public paratransit services may also be granted.
- Public paratransit
If you are receiving assistance under the Loans and Bursaries Program and you can use a public paratransit service while living with your parents, no allowance will be paid to you because your transportation expenses are already reimbursed under the Loans and Bursaries Program.
If you are receiving assistance under the Loans and Bursaries Program but do not live with your parents or if you are not receiving assistance under the Loans and Bursaries Program, the average cost of a bus pass will be reimbursed.
- Private paratransit, taxi or private passenger vehicle
Expenses incurred for transportation via private paratransit, taxi or a private passenger vehicle may be reimbursed if public paratransit services are absent or inadequate.
If the recommendation is for paratransit services and the public paratransit carrier cannot provide those services, you must include, with the Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form, a letter from the public paratransit carrier confirming that it cannot provide transportation services to you and specifying the reasons why (e.g. educational institution outside area served, waiting list, conflicting schedule). You will be required to provide that letter only once per award year, provided there are no changes in your circumstances (e.g. change of address or educational institution).
The person responsible for integrating disabled students at the educational institution will recommend the appropriate service after you have provided the required documents.
Note that if an adequate public paratransit service is available and you choose another means of transportation, only the cost of the public carrier’s monthly pass will be reimbursed.
- Housing allowance
If you choose to rent a dwelling near your educational institution due to your disability, a monthly allowance can be paid to cover a portion of the rent. Only public paratransit expenses can be requested along with a housing allowance.
Material resources
Expenses incurred for adaptive equipment or a device intended to offset the effects of your disability are reimbursed. That equipment must be required to pursue your studies at home, insofar as those needs are not met by another program or organization.
The reimbursement of your material resources must be recommended by the person responsible for integrating disabled students at the educational institution in the Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form.
You must obtain and keep a price quote for the purchase of each material resource. This will enable the person responsible for integrating disabled students to indicate the cost of the purchase on the Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form.
If the material resources recommended are not part of the categories listed in this section, the person responsable for integrating disabled students at the educational institution must include a letter explaining why you require that material at home to offset the effects of your disability and pursue your studies adequately. Aide financière aux études will evaluate those reasons and, if they are not considered valid, the reimbursement may be refused. The expression Special needs and your permanent code must be specified in the upper right-hand corner of the letter.
Please note that material resources do not include furniture (e.g. chair, table, bed).
The following material resources are eligible:
Adaptive equipment
- Specialized software
If you have a severe visual impairment, this software will give you access to books in electronic form (e.g. XDI).
- Consumables
The cost of perishable material (e.g. audio cassettes, NCR paper, photocopies, diskettes, CDs) is reimbursed if that material is required for reading, note-taking and transcription services.
- Computer access device
Only substitutes or alternatives to a standard keyboard (e.g. keyboard with large letters), a standard mouse (e.g. mouth pointing device), and a standard screen (e.g. software to enlarge cursor or pointer) are reimbursed.
- Braille course material
Expenses incurred for the transcription (data entry, encoding) of printed material in Braille are not reimbursed, except the reproduction of course material into Braille (paper or the electronic equivalent). In addition, only reference works in encoded electronic format (diskette), such as dictionaries and grammar books are reimbursed. Prices are predetermined following an agreement between the authorized service provider and the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport.
Devices
- Desktop or laptop computer
If you must purchase a desktop or laptop computer to pursue your studies, you could be entitled to an additional allowance of $2 000, all taxes included. However, that allowance can only be granted once in a student’s lifetime. In addition, you must never have benefitted under the former computer loan guarantee program or received similar assistance to purchase a computer or computer equipment under the Loans and Bursaries Program or the Allowance for Special Needs Program.
If your program of study requires the use of a laptop computer, the allowance can be $3 000. To find out if you are required to use a laptop, consult the related list of recognized programs (in French only).
- Additional peripherals
You will be reimbursed for only those additional peripherals that are related to the computer and acquired under this program, in addition to the amounts provided for above, if they are required to offset the effects of your disability.
In order for the peripherals to be eligible for reimbursement, you must have acquired them at the same time you purchased your computer.
- Communication aid device
A communication aid device is reimbursed for non-vocal persons who have particular difficulty in making themselves understood. The device must enable the user to construct a message with symbols or pictograms, which are subsequently translated into an auditory message or a text. Considering the cost and complexity of this type of device, it is strongly suggested that you consult an augmentative communication expert before making your request.
A communication aid is reimbursed only once in a student’s lifetime.
