We are exactly one week away from our next free pop-up reading event! Linda Grace Smith will be sharing her book One Too Many on Wednesday, June 16 at 6:00 pm.
While this event will be streamed to our Facebook as a webinar, we released 25 tickets. If you register on our Eventbrite, all you have to do is attend via the Zoom link and you will be entered into a draw for a copy of the book on us. We really cannot wait to see you there!
No one is free If even one is oppressed. And has basic rights That are left unaddressed.
It only takes one Who addresses a need, Until, one by one, Every one has been freed.
With child friendly language and rhyming verse, Linda Grace Smith explores the value and power of one. To begin, One Too Many introduces children’s rights. It touches on the basics of shelter, clothing, healthcare, food, water, education, safety and belonging. Then, it sparks conversations towards practical action and community transformation.
FREE Online oral storytelling by Pune’luxutth Elder Florence James
ASL and captioning available
A pop-up online event – Elder Florence James will share stories using the oral tradition.
Come and join us for a very special pop-up event! We’re excited to bring traditional storytelling with Pune’luxutth Elder Florence James.
As a child she was regarded as a keeper of her people’s memory, and she carries with her the history of Galiano Island, Kuper, Thetis, Valdez, and Saltspring Islands, as well as many more in the Salish Sea.
ASL interpreting and REV captions will be provided.
This event is part of our Social Groups series funded by the Canadian Red Cross and Economic and Social Development Canada.
We’re honoured and very excited to have Elder Florence James join us and we hope you can bring yourselves and your children and youth to learn from her at this inclusive event.
A pop-up reading by Ti’yuqtunat (Courtney Defriend) of her poem/book “If Instead Of A Person”
Come and join us for another pop-up reading, this time by author Ti’yuqtunat (Courtney Defriend) of her poem/book “If Instead Of A Person”, on Tuesday May 11th. The author will be joining us, and all ages are welcome, ASL and captioning through REV will be available. We will also be hosting a random draw for all attendees, and will be giving out three books at this free online event!
If Instead of A Person imaginatively explores the wisdom to be learned from living as a tree. Using child-friendly rhyming verse, Courtney Defriend thoughtfully ponders a tree’s steadfast connection and vital contribution to life on earth. Reinforced by Terra Mar’s powerful illustrations, If Instead of A Person invites readers to become change agents that respect the interconnectedness of nature and humanity.
The book can be purchased from Peppermint Toast Publishing, where partial proceeds will go to Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre
“I am passionate about working with people, particularly in Indigenous communities. My background is in child and youth care, leadership, and conflict resolution. I deeply value the traditional wealth of culture of the first peoples on Vancouver Island. My current work is with First Nation’s Health Authority in the area of mental wellness. I love to write children’s poetry. Additionally, I hope to prevent hardships through education and teach little people the amount of potential they have through my writing. If Instead of a Person is my first book.”
This event is part of our Social Groups series funded by the Canadian Red Cross and Economic and Social Development Canada. We’re very excited to have Courtney join us and we hope you can make it!
FREE Online book reading and special search-and-find activity!
ASL and captioning available
Draw for a free book! Four to give away in total
A pop-up reading by Robin Stevenson of her book “Pride Puppy!”
Come and join us for another pop-up reading, this time by author Robin Stevenson of her book “Pride Puppy,” this coming Saturday. The author will be joining us, and all ages are welcome, ASL will be available and Robin will be hosting a special search-and-find investigation into the illustrations. We will also be hosting a random draw for all attendees, and will be giving out four books following the event!
Pride Puppy is the story of young child and their family are having a wonderful time together celebrating Pride Day―meeting up with Grandma, making new friends and eating ice cream. But then something terrible happens: their dog gets lost in the parade! Luckily, there are lots of people around to help reunite the pup with his family.
This rhyming alphabet book tells a lively story, with rich, colorful illustrations that will have readers poring over every detail as they spot items starting with each of the letters of the alphabet. An affirming and inclusive book that offers a joyful glimpse of a Pride parade and the vibrant community that celebrates this day each year.
About Robin, by Robin:
“I was born in England but moved to Canada as a when I was a kid. I read pretty much every children’s book in our small town library-some of them many times! Fortunately I grew up in a house full of books and soon moved on to the ones on my parents’ shelves. I still read everything: short stories, memoirs, kids books, YA novels, and adult fiction and non-fiction.
