Poste - Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children

C A N A D I A N C O A L I T I O N F O R T H E R I G H T S O F C H I L D R E N
representatives recognized the right to education and the
importance of inclusive education for all children. 96 All
provinces express a commitment to integrated education
in their education legislation and address the specific
needs of students through individualized education
plans. 97 However, implementation of this commitment
varies and many jurisdictions provide separate programs
when deemed necessary by education authorities.
Preschool education
Preschool education provides opportunities for physical,
emotional and cognitive development. Local education
authorities in all provinces are funded to offer one year of
preschooling (or kindergarten). 98 However, according to
researchers Stienstra and Kellerman, most provinces and
territories provide “little support for very young children
and preschool children with disabilities and their care
givers.” Access to preschool education is variable:
Quebec has a network of preschool services; 99 Alberta
and Saskatchewan have limited preschool education for
children with disabilities; 100 New Brunswick and
Manitoba include most children with disabilities in
regular preschool programming; and the Northwest
Territories provides child care services instead of
preschools. 101
Preschool programming for Aboriginal children with
disabilities living on reserve varies widely. The federal
government provides block funding to band councils but
according to researchers Stienstra and Kellerman, most
reserves do not have the resources or capacity to provide
necessary supports for children with special needs. 102
SpeciaLink recommends that all children with
disabilities, ages 3-5, receive free and appropriate early
education programs, in the most enabling setting. 103
Primary and Secondary Education
Provincial legislation guarantees all Canadian children
the right to attend school and compulsory schooling from
age five, six or seven (depending on the jurisdiction) to
age 16. Consequently, 91 percent of children with
disabilities attend school but they are more likely to stop
their education after primary school and less likely to
attend university than children without disabilities. 104
The 1991 HAL survey found that 44.2 percent of children
between five and 14 years of age with disabilities
indicated that their disability interfered with their
education, either by delaying the start of formal
education, causing long periods of interruption or taking
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longer to achieve it. Fifty-eight percent of the children
surveyed attended regular school and 37 percent
attended regular school with special education. 105 A
national survey found that inclusion in regular classes
appears to be more successful for students with
physical disabilities than for those with multiple,
developmental or emotional disabilities. 106
Some examples of provincial efforts to meet the
developmental needs of children with disabilities
follow.
• In Saskatchewan, all children between six and 21
have the right to an education that is most
appropriate for them. 107 The province spent $5.8
million in 1996/97 for services for students with
special needs. 108
• In Newfoundland, the 1998 provincial budget made
improvements to special services teaching. 109
• In Alberta, school boards identified special
education as a top priority and formed a task force
on the issue in January 1997. Subsequently, the
provincial budget increased funding for students
with disabilities. 110
• In 1994, a Quebec court ruled that inclusive
education is not required by law. The Quebec
government has since acknowledged that the
integration of children with disabilities in schooling
remains underdeveloped. Students with physical
disabilities are more easily integrated in regular
classrooms and inclusive education services vary
widely from school board to school board. 111
• The Building Inclusive Schools project in Ontario
is a non-governmental initiative to improve the
capacity of neighbourhood schools to support
students with intellectual disabilities and has been
a catalyst for change throughout the province. 112
• Schools in the Woodstock school district in New
Brunswick have had no special classes since 1985.
Two educators in the province have developed a
framework and key strategies for successful school
inclusion elsewhere. 113
In 1986, New Brunswick became the first province
with inclusive education for all children in
neighbourhood schools. 114 Alternatives are considered
by education authorities only when it is clearly in the
child’s best interests. 115 According to its Education Act,
educational authorities will integrate classes “to the
extent that is considered practicable... having due
regard for the educational needs of all pupils.” 116