Students with disabilities face more obstacles returning to class, advocates warn

Advocacy groups in Ontario say students with disabilities will face additional obstacles returning to class following the pandemic, leaving parents unsure if their children will be fully and safely included in school reopening plans.

The Ontario Autism Coalition (OAC) and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance held an online town hall meeting Friday to discuss what they say is the provincial government's "failure" to put parents at ease with the school year looming.

OAC president Laura Kirby-McIntosh said when it comes to welcoming children with disabilities back to school, the province is doing the bare minimum at best.

"The Ministry of Education's guide to reopening Ontario schools is not really a plan," she said in an interview. "What we get is some very nice words."

Kirby-McIntosh said the province's school system is designed primarily with non-disabled children in mind, while children with disabilities are treated as an afterthought.

"One thing that COVID has done very effectively is it has exposed systemic issues across our society — of racism, medical infrastructure — and now we are getting to school infrastructure."

Province allocates $10M for special education needs

A spokeswoman for Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the government has allocated $10 million in additional funding specifically dedicated to supporting students with special education needs.

"We are spending more money than any other province on special education," Caitlin Clark said.

However, Kirby-McIntosh said schools run on more than just money.

"They run on good planning," she said. "Yes, they are spending more money on schools, but why wait until the third week of August to announce that? I don't feel that we are ready, it is not good enough."

AODA Alliance chair David Lepofsky said both his group and the Autism Coalition have offered plenty of proposals and advice to the government, before and during the pandemic, in relation to students with special needs.

"Not one public official at the Ministry of Education picked up the phone to ask for more information, and they have done nothing about it," he said.

Lepofsky said students with disabilities risk not being fully supported during the pandemic and through their education. 

Even worse, he said, is the looming fear of being told they cannot attend in-person learning come the fall school year.

Toronto District School Board spokesman Ryan Bird assured parents that when it comes to students with special needs, the board has a number of congregate sites available for them in the fall.

"These schools specialize in supporting these students and that will continue," he said, noting the TDSB is trying to get as much information as possible to parents in the upcoming days and weeks.

"We get the frustration from parents, and we understand that there are important decisions to be made in sending your child back to school in September," he said.

"We realize the time is ticking."