I studied philosophy and social work at university and for ten years, I worked as a counsellor and taught social work. These days I mostly just write, both fiction and non-fiction, for all ages (babies to adults!). I also teach creative writing courses, and I often visit schools and libraries to talk about books and writing. When I am not busy with writing or spending time with my family, I work with other people to sponsor refugees to come to Canada. You can read more about that– and find out how you can help– here.
My family moved around when I was a kid. I grew up in Ontario but also lived in England, Japan and Australia. I now live in Victoria with my partner Cheryl, our teenage son, and our wonderful spaniel, Tazza!”
While most school districts in the province of British Columbia have policies and procedures in place regarding seclusion and restraint, work is still needed to ensure that all students are treated with respect and dignity and are safe at all times in all situations.
Every BC school board as well as the Ministry of Education needs access to data on the use of these rooms, what isolation and seclusion does to individuals, and what they can do in place of these practices.
We must work together on this matter. It is urgent. During the pandemic, our Exclusion Tracker shows that seclusion and unnecessary restraints are still being used in schools. Further, parents are worried because they can’t go into the school to see what is happening.
BCEdAccess joins disabled people and their families around the province as well as organizations like Inclusion BC, Family Support Institute of BC and international organizations like ICARS in seeking a complete ban on unnecessary restraint and all seclusion.
We support Motion 15 which the Langley school district is bringing to the British Columbia School Trustees Association upcoming annual general meeting, recommending full disclosure and regular reporting regarding every incident of seclusion, isolation and restraint that occurs in a BC school. We will all benefit from understanding the extent to which these unacceptable practices occur.
Families of disabled children and youth in British Columbia have asked that we support them in taking action. To that end, we are asking everyone to support the following:
This letter supports Motion 15 by the Langley School District being brought to the BCSTA AGM April 15-18, 2021
2. April 15th online and in-person rallies
Online Rally – click the link to join the Facebook event
Inspired by the recent Disability Filibuster, this all day event will be a coming together of disabled people and their families, family organizations, and supporters to talk about seclusion and unnecessary restraint in BC schools, and appeal to the government to ban the practices.
Schedule:
10-10:30 am – Mx. K Bron Johnson
she/they Mx. K. Bron Johnson is an Autistic and Hard of Hearing (HoH) self-advocate, and founder of Completely Inclusive, social enterprise consultancy devoted to Inclusion and Accessibility in the workplace. As a Black nonbinary woman of mixed heritage, she brings her lived experience and intersecting identities to all her work, and challenges people to see Disabled People, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and all oppressed or marginalized peoples in a different light. Bron is also interested in mitigating the effects of Colonialism and Intergenerational Trauma and how we can all work together to dismantle systemic inequities in society. She lives with her life partner and two children in Montreal, Canada.
1030am-12pm – International Coalition Against Restraint and Seclusion – Beth Morrison (Scotland), Zoey Read (US-Virginia), Deirdre (Northern Ireland) and possibly one more
1-2pm – Karla Verschoor and Erika Cedillo, Inclusion BC
Karla and Erika will talk about the work that Inclusion BC has done since 2013 through their campaign Stop Hurting Kids to ban the use of restraint and seclusion in BC school. They will talk about the steps gained, the challenges remaining and the steps ahead to ensure children are safe.
2-230pm – live feed from Penticton in person rally
Restraints include the use of physical force, mechanical devices, or chemicals to immobilize a person.
What is seclusion?
A type of restraint, seclusion involves confining a person in a space from which the person cannot exit freely.
What is a seclusion room?
Today we're going to look at seclusion rooms – what are they, and how do they differ from a safe and inclusive space like a sensory room? This is all in support of the upcoming Motion 15 at the @BCSTA_News AGM, and our online rally on April 15th. THREAD#bced#InclusionMatterspic.twitter.com/IVy0UhTAsF
The case for the banning of these practices has been made. We invite you to read the exerpt from an article written by Beth Tolley for Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint. View the full article here:
The use of restraint and seclusion has been debated for decades; these procedures continue to be used today despite reports of psychological and physical harm, including the deaths of students; and they are mostly used on disabled children and youth, disproportionately those who are Indigenous, Black, and other POC children and youth. Use of these procedures causes psychological harm to observers – other children and youth, and staff, and physical and psychological harm to the individuals doing the secluding or restraining, including death.