Repairs
Expenses incurred to repair devices (desktop or laptop computer, communication aid device) or to replace them may be reimbursed only if that equipment was acquired under the Allowance for Special Needs Program.
In that case, you must send us the Application for the Authorization of Equipment Repair or Replacement (1091) form, duly completed. This form is available in the Print forms section of our Web site. To be approved, the estimate must be less than 60% of the value of the device at the time of purchase. If it is more costly to repair the device, you can request it be replaced. The same applies if the repairs cost more than the current replacement cost or if the device cannot be repaired.
Note that you must obtain our approval before incurring expenses for the repair or replacement of a device. However, the expenses incurred to obtain an estimate will not be reimbursed.
For a computer, the cost estimate for repairs must be made by the business that sold it, pursuant to the related guarantee, or by any other business if the guarantee is not applicable. The repairs must be carried out by the business that provided the estimate.
For a communication aid device, you must obtain a cost estimate for repairs from the technical assistance service of the rehabilitation centre or a recognized facility. The repairs must be carried out or requested by the technical assistance service that provided the estimate.
Following the payment of the required amount, you have 60 days to send us the invoice confirming payment of the device’s repair or replacement. Note that this differs from the procedure for sending receipts, which requires receipts be sent within 30 days of the end of the period of study concerned.
Eligibility requirements
To be eligible for a special needs allowance, you must satisfy the following requirements:
- You must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, a refugee or a protected person within the meaning of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
- You must be residing in Québec or be deemed to be residing in Québec at the time you file your Application for a Special Needs Allowance.
- You must be admitted to a designated educational institution in order to pursue recognized secondary school (vocational training or adult education), college or university studies.
- You must receive a minimum of six credits or 76 hours of instruction per period of study or a minimum of 20 hours of instruction per month. Students who are under any of these thresholds are eligible for reimbursement for specialized services and reproduction of course material into Braille only.
- You must be suffering from a recognized major functional disability or another recognized disability.
- You must not be receiving financial assistance from another organization for the same types of assistance.
Filing your application
At the beginning of an award year or if you are filing an application for the first time
At the beginning of an award year or if you are filing an application for the first time, you must:
- Meet with the person responsible for integrating disabled students at your educational institution.
That person will verify if you are suffering from a functional disability recognized by Aide financière aux études. If, following this verification, that person deems it appropriate, he or she will determine the types of assistance you require to pursue your studies*, in accordance with the recognized major functional disability or other recognized disability from which you suffer. He or she will also let you know what documents and forms you must send us so that we can analyze your application.
- Fill out the Application for a Special Needs Allowance online.
After you have submitted your request, you have 45 days to send the recommendation and other documents required, if any, to Aide financière aux études.
- Obtain the documents required to analyze your application and have them filled out.
You have 45 days to send the required documents and forms, duly filled out and signed by qualified professionals, to Aide financière aux études. Here are some examples of the documents you could be asked to submit: price quote, letter from the public paratransit carrier, lease, service contract, etc.
- When all the documents have been filled out, meet with the person responsible for integrating disabled students at your educational institution again.
After consulting the documents that you have given him or her, that person will carry out a first evaluation of your file. If he or she deems it appropriate, that person will fill out the Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form and will give you a copy that you must send to Aide financière aux études. This form and all the other documents required must be sent to us in a single transmittal, no later than 45 days after the online Application for a Special Needs Allowance form was filled out. It is important that, when you send the documents, you attach them to the transmittal slip you obtained when you filed your online application.
Once all the documents have been received, Aide financière aux études will issue you a financial assistance statement that will inform you of the exact amount to be awarded to you. To find that statement, select On-Line Access to Your File!, fill out the Identification section and click on the tabs Your File and Special Needs.
Please note! The issuing of the financial assistance statement and the payment of the allowance instalments may be delayed if the documents arrive late or do not comply with the specifications.
Please note that at the end of each period of study, you must send us all the supporting documents for the expenses incurred during that period. These documents must be sent to us in a single transmittal:
- All the paid invoices for all material resources and paratransit services
- All the receipts issued by all resource persons concerned for all specialized services
* The special needs assessment and related recommendations must be made by the person responsible for integrating disabled students at the educational institution. If that person deems it appropriate, he or she may consult a health professional who specializes in the field of your disability (audiologist, qualified person at a low-vision centre, occupational or speech therapist).
Deadline for sending supporting documents
Please send the following documents no later than 30 days following the end of the period of study concerned. The documents that are available when the Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form is sent can be attached to that form.
