I was going to write a funny column this week about being locked outside for several panic-filled minutes on a fourth-floor patio with no coat shoes or cellphone, but I decided on a more serious matter. In any case, I was rescued by a lovely lady and her dog, so it all turned out okay. But do beware of stepping quickly outside onto a patio, as I’ve since heard from three other people that something similar happened to them.
Meanwhile, serious alarms are sounding about some of our most vulnerable community members – kids with disabilities – and we would be wise to listen. First, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) reported on a national teachers’ survey which found that more than three-quarters of teachers reported that students’ needs have become significantly more complex when compared to five years ago. They cited the number of high-needs students, the diversity of needs and the lack of support personnel.
I put a request on X.com for teachers to explain why they think students’ needs have become more complex and I heard back that the COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in terms of lack of socialization and gaps in skills, as has staff shortages and increasing technology addictions among students. One teacher wrote that the number of students with complex medical needs is increasing along with the number of students with autism spectrum-related conditions.
In 2019, I wrote a column about certain special needs designations, including learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorder that might no longer be counted into classroom composition, so this could also be playing a role.
Surveyed teachers also reported increasing violence and aggression, with more than half of teachers saying they have experienced violence or aggression in the past year. These results align with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation’s (BCTF) most recent survey results, which found that students with disabilities were most affected by gaps in service, with only 13 per cent of teachers reporting that students with disabilities needs were being met, and nearly half saying their needs were being only slightly met or not at all met.
Then earlier this week, B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth (RCY) Jennifer Charlesworth released a report with a similar message.
“Children and youth with disabilities and their families are not receiving the supports they need to thrive,” Charlesworth said in the report. “Unsupported families continue to tell RCY that the lack of adequate services means they are being pushed to their mental, financial, emotional, physical and spiritual limits which impact their ability to care for their children.”
Her analysis found that between 55,000 and 83,000 children and youth are not receiving the supports they need from various ministries, like children and family development, health, education and childcare, housing and others.
Her office’s research found that 14 per cent of families have thought about placing their child in government care simply to get services they can’t get if the family stays together. One in five of every family with children already in care says they placed their child in care to get the necessary supports.
Charlesworth is calling for a cross-ministry approach, rather than a siloed system where each ministry only looks after their own area of responsibility, as well as adequate funding to provide strengthened supports. She’s calling for people to think of child well-being as a North star.
The CTF calls for class-size reductions, increased support staff, provisions to address classroom composition and dedicated preparation time for teachers. The BCTF has similar recommendations and adds safeguarding teachers’ mental health.
I know the world is a financially risky place right now and I sense that social issues might take a back seat for the next while to economic matters. But making sure all children live up to their full potential will save money in the long run. Not only that, the kids deserve it.
Tracy Sherlock is a freelance journalist who writes about education and social issues. Read her blog or email her [email protected].
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