BCEdAccess Society

The parents who are part of our BCEd Access community are all wanting an equitable education for their children. Our goals are just like all parents. We all want our kids to learn, play and thrive at a school with their peers, just like everyone else. 

The report that was released on January 29th at 11 am by the Office of The Representatives for Children and Youth, exposes the reality that our families are facing. This report should be shocking to society, but it is not shocking to us. Our Facebook group is a space where parents post questions and seek information and advice about how to respond to the issues they are dealing with in their child’s school. We see the statistical data and qualitative stories of the report live out in front of our eyes.  

We need action. The awareness piece has been achieved. The RCY has written many comprehensive reports.  In fact, as noted in this report, they have written 18 of these reports in the last 20 years (p. 15).

We need government systemic action. This report shows the conscious systemic neglect. It’s inhumane, discriminatory and ableist. 

From the report:

“The lack of a timely assessment means that many children are not diagnosed before they enter school. Therefore, they miss out on receiving essential early intervention services prior to school entry because many of the key services within the current MCFD CYSN system such as the At Home Program or Autism Funding require a diagnosis or an assessment of eligibility to access.” (p. 32)

“The absence of early intervention services before entering school often leaves many children unprepared. It also can delay their inclusive education designation, which could grant access to additional educational support. This further burdens teachers, who are already stretched beyond reasonable capacity and unable to fully address these children’s needs.” (p.33)

“When more children enter the school system unprepared, schools are often unable to provide the services they need. Families have told RCY that, as a result, some of these children may be allowed to attend school only part-time, others are excluded for months, and still others are excluded altogether. The latest report on public school exclusions of children and youth with disabilities from BCEd Access reveals that there was a 173 percent increase in reported exclusions lasting over 4 months in 2022/23, compared to 2021/22.43 In addition the BC Ombudsperson has recently announced that they are undertaking an investigation into school exclusion, which is an indication of the significant systemic concern.” (p.33)

 “Once a child is excluded from school, it not only impacts their future educational and social development opportunities but also places additional pressure on families who must once more take on additional responsibilities and stressors to care for their children, while often not being eligible for supports provided by other systems.” (p.33)

“79 percent of caregivers reported they either had to leave their job or reduce their hours of work to care for their child with a disability, or they had to increase their employment to pay for the services their child needs, pushing families into poverty and impacting caregivers’ future career development, mental health, and well-being;”  (p.35)

Whatever short-term financial savings the government may be making from continuing to ignore addressing these systemic problems in our education system, surely cannot compare to the enormous long-term economic and social costs of not supporting children with disabilities and their families.

We deeply appreciate the work and commitment that RCY has for producing these reports as they are documenting the systemic neglect from our government.

A part of advocacy is shining a light on what those in power want to shove in the dark. 

Here are some media links.

The Tyee – Report’s Recommendations for Disabled Kids are ‘Urgent,’ Advocate Says

Vancouver Sun – Staggering number of families struggle in B.C.’s system for disabled kids: advocate

IndigiNews – With families ‘beyond their breaking point,’ watchdog calls on ‘B.C’ to support young people with disabilities

Here is the recent Ombudsperson announcement with their recent systemic investigation on exclusion. 

https://bcombudsperson.ca/news_release/ombudsperson-investigating-exclusion-of-students-from-bc-public-schools/

“Whenever one person stands up and says ‘wait a minute, this is wrong,’ it helps other people do the same” – Gloria Steinem

BCEd Access stands with the RCY and other organizations advocating for an equitable accessible society. It’s time for the government to respond with a plan and action. They have a long list of recommendations to choose from. Pick a few. Start somewhere.  

Here is the full report:

Click to access CYD_Final_Jan29.pdf