If you begin a new period of study during an award year or if there is a change in your courses during a period of study
If you begin a new period of study during an award year or if there is a change in your courses during a period of study, you must:
- Meet the person responsible for integrating disabled students at your educational institution who will determine the type of assistance you require to pursue your studies* and specify the documents and forms that you must obtain or, eventually, have filled out by the qualified persons.
- Have the appropriate documents and forms filled out by the qualified persons.
- When all the required documents have been duly completed, meet the person responsible for integrating disabled students at your educational institution again.
After consulting the documents that you have given him or her, that person will carry out a first evaluation of your file. If he or she deems it appropriate, that person will fill out the Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form and will give you a copy. If you begin a new period of studies during an award year, you must send a copy of the form to Aide financière aux études.
If it involves a change during a period of study, however, it is the person responsible for integrating disabled students at your educational institution who must send a copy of this form to Aide financière aux études.
The Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form must be sent to us before your new period of study begins. To ensure that your allowance is calculated in a timely manner, we suggest that you send that form and all the required documents together in a single package.
Please note that at the end of each period of study, you must send us all the supporting documents for the expenses incurred during that period. Please send the following documents in a single transmittal:
- The paid invoices for all material resources and paratransit services
- The receipts issued by all resource persons concerned for all specialized services
* The special needs assessment and related recommendations must be made by the person responsible for integrating disabled students at the educational institution. If that person deems it appropriate, he or she may consult a health professional who specializes in the field of your disability (audiologist, qualified person at a low-vision centre, occupational or speech therapist)
Deadline for sending supporting documents
You must send the following documents no later than 30 days following the end of the period of study concerned. The documents that are available when the Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form is sent can be attached to that form.
List of eligibility requirements for each type of assistance
Each type of assistance to which you are entitled must be recommended by the person responsible for integrating disabled students at your educational institution. That recommendation must be made using the Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form.
If that person deems it appropriate, he or she may consult a health professional who specializes in the field of your disability (audiologist, qualified person at a low-vision centre, occupational or speech therapist).
Typical calendar
Annual calendar for beneficiaries under the Allowance for Special Needs Program
If you have filed your application and it has been approved, the following calendar will apply for payments and the submission of documents for the year.
| The calendar on this page represents the normal timeline for students who begin their academic year in the fall and complete it in the spring. |
| September |
October |
November |
The first instalment of the fall allowance is disbursed to you.
 |
The second instalment of the fall allowance is disbursed to you.
|
Aide financière aux études asks you to send in the Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form for the winter period.
Aide financière aux études also asks you to send in your paid invoices and receipts for the fall period of study, once it is over.
|
| January |
February |
March |
The first instalment of the winter allowance is disbursed to you.
|
Deadline for sending in your paid invoices and receipts for the fall period.
The second instalment of the winter allowance is disbursed to you.
|
Aide financière aux études asks you to send in the Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form for the summer period.
Aide financière aux études also asks you to send in your paid invoices and receipts for the winter period of study, once it is over.
|
| May |
June |
July |
The first instalment of the summer allowance is disbursed to you.
|
Deadline for sending in your paid invoices and receipts for the winter period.
The second instalment of the summer allowance is disbursed to you.
|
Aide financière aux études asks you to send in your paid invoices and receipts for the summer period of study, once it is over.
|
My school year does not begin in the fall, how where can I find out when it would be best to file my application?
Please contact the person responsible for integrating disabled students at your educational institution. He or she will let you know when it would be best to file your application and in order to receive your allowance in time for the beginning of school.
Can I still apply to the Allowance for Special Needs Program if my school year or study period has ended?
You have 60 days following your last recognized month of study to file an application for assistance under the Allowance for Special Needs Program. After that, you can no longer apply under this program for that year.
If you file an application for a special needs allowance after the period of study for which you required forms of assistance, you must submit the Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form covering that period of study together with the receipts and paid invoices for those forms of assistance so that the exact amount of the allowance can be determined.
What will happen if I don’t send my paid invoices and receipts before the deadline?
The allowance you receive under this program is an advance. Consequently, if you don’t send your paid invoices and receipts within the prescribed period or if your documents do not justify the financial assistance you received, Aide financière aux études reserves the right to recover the overpayments by deducting them from the amounts yet to be disbursed to you.
If the amount owing cannot be recovered from the assistance yet to be disbursed or if there are no further instalments scheduled, your file will be transferred to the Service du recouvrement (debt collection service) of Aide financière aux études, unless you immediately repay that amount.
