Parents tend to be excited that the school year is starting. Commercials poke fun at the idea of tired parents excited to send their kids back to school. Do we all remember that Staples commercial with the Christmas music playing “the most wonderful time of the year”, parents beaming, collecting school supplies? I do.
Preparing for another school year, for parents of kids with disabilities is different. Mixed emotions. Fear is one of them. We know we may be facing the verbal minefield of navigating conversations with district administration and processing the non-death loss over and over again when we feel that school hasn’t turned out the way we thought it would.
We have had to make peace and accept we have become people, we never thought we would be, all in the name of advocating for our children, as we felt pushed to “jump the shark”.
We try to “get ready” mentally…emotionally, for the upcoming year. Always wondering when the next issue or incident is going to appear.
The education system is not designed to support inclusion. All those involved are set up to fail. It’s a hit-and-miss situation. Some kids experience it, and some don’t. For the teachers who are in the fight, standing along side of us, but are muzzled by the system to not speak out. We know you are there. We feel you.
These are the cards we have been dealt.
So what do we do with it?
Human rights advocacy is our strongest form of advocacy. It has the strongest teeth. The parents who have navigated through the system have made personal sacrifices to bring these decisions to fruition.
By using case law, hopefully, a parent(s)/guardian will not need to enter the system to begin with.
The Human Rights Code and the Duty to Accommodate is both our shield and our sword. Understanding the school’s role and responsibilities and our role and responsibilities is key.
Duty to Accommodate
Understanding Exclusion
School are required to remove barriers and continually monitor students and adapt. Never giving up. Always trying to remove the barriers. They need to investigate what those barriers are, if we tell them our child is struggling.
We have some hope on the horizon.
The BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner has started a campaign called Rights in focus: Lived realities in BC
Education inequalities is highlighted as the #2 issue. To read more about the education section you can read the report. Raising these issues and making them public will not mean that our issues will go away. Changes in human systems are painfully slow. And while we wait….harm is being done. But this is what is required to create social change. We need to do the slow consistent work of changing hearts and minds. And while we do this heavy lifting, we are weathered by it. But every little step we make and every little advancement all adds up. The little things do matter. They matter immensely. The little things are actually what leads to change. All of us. Lifting at once.
There are clearly financial costs to human rights complaints in education in BC. There are also financial costs that go beyond just the lawyer’s fees and settlements for society at large. There are social, societal and human costs too. Raising awareness of these issues is step one. I am very excited that these inequity issues are being highlighted by the Commissoner’s Office.
We need to get loud.
Doing this by ourselves is exhausting. This is why having a support system, network, and having organizations elevate our voices is exactly what we need.
To all of the fellow parents out there, getting ready for another school system….I feel like we need a group hug.
“May the odds be ever in your favor” – The Hunger Games.