To eliminate the use of unnecessary restraint and all seclusion, systems must change. Educational leaders and administrators hold tremendous power in what is allowed, supported, encouraged in each school as well as what is no longer acceptable. This power needs to be recognized and used for the benefit of the students and our society. On a system level, superintendents, administrators, school boards can do the following right now.
Make a commitment to stop practices that have been shown to be abusive, harmful (even deadly), and ineffective. Encourage your school or school district to update its policy and practice to reduce the use of restraint and prohibit the use of seclusion.
Provide the information, training (content and time), and support (staffing levels, consultants, coaches, mentors) for school personnel to learn the basic neuroscience underlying behavioral responses; how to integrate preventative strategies throughout each day, and about implicit, as well as explicit bias around disabled, racialized students.
Make a commitment to collaborate with students and parents to ensure a school culture that is welcoming to all students.
Review policies, procedures, guidance documents, codes of conduct, and programs (including disciplinary and/or incentive programs) for alignment with current science, equity, and inclusion. Revise to eliminate racial and disability biases, expectations, and assumptions as well as anything based on outdated science. Include representatives of people most impacted throughout the review and revision process, including students, parents, advocates, as well as people representing different races, ethnicities, cultures, national origin, gender, gender identity, and socio-economic backgrounds.
Commit to transparency.
Commit to living the values of respect for and appreciation of diversity in terms of race, culture, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, and ability/disability. Commit to inclusion for all students – with appropriate supports and accommodations.
References:
• Ministry of Education Provincial Guidelines – Physical Restraint and Seclusion in School Settings
FREE TALKS ON BC K-12 SCHOOL SUPPORTS DURING COVID-19 THIS NOVEMBER
Attending a talk and didn’t get the email with instructions on how to join the Zoom? Check your spam and Promotions folders, or email us at info@bcedaccess.com and we’ll send it again!
27 October 2020 – Families of Kindergarten to Grade 12 students who need help during COVID-19 will have a chance to learn what they can expect from schools, through a series of free online conversations from the BCEdAccess Society.
“Students are entitled to the same access to education during COVID-19 as always — whether they are learning in person, through distributed learning, or in a flexible or hybrid program,” says Tracy Humphreys, chair of BCEdAccess. For students with disabilities and diverse abilities, that means access to full-time, in-person instruction five days a week.
It also means continuity of individual education plan goals and the supports those students need to be able to learn.
Thanks to support from the Canadian Red Cross and the Government of Canada, these talks will spread the word to families, caregivers and students throughout the province.
Through the funding, BCEdAccess will also be creating videos, facilitated community conversations, GIFs, social media outreach, and offline outreach to communities. Says Humphreys, “We recognize that many students may not have the same access to computers and social media. So we will also be reaching out to community organizations with offline supports.” Broadband Internet at a speed fast enough to download an email or hold web meetings is not available province-wide and students can face data caps on basic Internet plans. These barriers are more common in remote, rural and Indigenous communities.
These free talks will feature a short video discussing each topic, followed by a live conversation between the BCEdAccess team and parents, caregivers and community supports.
Participants can take part in any (or all!) of five talks, which include captioning and ASL interpretation.
November 1 and 2
COVID-19 and Your Child’s Access to Education: Rights and Services Without Delay
November 8 and 9
Your Child’s Key Education Support Tool: the Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
November 15 and 16
Learning During COVID: options for when, where and how
November 22 and 23
The People Supporting Your Child: EAs, Specialist Teachers and Professionals
November 29 and 30
When Your Child Isn’t Getting What they Need or Deserve
Join Madeline Kean and Lisa Wallace as they bust the myths surrounding people with diverse abilities. We hope you will be able to come learn and participate at AdvoCon2020, our 6th education advocacy conference held September 17th to 23rd online, with recordings available after to ticket holders.
Lisa Wallace is an educator who embraces the opportunity to learn with and from people every day.
Madeline Kean is an advocate for people with diverse abilities, sharing her story and changing mindsets!
Embrace Your Story
In this session, we will bust the myths that we have encountered as a family around the notion of people with diverse abilities. We will explore how to create communities of belonging. Participants will leave feeling a sense of empowerment.
