A new "Coalition for Successful Integration" of special needs kids in Quebec schools was launched recently and snagged headlines in the Montreal Gazette and elsewhere. The coalition is spearheaded by the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement, a teacher's union, and also includes the Association des pédiatres du Québec and the Fédération nationale des enseignantes et des enseignants du Québec, as well as some individual members. The coalition is seeking support from the public.
The central idea of the coalition, according to its website, is that the integration of special needs kids in regular classrooms has gone much too far. (L’intégration dans les classes ordinaires des élèves handicapés ou en difficulté d’adaptation ou d’apprentissage (EHDAA) est allée beaucoup trop loin.)
The coalition's material frequently refers to the concept of inclusion (the term more often and probably more properly used in English, rather than "integration") as a "dogma".
The coalition's statement of principles includes such points as: Nous sommes persuadés que la décision d’inclure un élève à la classe ordinaire doit prendre en compte le meilleur intérêt de l’élève mais aussi l’impact de sa présence sur la réussite des autres élèves. In other words, the decision to include a student in a regular class must take into account the best interests of the student as well as the impact of their presence on the success of the other students.
Excusez-moi? That's only one of several statements that leaves one checking the year on the calendar to make sure we haven't somehow been returned to the 1950s.
Most often this blog is presented from an objective perspective. But with all due respect, (and as much restraint as can be mustered) the ideas expressed in this declaration reflect extremely poorly on the professional associations / unions whose ideas are purportedly reflected here.
Not to mention, this coalition's commitment to an inclusive approach in general becomes embarrassingly apparent as one realizes that there is no English on the coalition website.
Stay tuned.
Showing posts with label quebec. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quebec. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Official Policy Regarding Special Needs Education in Quebec
It would be useful to have more immediate and ready access to, and wider distribution of, the policies concerning special needs in Quebec schools. These policies were adopted about six or seven years ago, as required by the Ministry of Education. Each school board adopted its own policy based on a model provided by MELS, which was then modified in a consultative process with the various stakeholders.
In the future, these policies will be linked here on the sidebar.
This information is being put here as a reference, rather than to provoke questions or concerns. It must be said though, when one see how nearly identical the different school boards' policies are, it is curious how differently special needs education is handled in practice, from one board to another. For example, just the fact that REACH School, in St. Lambert on the south shore is the only public English language special needs school in the Montreal area is quite surprising. The other English special needs schools in the Montreal area are either private or run by charitable organizations. In fairness, most of these differences date back to the randomly differing ways that special needs education was originally handled in different communities.
This is a link to the policy identified as "Special Education Services" on the Riverside School Board website.
The complete title of the document is: Policy Concerning the Organization of Educational Services
for Students with Handicaps and Students with Social
Maladjustments or Learning Disabilities
On the English Montreal School Board site, there are two similar policies.
This is a link to the Special Needs Policy of the English Montreal School Board. This is only a one-page document.
The complete title of the document is: A Policy Adopting Standards and Procedures for the Organization of Educational Services for Handicapped Students and Students with Social Maladjustments or Learning Disabilities
The other policy on the EMSB site is identified as the Special Education Policy.on the EMSB website and the full title of it is: POLICY GOVERNING THE ORGANIZATION OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH HANDICAPS, SOCIAL MALADJUSTMENTS OR LEARNING DISABILITIES
This latter is the one that resembles the Riverside School Board policy. It would be most interesting to go through and identify any consequential differences between the two policies.
UPDATE: Oct. 7 - A copy of the document has now been circulated - posting it up on this site will be looked into. It is 50 or 60 pages.
In the future, these policies will be linked here on the sidebar.
This information is being put here as a reference, rather than to provoke questions or concerns. It must be said though, when one see how nearly identical the different school boards' policies are, it is curious how differently special needs education is handled in practice, from one board to another. For example, just the fact that REACH School, in St. Lambert on the south shore is the only public English language special needs school in the Montreal area is quite surprising. The other English special needs schools in the Montreal area are either private or run by charitable organizations. In fairness, most of these differences date back to the randomly differing ways that special needs education was originally handled in different communities.
