The solution to better education in Canada isn’t a national department.
Here, children sit at St. Barnabas Catholic School in Scarborough, Ont., on Oct. 27, 2020.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)
Statistics Canada could help provinces and territories design and implement interventions to improve schooling quality, and governments should better engage with the public.
Making Victorian schools truly inclusive involves addressing the many barriers that prevent full inclusion of children with disability in mainstream schools.
Remote learning doesn’t work for all children. Students sit behind screened-in cubicles at St. Barnabas Catholic School in Scarborough, Ont., on Oct. 27, 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
As provinces consider extended holidays, or school closures loom as a possibility under COVID-19, schools should commit to providing in-person schooling for students with disabilities.
Under international human rights law, scaling back the quality of the education provided to children and youth ought to be avoided.
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Anne Levesque, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
If returning to in-person instruction is truly impossible for public health reasons, policy makers must make large financial expenditures on quality and accessible distance education.
A seven week survey asked questions on the experiences of students with disabilities and their families when schools across Australia had mostly closed, and children learnt remotely.
Parents are missing in-person supports for children. Here, MaShel West holds her son Lucas’ hands while talking with his certified behaviour analyst at their home in Layton, Utah, March 5, 2020.
(Ivy Ceballo/The Deseret News via AP)
Jess Whitley, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Connecting with school staff, community groups, family and friends may look different right now for families of children with disabilities, but some benefits remain.
New research shows almost 20% of families caring for children with special needs were unable to buy essential medication during coronavirus.
Because support from specialized professionals and technologies is often accessed through schools, families of children with disabilities may find childcare and education particularly challenging during COVID-19 school closures.
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COVID-19 has left children with disabilities and their families lacking services, at risk for physical and mental health issues, and fearful of discriminatory choices for treating critical illness.
Designing schools to accommodate students with disabilities is a complicated task and needs a lot more research than what is out there.
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Every school in Australia must be built with the varying needs of students with disabilities in mind. This is a worthy goal but achieving it is complicated. Looking at some examples can help.
Australia’s disability royal commission looked focused on the education system this week.
Cameron Laird
Thousands of Australian students are disengaged from school and leave early. Governments have provided alternative learning options for these students, but are these having unintended consequences?
More than one in ten students with a disability are being refused enrolment.
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A survey shows nearly half of students with disabilities are being excluded from school events and activities, while one in ten are being denied enrolment. These reports suggest illegal practices.
Knowing the right strategies can help parents of children with autism spectrum disorder boost their children’s communication skills.
College of Education & Human Development, Texas A&M University
Specialists offer a series of tips on how parents of children with autism spectrum disorder can help their children communicate with more people and in different places.
Students with vision impairments should the same opportunities as their peers.
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Interviews with students who have a vision impairment show they wish their teachers and friends knew more about them. Here are the four key messages they want to communicate.
Parents may need to play the advocate for their child, especially if their child has a disability which affects their ability to communicate.
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The needs of children with albinism aren’t met in the classroom and this often leads to them dropping out of school.
Physical activity improves memory, problem-solving and decision-making ability. Active children have better executive functioning, including planning, self-regulation and the ability to perform demanding tasks with greater accuracy.
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Sport and other physical activity is vital to the developing bodies and minds of children; for those with disabilities it can be hard to access and is yet even more important.
Practically, it must be recognised that full inclusion can only be achieved through a planned transition.
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Other states have had recent smaller inquiries, but the NSW inquiry into the education of children with a disability was across all systems, and could lead best practice nationally.
For a student who is blind, the obvious test adjustment is providing a braille test if they are proficient in braille.
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Standardised tests restrict how well students with disability can do, which reinforces the idea that there are things they can’t do that children without disability can.
Early years settings, like preschools and kindergarten, are often the first place social difficulties are identified.
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Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture, Building & Planning, Universitry of Melbourne. Co-Director Learning Environments Applied Research Network., The University of Melbourne