For our second luncheon webinar, superbly moderated by @JennWallner, we had another great group of expert panelists who shone a particular light on the benefits and challenges of sending children and youth with disabilities back to school in a few weeks. 1/ https://twitter.com/JennWallner/status/1295442756752605187

@LesleyTrudel opened things up by underscoring the need for investments in online technology for education. She emphasized how Manitoba has really invested in and built a collaborative atmosphere between decision-makers and the community. 2/

For his part, Gordon Peter (Director of @InclusiveEdCan) indicated that students with disabilities are often an afterthought when it comes to plans being made by and for schools. But these children should have an education that is equivalent to "mainstream" students. 3/

So, for Gordon Peter, children with disabilities are at risk of marginalization as plans are made to return to schools in-person and online. They may not get the effective social as well as cognitive engagement that they need. The same risk applies to online technologies. 4/

@RachelGoddyn (Wayfinders Burnaby) followed by pinpointing that BC's back-to-school plan contained specific provisions (including $$) for students with disabilities. She compared this with the June school reopening, when half of children with special needs were accommodated. 5/

It was then Marie Bountrogianni's (co-chair of the Ontario Autism Report) turn to offer her remarks. She said that the school guidelines should be clear but that they should also be flexible since every child is different and their needs have to be addressed individually. 6/

Marie Bountrogianni also underlined that it is crucial to include everyone in the discussion (parents, teachers, support staff, etc.) for each child. 7/

Next, Cindy Harrison (Founder of ACT Learning Centre) said that returning to school after being away for six months is going to be a big challenge for children with disabilities, especially those on the autism spectrum (eg, they will need to adapt to social distancing rules). 8/

For Cindy Harrison, this means that the children and their parents will experience a lot of anxiety. So, children will also need trauma-informed care. Parents also need to know what the specific plan is for their child before deciding to send their child back to school. 9/

@anneslevesque closed the opening round of remarks by indicating that the blanket application of rules could negatively affect children with special needs; rules are not neutral even if their language appears so. 10/

Like Gordon Peter, @anneslevesque said that the disability lens is not applied from the get go; it tends to be done after the fact in an ad hoc manner, which leads to discrimination. But human rights in Canada give children with disabilities equal benefits to education. 11/

@anneslevesque also raised the crucial issue of having plans for children with disabilities in case there is another lockdown. 12/

In the discussion that followed the opening remarks by the speakers, a number of points were made. Communication was seen as crucial when it comes to planning as well as implementing those plans. There should also be less variation across districts and school boards. 13/

More attention and resources should also be devoted to researching and investing in new methods and technologies that could help make education more inclusive. There should also be more training and support for children with disabilities. 14/

It would be worthwhile to strengthen the social aspects of schooling, especially for children with special needs. E.g., small, learning circles (bubbles or pods) where students can help and support each other could be beneficial beyond the pandemic. 15/

Parents and children, especially from immigrant communities, should be given a clear indication of what their rights are and how to advocate for them. Perhaps there should be dedicated individuals available to advocate for those students and parents. 16/

I'll stop here! Many more insightful things were said during the webinar (details here: https://uocal.uottawa.ca/en/node/25496 ). So, a huge thank you to the speakers: Marie Bountrogianni, @RachelGoddyn, Cindy Harrison, @anneslevesque, Gordon Peter and @LesleyTrudel! 17/17