Laura Track is a human rights lawyer with Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS) with excellent knowledge and perspective on human rights in education. We hope you will be able to come learn and participate at AdvoCon2020, our 6th education advocacy conference held September 17th to 23rd online, with recordings available after to ticket holders.
Laura is a human rights lawyer and the Director of Education in CLAS’s Human Rights Clinic. She advocates on behalf of people who have experienced discrimination and assists complainants to navigate BC’s human rights process. Laura also has a strong interest in making legal knowledge accessible. She delivers workshops and presentations to a wide variety of audiences to help people understand their human rights and comply with their legal obligations.
Laura earned her law degree from UBC in 2006, and holds a Masters in International Human Rights Law from Oxford University.
Prior to joining CLAS, Laura worked with several other legal non-profits in Vancouver, learning much along the way about the law’s potential to advance equality and social justice. She is on the Advisory Committee of the Rise Women’s Legal Centre and a volunteer yoga teacher and Board Chair of Yoga Outreach, a charity providing free yoga classes to disadvantaged communities.
Education as a Human Right
You will learn:
-Your rights
-Your child’s rights
-Legal advocacy do’s and don’ts for parents of children with special needs
You know your child best. But how well do you know the school system? Or the legal system defining your child’s educational rights? This workshop will help give you a clearer understanding of your child’s right to access education along with information about how you can enforce those rights when things go sideways, as they often do.
Join BCEdAccess chair Tracy Humphreys for an overview of advocacy steps during typical times and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you will be able to come learn and participate at AdvoCon2020, our 6th education advocacy conference held September 17th to 23rd online, with recordings available after to ticket holders.
Tracy has ADHD and is a parent to three children with disabilities. An entrepreneur in her business life, she has also been an active volunteer in BC schools for over 20 years and was awarded the 2019 Victoria Community Leadership Award in Lifelong Learning by BC’s Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin. She is currently the founder and chair of the BCEdAccess Society, advocating for equitable access to education for children and youth with disabilities.
Advocacy During A Pandemic
In this session, we’ll go over basic steps and tips to advocate for your child or youth with disabilities in K-12 education. I’ll explain their rights and your rights as a parent/guardian, and I’ll share the specific guidance to school Districts from the Ministry of Education during Covid-19.
You will learn:
About the complaints and advocacy process in the BC K-12 education system
About student and parent rights
About the Covid-19 specific guidelines to School Districts from the Ministry of Education
Learn more about advocacy and conflict resolution at:
Join this session to learn about recommendations generated from various educational stakeholders that call for the provincial government to establish a standard of practice for education assistants in B.C. We hope you will be able to come learn and participate at AdvoCon2020, our 6th education advocacy conference held September 17th to 23rd online, with recordings available after to ticket holders.
Cindy Dalglish is well-known education advocate supporting true investment into our education system. As a vocal advocate, Cindy continues to present and push all levels of government to increase financial support and update education policy with a focus on the K-12 system. In her professional capacity, Cindy is an instructional designer, curriculum developer, and post-secondary instructor across a broad spectrum of programs and topics. She holds a BA in Communications from Royal Roads University.
Ryan Kappmeier has dedicated over fifteen years of his career to working with marginalized and diverse learners in education and youth justice systems in B.C. and Ontario. Leveraging experiential learning tools and positive behaviour interventions, Ryan has supported a variety of educational programs including outdoor adventure therapy, day treatment, and traditional elementary and high school classrooms. He holds a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Management from Royal Roads University, where he focused on a re-envisioning of the role that education assistants can play in improving outcomes for underserved learners in B.C
Setting the standard for Education Assistants in B.C.
This session will explore recommendations generated from various educational stakeholders that call for the provincial government to establish a standard of practice for education assistants in B.C. We will share insights into current EA training policies, which risk increasing educational inequities for underserved learners and explore opportunities for leveraging research findings from international jurisdictions to propose solutions for systems improvement.
You will learn:
– The history and current status of efforts to implement EA standards in BC.
– That employment requirements to be an EA across BC are varied and with the current on-going shortage of EAs, school districts are implementing in-house training programs ranging in length from 4-6 months and recently a 2-week bridging program.
– About international research and evidence demonstrating the need for a standard of practice for EAs to ensure diverse learners receive an equitable education to that of their neurotypical peers.
