The Glenn Crombie Centre

The Glenn Crombie Centre, located on the campus of Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ontario, officially opened its doors on June 4, 1996. This state-of-the-art education and training resource complex assists persons with learning and physical disabilities in the pursuit of their educational and vocational goals. This is achieved through a comprehensive focus on assessment, equipment trials, training on specialized assistive technologies, and research.

This world class structure - the only one of its kind in North America - is fully accessible and barrier-free; as a matter of fact, the Centre just recently garnered a prestigious international award for its innovative architectural design.

The Glenn Crombie Centre was built on the collective contributions and dedicated volunteer commitment of community organizations, individuals and corporate stakeholders within northeastern Ontario. In fact, many local service clubs and organizations have sponsored rooms and equipment within the complex.

In 1998, the Centre served the needs of over 700 clients by providing psychometric, educational and vocational assessments, student counselling, and specialized technological supports for students who are blind or partially sighted, Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing, as well as those students who have a learning disability, or who have medical or mobility needs. As a result of these efforts, the Centre’s clientele is expected to double by the year 2000.

In terms of specialized resources, The Glenn Crombie Centre is a leader in the utilization of assistive devices and adaptive technologies which enable individuals to overcome accessibility barriers, and to participate fully in society. The Centre boasts a nine-station computer laboratory with ergonomically designed furniture and adjustable work stations to accommodate mobility devices and multiple physical, sensory and learning disabilities. All of these computers feature 20-inch monitors, the latest in word processing software, and online access to the Internet.

As well, the Centre houses voice recognition rooms equipped with voice input capabilities for people with quadriplegia, carpal tunnel syndrome and various learning disabilities. Reading assistance rooms feature reading scanners, voice output computers, closed-circuit television with screen enlargement technology, and a Braille printer. The Centre also serves as a testing site for new and innovative assistive telecommunication technologies and mobility devices.

The primary focus of the Centre is to assist individuals with specialized services and supports which will enable them to reach their educational and vocational goals. In this respect, The Glenn Crombie Centre plays a significant role in the workplace reintegration of local employees and facilitates the participation of employees with disabilities in the workplace. Employer training, and advice on the integration of technology and adaptive devices as well as workplace modifications, are all cost-effective solutions available to employers who wish to access the services of The Glenn Crombie Centre to facilitate the workplace integration and re-entry of employees.

In terms of future directions, The Glenn Crombie Centre is currently involved in an extensive process to diversify its range of programs and services for individuals with disabilities and to market its significant knowledge and expertise to stakeholders at the local, provincial, national and international levels. As part of this process, the Centre is pursuing a number of strategic partnerships with private and public sector stakeholders to enhance the development and utilization of advanced technology, to provide alternative training programs for clients and to undertake focused research in the disabilities field.

Accordingly, as the Centre seeks to provide programs and services which continue to meet the changing needs of its clients, it is seeking to share innovative ideas, opportunities for collaboration, and information pertaining to alternative program delivery models with interested individuals and organizations.

If your organization/company would like to obtain more information on The Glenn Crombie Centre, or would like to showcase new products and/or services for individuals with disabilities, or in fact would like to participate in the Centre’s initiatives, please contact Susan Alcorn MacKay, Director of Special Needs Services, The Glenn Crombie Centre, at (705) 566-8101 ext. 7793; or contact us online at: [email protected]

CAMBRIAN COLLEGE

1400 BARRYDOWNE ROAD

SUDBURY, ON P3A 3V8

TEL: (705) 566-8101 ext. 7793

TOLL-FREE: (800) 461-7145

FAX: (705) 566-5452

TTY: (705) 560-1889

E-MAIL: [email protected]