Survey Report – Access to Special Education in Ontario

Last spring we posted a link to a Special Education Needs Survey which was collecting data for a project by Horizon Educational Consulting and a Pro Bono Law student from the University of Ottawa. The project was to provide a report and recommendations to the Minister of Education and the Ombudsman regarding special education needs in schools and school boards.

The survey report has now been released: Access to Special Education in Ontario in a Social Justice Context (click here to read – PDF file).  While the sample size was relatively small, the issues raised by parents who participated in the survey or the follow-up interviews reflect many of the types of concerns raised by parents who contact LDAO and its community chapters. The themes of communication breakdowns between schools and families, long wait times for assessments, and inadequate access to specialized educational services are familiar ones. Of course we know that there are students with learning disabilities who are thriving in the school system, but we need to be aware of the many who are not.