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Toronto mother spends days in van outside school to provide accessibility – Toronto

For nearly three months, Toronto mother Michelle Cousins ​​has spent her days outside her daughter’s high school in the family van in case she has to help her go to the bathroom. rice field.

“She just wanted to have a normal experience, part of it using the elevator, part of it going to the bathroom without much trouble, and maintaining her own safety and her dignity as well.” said Cousins.

14-year-old Colette Cousins ​​has arthrogryposis, which causes stiff joints. She uses a wheelchair.

Cousins ​​spends six hours a day Monday through Friday in a van parked around the corner, and Colette texts her when she needs help.

“I think she’s the best mother in the world.,” Colette said.

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Toronto mother spends days in van to help child’s accessibility

As Cousins ​​explained, educational assistants need to help Colette with the restroom, but that’s not always possible if there aren’t enough staff on hand.

Additionally, Cousins ​​said the mechanical lifts available in school restrooms aren’t the best option for her daughter.

“Somebody has to take off their underwear for her. She’s exposed. If she was in a situation where she definitely had to, we’d accept that, but she didn’t want it.” I didn’t know,” she explained.

The teenage girl attends Marshall McLuhan Catholic Secondary School.

Her mother told Global News in October that she scoured Toronto schools for two years to find the perfect match for Colette.

“It’s all about preserving my daughter’s dignity, and if she can do this, if she can go to the bathroom, it will keep herself and her caregivers safe while maintaining her dignity and humility.” Keep, that’s what we should do,” she said.

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Despite sharing her story publicly for the first time last month, Cousins ​​said no one on the school board reached out to her.

“When a mother digs in her heels, it’s a sign that something is wrong, and if something is wrong, they should have said, ‘OK, let’s put the brakes on here and find out what’s wrong.'” “Nobody has heard from me, and I have not heard from the trustee.

In an email last month, a spokesperson for the Toronto Catholic District School Board said: Support staff are also available and assigned as needed to assist students who may require accommodation. ”

One disability advocate called it “a classic case of government inaction.”

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David Lepovsky, president of the Ontario Disability Accessibility Law Alliance, said both the Ontario Department of Education and the Board of Education gave the disqualification for failing to accommodate students with disabilities. .

“No way. Many parents of students with disabilities have to fight the school board at once just to secure basic accommodation,” Lepovsky said.

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“Our government has a comprehensive roadmap and report on how to create school systems that effectively serve students with disabilities, but parents are aware of these barriers and We must fight.”

Lepofsky, who is a member of the state-appointed Kindergarten through 12th (K-12) Education Standards Development Board, said he has “created a roadmap for how to fix this.”

“The Ford government has been getting our reports and roadmaps for over half a year and they have not done anything. We have to fight school board by school board, barrier by barrier, and children with disabilities deserve better.

Lepofsky calls for an internal complaints system for all school boards that can intervene and resolve accessibility issues, and hopes that the Department of Education will be ready to intervene if necessary.

“Boards of education need ministry leadership. We should show our unique leadership by taking pictures and reform reports and implementing them,” he added.

Grace Lee, a spokeswoman for Education Minister Stephen Lecce, said the government will fund the employment of about 7,000 additional education workers, boosting funding for special education “to the highest level ever recorded. ‘, he told Global News in a statement that it had increased.

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“While we have increased resources, funding and personnel, we expect all boards to ensure that students are responsive and respected while in Ontario schools,” Lee said in a statement. said in

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Despite not receiving a call from the school board or her school trustee, Ms Cousins ​​hopes there will be progress and that her daughter will soon have access to suitable accommodation in the school restrooms. I’m in

“I was on the phone with the school and special education superintendents and part of it was an update to see where we were and where we were headed. I was looking for a stand, so I updated it, but I was able to identify it and I’ve been working on it,” she explained.

Cousins ​​then proceeds to train the staff so Colette can use the new equipment.

That could take another 3 weeks.

“By the time it’s handed over to schools, it will be December 5,” said Cousins, who plans to stay in the van until the process is complete.

After that, she plans to work on the school’s elevator accessibility problem.

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“Right now she can’t use it because it hasn’t been updated like the fob system…it was recommended on June 21st and nothing was done with that sound.”

Colette said mothers are fighting this battle not just for themselves, but for all children living with disabilities.

“Because school is all about learning independence, we want to ensure that children with disabilities get an education and the freedom they need to become more independent in the future,” she said.



Toronto mother spends days in van outside school to provide accessibility – Toronto

Source link Toronto mother spends days in van outside school to provide accessibility – Toronto

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