On March 18th the BC School Trustee Association released a new resource guide. This is the first of its kind.
From the BCSTA website:“[Vancouver, BC – March 18, 2025] – The BC School Trustees Association (BCSTA) is pleased to announce the release of its report, Improving Student Outcomes: For Students with Disabilities and Diverse Abilities, developed by the BCSTA’s Inclusion and Accessibility Working Group. This report is an essential tool in educating school boards about inclusive education, providing critical insights into the current challenges and opportunities in supporting students with disabilities and diverse abilities.”
This is a big deal.
It’s not just another resource manual.
This is coming from the top. We vote our school trustees into their leadership roles. Voting for anti-oppressive trustees is one of the most influential moves we can make to impact our children’s education.
School trustees are the ones who set the tone and the expectations of school districts. They create the policies, make section 11 decisions, and balance the budgets. Just to name a fraction of their responsibilities and impact. They are involved in community committees that extend beyond the walls of the classrooms. If school districts were ponds, trustees are the ones setting the temperature of the water.
Systemic change takes a long time. It is continuous emotional labour. It takes multiple teams of people. An all hands on deck approach. We need allies. The disability community can’t do this work alone, and we shouldn’t be the only ones shouldering the responsibility of advocating for inclusivity and the rights of children with disability and neurodiversity. There isn’t going to be one solution. It takes a multi-layered approach involving many points of impact.
Improving the lives of children with disabilities and neurodiversity in schools and providing them an equitable education is going to involve school trustees, administration associations, teachers’ associations, teacher training programs, all unions, PACs, parents, students, etc, etc etc. Every group is going to need to do their part to create inclusive environments.
The BCSTA just took a big leap in trying to change the temperature of the water.
We all need to work together.
It sounds cheesy, but it’s true. There is no other way. Otherwise, our pursuit for inclusion will never really be. Changing the hearts and minds of people, the whole education system and everyone in it takes dedication from all connected groups. We are impacted by so many teams of people who are all decision makers, all with their own stake in education. Envision gears all interlocked together. Change one gear and it will impact the others. We need to be embraced by all of these groups. The topic of ableism that is acknowledged in this report is unique from other resources and guides. The focus and acknowledgement of human rights is powerful rights-based advocacy.
BCEdAccess is grateful for the high quality of work that went into this resource. The disability community clearly wasn’t just a passing thought in this creation. We hope that this resource propels conversations forward and is embraced by all school boards across BC. Let this inspire and model to other provinces across Canada, a call to action.
Here is the full report. https://bcsta.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2024-Inclusion-and-Accessibility-Working-Group-Report-Final-Release.pdf
Here is their website outlining the intentions behind the creation of this resource guide. https://bcsta.org/new-resource-for-school-boards-to-improve-outcomes-for-students-with-disabilities-and-diverse-abilities/
Movement is happening. We have the Ombudsperson BC investigation for exclusion happening. Teacher associations have been speaking up for inclusion. Human rights decisions in education are advancing the Human Rights Code. Accessibility committees in school districts have established processes. Accountability will be in place in the future connected to the Accessibility Act. School boards have this new resource guide. While we acknowledge their is much work to do, gears are shifting.
Many thanks,
BCEdAccess Society 