Allowable expenses - September 1, 2011, to August 31, 2012
| Specialized services |
| Reader |
Current minimum wage in Québec |
| Note-taker |
Current minimum wage in Québec |
| Transcriber |
$15/hour |
Interpreter
For vocational training and adult education students
For students in non-subsidized private
colleges or colleges outside Québec
For university students outside Québec |
$40/hour
$40/hour
$45/hour |
| Attendant |
$15/hour |
| Paratransit service and housing allowance |
| Public paratransit |
$73/month |
| Transportation with a private passenger vehicle or carpooling |
$0.43/kilometre One return trip per day |
| Taxi |
Actual cost of one return trip per day |
| Private paratransit |
Actual cost of one return trip per day |
| Housing allowance |
$105/month |
| Repairs |
Expenses incurred to repair devices or to replace them may be reimbursed only if that equipment was acquired under the Allowance for Special Needs Program.
To be approved, the estimate must be less than 60% of the value of the device at the time of purchase. If it is more costly to repair the device, you can request it be replaced. The same applies if the repairs cost more than the current replacement cost or if the device cannot be repaired. |
Allowance instalments
Allowance instalments are normally deposited directly into your bank account, except for the first. That instalment is made by cheque at the beginning of the study period and delivered by the person responsible for integrating disabled students at the educational institution or an officer with the financial assistance office of your educational institution. All instalments, except the first, are deposited directly into your bank account.
Consequently, you must fill out and send us the Application for Direct Deposit form, which you can obtain in Print forms under the Items of Interest section of our Web site. If you fail to do so, your allowance instalments will not be made.
Your allowance amounts will be paid to you in two statutory instalments per period of study. Additional instalments may be made following any change request you may make.
Note that no instalment is made for an amount of less than $25. In such cases, the amount in question is added to the subsequent instalment. In addition, at the end of the last period of study in the award year concerned, no instalments are made for amounts owing of less than $5.
If your allowance is intended to purchase material resources, the full amount will be paid to you in a single lump-sum payment for the period of study. If, however, the allowance is intended to obtain specialized services or paratransit services, an initial partial instalment will be made and the difference will be paid via direct deposit in the second month of the study period concerned.
The first instalment of each period of study concerned is calculated on the basis of the information in the Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form, which the person responsible for integrating disabled students at the educational institution has filled out and given to you.
Deadline for filing an application
The prescribed period for applying for a special needs allowance expires 60 days after the last month of study of the current award year.
If the Application for a Special Needs Allowance was filed after the period of study for which you required forms of assistance, you must submit the recommendation for this period of study together with the receipts and paid invoices for that assistance so that the exact amount of the allowance can be determined.
Deadline for requesting a change to your file
You must send us your request for a change to your file no later than 60 days following the end of the last month of studies of the current award year.
Deadline for sending supporting documents
You must send us your supporting documents no later than 30 days following the end of the period of study concerned. The documents that are available when the Recommendation on Types of Assistance Required form is sent can be attached to that form.
At the end of each period of study, you must send all your receipts and paid invoices to Aide financière aux études, preferably in single transmittal.
Please be sure to keep a copy of all your documents (receipts, invoices, service contracts, price quotes, recommendations, etc.)
Transmittal of receipts and paid invoices
For the purchase of material resources, you must send the detailed invoice issued by the retailer to Aide financière aux études.
For public paratransit and specialized services, you can use the Receipt for Required Assistance Services – Allowance for Special Needs Program form available in the Print forms section of our Web site. That form must be filled out and signed by the resource person delivering the service, or the transportation carrier and yourself. If you do not use that form, be sure that the attestation or receipt you send includes all the information required by the form. Remember to include the expression Special Needs, as well as your permanent code and the award year concerned. An award year runs from September 1 to August 31.
Do you wish to contest a decision?
If you disagree with a decision rendered by Aide financière aux études, despite the fact that it respects the rules in effect, you can apply for a review.
Right to access and accuracy
In accordance with the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information, you are entitled to access and have corrected any personal information concerning you that is held by the Ministère.
Additional information
For additional information regarding the Allowance for Special Needs Program, you can call us at 418-646-6006 or at 1-866-946-6006 (toll-free in Canada and the United States). You can also contact, as the case may be, the office responsible for integrating disabled students, the financial assistance office or the administration office of your educational institution.
If you have a severe hearing impairment and use a relay service, you can reach us at the numbers above.
1Please note that material resources do not include furniture (e.g. chair, table, bed).
