News

In its ongoing efforts to enhance the overall student experience, the Schulich School of Law is pleased to introduce its first Student Accessibility and Wellness Advisor, Amanda Wilneff. As part of the Office of the Associate Dean (Academic), this role aims to boost both academic success and personal well-being for its students by helping them navigate accommodations, access resources on- and off-campus, and strengthen their skills and resilience.

“I am incredibly excited and deeply committed to collaborating with students, faculty and staff to champion accessibility in meaningful and sustainable ways,” shares Amanda, who joined the law school in June of 2025. “I am looking forward to supporting the Schulich Law community in a way that honours living/lived experiences, centres collective care, prioritizes self-determination, advocates for evolving needs, and uplifts wholistic well-being.”

In her role, she will help clarify the differences between academic accommodations and dispensations, review existing accommodations plans, and connect students with the supports they need to learn.

Amanda will also emphasize a proactive and wholistic approach to wellness, offering guidance on skill-building for reading, notetaking, organization, emotional regulation, and harm reduction. Students have the option to book appointments with her to discuss strategies for navigating on- and off-campus supports, or to access non-clinical, harm reduction–focused support (i.e., empathetic listening, referrals, guidance, etc.).

During exam periods, she will provide on-site support to help students manage accommodations, technical challenges, and exam anxiety, working with Dalhousie’s Student Health & Wellness team to coordinate Care Team visits to distribute exam care kits, offer decompression spaces, and support the use of assistive technology.

Guided by her lived and learned experience in front-line care work, Amanda has dedicated the past several years to promoting equity at Dalhousie as a graduate-level instructor in the School of Social Work, an education advisor with Human Rights and Equity Services, and most recently, as an access advisor with the Student Accessibility Centre. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Saint Vincent University and a Master of Social Work from Dalhousie.

If you are a new or returning student who would like to learn more about what wellness supports are available or would like to create a wellness plan for the upcoming term, please book an appointment with Amanda.