This is a link to the policy identified as "Special Education Services" on the Riverside School Board website.
The complete title of the document is: Policy Concerning the Organization of Educational Services
for Students with Handicaps and Students with Social
Maladjustments or Learning Disabilities
On the English Montreal School Board site, there are two similar policies.
This is a link to the Special Needs Policy of the English Montreal School Board. This is only a one-page document.
The complete title of the document is: A Policy Adopting Standards and Procedures for the Organization of Educational Services for Handicapped Students and Students with Social Maladjustments or Learning Disabilities
The other policy on the EMSB site is identified as the Special Education Policy.on the EMSB website and the full title of it is: POLICY GOVERNING THE ORGANIZATION OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH HANDICAPS, SOCIAL MALADJUSTMENTS OR LEARNING DISABILITIES
This latter is the one that resembles the Riverside School Board policy. It would be most interesting to go through and identify any consequential differences between the two policies.
UPDATE: Oct. 7 - A copy of the document has now been circulated - posting it up on this site will be looked into. It is 50 or 60 pages.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Open letter to the Regroupement pour la Trisomie 21
This letter was sent recently by parents of a child with Down's Syndrome to the Regroupement pour la Trisomie 21, the association for Down's Syndrome in Quebec. We will keep you appraised of what response is received, if any.
Hi,
As parent's of a 13-year-old boy with Down's Syndrome born here in Quebec, we would like to express our opinion that, by not having English on your website, the Regroupement pour la Trisomie 21 is fundamentally in error.
Although I speak some French, my wife does not and due to your French-only policy, we have been deprived of any benefits that your organization may have offered us over the past 13+ years since our son was born.
As you may well imagine, parents of kids with special needs are not the people who can most easily cope with navigating a second or third language when they go to seek help with their challenges.
The vast majority of websites in Quebec, or certainly Montreal, that deal with a wide public, are presented bilingually.
Your group should be a leader, representing a progressive view of "inclusion" and "diversity" in society. Yet you intentionally exclude English from your site and have no doubt driven away dozens or hundreds of families who need help, like ourselves.
Is this a welcoming, inclusive organization?
Furthermore, the Province of Quebec has undertaken to provide English services in health and education wherever warranted. Yet your organization seems totally oblivious to this moral obligation.
In conclusion, we would like to say that we are aware there are financial constraints in all charitable endeavors, no more so than in funding for special needs. This does not in any way justify alienating a large percentage of the population in the Montreal area, many of whom would benefit greatly from the assistance you could offer.
Therefore we urge you to implement an official bilingualism policy at your earliest possible convenience and anxiously await your response.
Sincerely yours,
Hi,
As parent's of a 13-year-old boy with Down's Syndrome born here in Quebec, we would like to express our opinion that, by not having English on your website, the Regroupement pour la Trisomie 21 is fundamentally in error.
Although I speak some French, my wife does not and due to your French-only policy, we have been deprived of any benefits that your organization may have offered us over the past 13+ years since our son was born.
As you may well imagine, parents of kids with special needs are not the people who can most easily cope with navigating a second or third language when they go to seek help with their challenges.
The vast majority of websites in Quebec, or certainly Montreal, that deal with a wide public, are presented bilingually.
Your group should be a leader, representing a progressive view of "inclusion" and "diversity" in society. Yet you intentionally exclude English from your site and have no doubt driven away dozens or hundreds of families who need help, like ourselves.
Is this a welcoming, inclusive organization?
Furthermore, the Province of Quebec has undertaken to provide English services in health and education wherever warranted. Yet your organization seems totally oblivious to this moral obligation.
In conclusion, we would like to say that we are aware there are financial constraints in all charitable endeavors, no more so than in funding for special needs. This does not in any way justify alienating a large percentage of the population in the Montreal area, many of whom would benefit greatly from the assistance you could offer.
Therefore we urge you to implement an official bilingualism policy at your earliest possible convenience and anxiously await your response.
Sincerely yours,
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