Urge School Trustees, School Board Senior Managers, and Ontario’s Minister of Education to Watch a New 27 Minute Captioned Video that Shows How to Start Tearing Down the Serious Barriers Impeding Students with Disabilities in Ontario Schools

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Twitter: @aodaalliance

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aodaalliance

Urge School Trustees, School Board Senior Managers, and Ontario’s Minister of Education to Watch a New 27 Minute Captioned Video that Shows How to Start Tearing Down the Serious Barriers Impeding Students with Disabilities in Ontario Schools

March 21, 2024

The AODA Alliance today unveils a new 27-minute captioned video. It speaks directly to those who run Ontario’s school system. That includes elected school trustees, Directors of Education at each school board as well as their senior executive teams, and Ontario’s Minister of Education and their senior Ministry officials.

This video explains why at least one third of a million students with disabilities in Ontario schools face so many disability barriers. It offers a short list of practical recommendations for starting to rectify this situation. It points to additional resources that will help even further. The video is available to all on YouTube for any audiences and can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV0Zwv5Yih8

Those who work in Ontario’s K-12 school system at all levels want all learners to succeed. No one likes the idea that students with disabilities face unfair disability barriers. Yet those who want to make a difference often don’t know where to start, or run into roadblocks. This video provides answers, in under a half hour.

Recorded in early February 2024, this video is presented by David Lepofsky. He is:

Chair of the volunteer nonpartisan Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance. Chair of the Special Education Advisory Committee of the Toronto District School Board, and has served on that SEAC for nine years, including two earlier years as its Chair.
A member for four years of the Ontario Government’s K-12 Education Standards Development Committee.
A member of the board of directors of OPVIC, the Ontario Parents of Visually Impaired Children.
Previously, Chair of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee from 1994 to 2005, leading the campaign that led to the enactment of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005.

For More Background

Anyone viewing this video can also find the following background materials to be helpful:

The final report and recommendations of the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee.

David Lepofsky’s captioned video presentation providing tips for parents of students with disabilities on how to advocate for their child’s needs at school.

David Lepofsky’s captioned video offering advocacy tips to members of a school board’s Special Education Advisory Committee.

The AODA Alliance website’s education page.

How You Can Help

Send this video to any of the following, and urge them to watch it:

Any school board trustee you know.
The Director of Education of your school board.
Your school board’s Special Education Advisory Committee.
Any organizations you know that advocate for the needs of students with disabilities.
Your Member of the Ontario Legislature.
Ontario’s Education Minister Stephen Lecce, whose email is edu@ontario.ca

Send us your feedback on this video. Write us at aodafeedback@gmail.com