session 1 introduction to inclusion and canadian legislations

Session 1

Introduction to Inclusion

and Canadian Legislations

Date: February 10, 2017

Course instructor: Cherry Chan

Mothercraft College

Agenda

1. Definitions of Special Need

2. What is inclusion?

3. Benefits of Inclusion

4. Toronto Children’s Services

® Registered trade-mark of the Canadian Mothercraft Society

What is a Special Need?

“A disability in and of itself is not a tragedy. It is only an occasion to provoke a tragedy.”

- Lev Vygotsky

If I said, “a student is coming into your program with special needs ”…

• What would be your immediate reaction?

• How would you feel?

• What is your plan of action?


Child Care Early Years Act

Child with special needs means:

“a child whose cognitive, physical, social, emotional or communicative needs, or whose needs relating to overall development, are of such a nature that additional supports are required for the child”

(Child Care Early Years Act of 2014)


Special Education

“Students who have behavioural, communicational, intellectual, physical or multiple exceptionalities, may require special education programs and /or services to benefit fully from their school experience”

(Ontario Ministry of Education, 2016)


City of Toronto • Ontario Municipal Social Service Association’s

definition of children with special needs: “Children ranging in age from birth to twelve years who, due to emotional, familial, physical, behavioural, developmental, cognitive, communicative or emotional factors are at risk of not maximizing their potential. Special needs encompasses children, who require support and assistance with daily living, whether formally diagnosed or not and whether a diagnosis is short or long term in nature.”

(Toronto Children’s Services, 2014)


Legislations • United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child- Article 23: human

rights of children with a disability is promoted through fostering dignity and self-reliance and facilitating the active participation of children with disabilities in their communities

• Canadian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms: All individuals must be treated equally, regardless of their race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability

• Canadian Human Rights Act: Employers and service providers are required to accommodate special needs, including those of people with disabilities, short of undue hardship

• Ontario Human Rights Code and City of Toronto’s Access and Equity Policyrequire organizations to be non-discriminatory.

• Childcare centers under the city of Toronto are also required to have an anti-bias policy, and the ELF also emphasizes the need to embrace diversity.

(Allen et al. 2016; Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2004;

Toronto Children’s Services, 2014)


Inclusion• “The experience of inclusion varies from child to

child and from family to family. The goal is to create a match between the program and the child and family”

• “The outcomes observed and reported by parents and teachers of children in inclusive programs are broad based and holistic”

– For example: developmental and behavioral changes, sense of belonging

• Using people first language: language that focuses on the individual rather than disability

(Allen et al., 2016)


Inclusion versus Special Education• “Although the international literature does not suggest

that inclusion works best for every student all the time, the overall trend indicates that students with special education needs (SEN) generally fare the same or better in inclusive settings with no negative impact on students without SEN.”

– Are teachers able to provide specialized support for students?

– Mitchell (2010) showed that majority of students in that study either reported positive effects or no differences between inclusive and segregated education models. This study also report that the presence of students with SEN does not negatively affect achievement of other students.

(Parekh, 2013)


Early Childhood Inclusion

• Access: “providing access to a wide range of learning opportunities, activities, settings, and environment” (p.2)

– Removing physical and structural barriers

• Participation: some children will need additional individualized accommodations and supports to participate fully in play and learning activities with peers and adults

– Have high expectations for children to reach their full potential

• Supports: a system of support, including family members and professionals can work together to provide services

(DEC/NAEYC, 2009)


High Quality ECEC Programs

Access

“Early Childhood Education and Care programs are inclusive when they have:

1. Policies that promote inclusion

2. Leadership that supports inclusion

3. Staff who believe in inclusion”

(Underwood, 2013, p.1)



Design and Implementation

“Programs are inclusive when:

1. The program is designed to meet the needs of all children and families (universal design)

2. Planning is individualized and the goal of participation is explicit

3. Early intervention goals for the child are accommodated and embedded within the program (differentiation)




Monitoring and Assessment

“Children and families continue to be included when:

1. Professionals respond to developmental changes in children and changes in family life

2. Programs are flexible, responsive and use up-to-date information to plan and make decisions

3. There is a smooth transition from early childhood to school”



Inclusive Education Outcomes

• Membership domain: the child’s interaction within groups

• Relationship domain: relationships with peers

• Developmental domain: communication and functional skills, academic skills

(Billingsley, Gallucci, Peck, Schwartz, & Staub, 1996 as cited in Allen et al., 2016)


Benefits of Inclusion

What are the benefits of Inclusion?


