Easter Seals Ontario Submission on Education Accessibility Standard

Attending school is the main job of children and youth. Students with physical disabilities faced many accessibility barriers at school even before the pandemic and the introduction of remote education. They will continue to face accessibility barriers, including architectural barriers in schools and playgrounds, access to digital learning and technology, and organizational barriers, as families struggle to understand the special education system.

Over the past three years, the Ministry of Seniors Affairs and Accessibility (MSAA) Standard Development Committee (SDC) for Education Kindergarten to Grade 12 has been meeting regularly to make recommendations on how to improve accessibility for students with disabilities.

At the start of the process, MSAA held a public consultation on concerns about accessibility in education. The findings from this consultation formed the basis of the work of the SDC Education K to 12 and focused the work on the following barriers:

Attitudes, behaviours, perceptions and assumptions
Awareness and training
Curriculum, assessment and instruction
Digital learning and technology
Organizational barriers
Social realms
Physical and architectural barriers
Planning for emergencies and safety framework
Timelines and accountability

The Education K to Grade 12 committee included members with lived experience of disability, representatives of disability organizations and the education system, including Trustees, senior administration and classroom teachers. Members were from across the province and represented both the English and French systems.

After almost two years of examining accessibility barriers and making recommendations to improve accessibility, the SDC completed an initial report. In June 2021, MSAA had a public consultation on the Initial Report and the 197 recommendations of the Education K to Grade 1 committee.

Over summer 2021, Easter Seals Ontario consulted families supported by Easter Seals and the network of parent Special education Advisory Committee (SEAC) members. At the end of this process, Easter Seals Ontario submitted a response to the public consultation.

Easter Seals Ontario Submission to the Public Consultation on Education Accessibility SDCS Kindergarten to Grade 12 Initial Recommendations Final

Easter Seals Ontario is sharing their submission to the public consultation on the Initial Report to increase understanding of the issues faced by families and share the response to the recommendations.

Next Steps:

The Education K to Grade 12 committee continues to review the feedback and revise and add recommendations to create a Final Report to be released in spring 2022. Implementation of these recommendations by the government will significantly increase accessibility in education for students with physical disabilities.

For more information about accessibility in education check the blog article, Accessible Schools.