Ableism rife in Ontario schools, rights commission says

The province's schools and universities arelaggingwhen it comes to accommodating people with disabilities, Ontario Human Rights Commission says.

The commissionreleased an updated policy Tuesday including recommendations to help elementary, secondary and post-secondaryschools get up to date with Ontario's Human Rights Code.

"Our society should care about thisbecause we see that people with disabilities have lower education achievement rates, higher unemployment rates and lower incomes," said Renu Mandhane, its chief commissioner.

"These are issues that as a society we end up paying for later on."

Be proactive

Mandhanesaid students with disabilities experienceableismfrom educators.

"Ableismis analogous to racism or sexism," she said.

"It's about the stereotypes people with disabilities face: their potential, their ability to learn and eventhat they are more violent or more prone to misbehave."

The policy, which replaces one from 2004, also outlines ongoing concerns such asthe denial of accommodationsfor these students, including technology aids to help them learn,physical inaccessibility problems, training for teachers and long waits for help.

According to the Champlain Local Health Integration Network, the agency that provides physiotherapy and occupational therapyin Ottawa schools, there were744students who waited six months for treatment as of this June.

Educators, according toMandhane, should stop making students with disabilitiesjump through a lot of hoops to prove they need an accommodation.

Instead she wantsschools to be designed inclusively, which means classroomsare inherently accessible to people with disabilities.

Teachers could make it routine for students who take classroom notes to share them with those who have difficulties writingor requiring that all multimedia material include closed-captioning, for example.

"These thingswould actually benefit all sorts of students, including those who don't identify as having a disability" saidMandhane.

Bigger role for parents

Kim McLeod is the founder of One More Thing, a resource centre for parents of children with disabilities.

Her son Kevin had medically complex needs and disabilities and she fought to get him nursing careand educationbefore he passed awayat the age of 18.

The commission's report left her frustrated.

"It just of reiterateswhat families already know and suffer through," she said.

"It's the beginning of the school year and families are already scrambling to have acknowledgement that thecare needs of their child will be taken care of,something tojust help reassure them."

McLeodwanted to see a recommendation that included a stronger role for parents in their child's learning.

"They aren't just mom and dad like every other parent, they are there24/7," she said.

"They aremom, dad,physiotherapist andspeech pathologist."