Toronto Children’s Services

• Services for Children with Special Needs – Regular visits to programs

– Early identification and intervention

– Individual consultation

– Program consultation

– Program adaptations

– Staff, provider and parent training

– Environmental assessments

– Service coordination and referral

– Enhanced staffing/intensive resource support, when needed.

(Toronto Children Services, 2017b)


Every Child Belongs

“Children with special needs and their families have access to child care and appropriate supports in the neighbourhood where they live.”

(Toronto Children’s Services, 2014, p.3)


Every Child Belongs Principles1. “Inclusion: Children with extra support needs have the same

opportunity to attend and actively participate in child care programs as their peers”

2. “Quality: Child care programs and Special Needs Resourcing Agencies strive for responsive, timely evidence based on best practices in the area of inclusion”

3. “Partnerships: A successful partnership between parents, childcare staff, and specialized services is essential in order to meet the individual needs of each child within a group setting. Participation of parents/guardians is recognized as integral to the successful inclusion of children with extra support needs in child care.

(Toronto Children Services, 2014, p.3)


Every Child Belongs Principles1. “Flexibility: Specialized supports are delivered in a way that

allows service providers to adjust services based on current needs and agency’s expertise.”

2. “Capacity Building: Inclusion is a process not a product, and there are issues of capacity that will take time for the community to respond to appropriately. Training is valued as an important contributor to quality and inclusion and will be available and coordinated by the child care and special needs resourcing communities to meet staff needs and build capacity.”

(Toronto Children Services, 2014, p.4)


Supports: City of Toronto• Individual consultation: support child care

staff to facilitate participation of the child with special needs

• Program consultation: support the center or program to include the child with special needs

• Training: provide training for the staff and families on various types of special needs

(Toronto Children’s Services, 2017a)


Child Care Support Funds

• Child care support funds “provide short-term, enhanced staffing so regular staff are able to support children with extra support needs in the program”

• “The funds are not intended to be used for one on one support or formal therapy and cannot be used for all hours the child attends the program”

(Toronto Children’s Services, 2016, p.1)


ReferencesAllen, K. E., Cowdery, G.E., Passche, C.L., Langford, R., Nolan, K., &

Cipparrone, B. (2016). Inclusion in early childhood program: Children with exceptionalities (6th Canadian ed.). Toronto, ON: Nelson Education.

Child Care and Early Years Act, Statutes of Ontario. (2014, c. 11, Sched. 1, s.90). Retrieved from: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/150137

DEC/NAEYC. (2009). Early childhood inclusion: A joint position statement of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, FPG Child Development Institute.

Ontario Human Rights Commission (2004). Guidelines on accessible education. Retrieved from: http://www.ohrc.on.ca/sites/default/files/attachments/Guidelines_on_accessible_education.pdf

Ontario Ministry of Education (2016). Special education. Retrieved from: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/speced.html

https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/150137

http://www.ohrc.on.ca/sites/default/files/attachments/Guidelines_on_accessible_education.pdf

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/speced.html


ReferencesParekh, G. (2013). A case for inclusive education. Retrieved from:

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/AboutUs/Research/ACaseforInclusiveEducation.pdf

Toronto Children’s Services (2016). Child care support fund guidelines. Retrieved from: https://www1.toronto.ca/city_of_toronto/childrens_services/files/pdf/childcaresupport_guidelines.pdf

Toronto Children’s Services. (2014). Toronto Children’s Services Operating Criteria for Special Needs Resourcing. Retrieved from: https://www1.toronto.ca/city_of_toronto/childrens_services/files/pdf/oc_spneeds.pdf

Toronto Children’s Services. (2017a). Every child belongs consultation. Retrieved from http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=04656b50cb866410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=b24e8ed34ce9e310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/AboutUs/Research/ACaseforInclusiveEducation.pdf

https://www1.toronto.ca/city_of_toronto/childrens_services/files/pdf/childcaresupport_guidelines.pdf

https://www1.toronto.ca/city_of_toronto/childrens_services/files/pdf/oc_spneeds.pdf

http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=04656b50cb866410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=b24e8ed34ce9e310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD


References

Toronto Children’s Services. (2017b). Services for children with special needs. Retrieved from http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=b24e8ed34ce9e310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

Underwood, K. (2013). Everyone is welcome: Inclusive early childhood education and care. Toronto, ON: Queens Printer for Ontario.

http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=b24e8ed34ce9e310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

session 1 introduction to inclusion and canadian legislations

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