There are school supports available. This tipsheet explains where you can find them.
Here are some topics you might be looking for information about:
- Ministry of Education guidelines
- Individual Placement Review Committee (IPRC)
- Individual Education Plan (IEP)
- Building parent/caregiver–teacher relationships
- Sharing information about your child
- Getting ready for kindergarten
- Getting ready for change - transition planning e.g. junior high ? high school, high school ? college, university or work
- Teaching tips
You can find out more information on these topics at:
Connectability Parent’s Education Handbook
http://connectability.ca/2011/03/25/parent%E2%80%99s-education-handbook/
Resource Guides
Learn about school services and supports by reading resource guides from childhood disability agencies. Check the agency websites below for more information.
- Autism Ontario: Navigating the Special Education System in Ontario: http://www.autismontario.com/client/aso/ao.nsf/Durham/Special+Education+Resources?OpenDocument
- Centre for ADHD Awareness – The Advocate’s Journal: http://www.caddac.ca/cms/page.php?41
- Down Syndrome Association Toronto: http://dsat.ca/resources/education
- Easter Seals Kids at School: http://education.easterseals.org/
- Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario: http://www.ldao.ca/
- Ontario Special Needs Roadmap: http://www.specialneedsroadmaps.ca/
- People for Education: http://www.peopleforeducation.ca/how-does-education-work/
At the school board
Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)
The Education Act [Subsection 57.1(1)] requires every district school board to establish a SEAC, whose purpose is to aid school boards in supporting students with special needs. SEAC guides special education services and programs. Committee members focus on different disabilities (e.g. acquired brain injury, developmental disability, autism spectrum disorder, spina bifida, learning disabilities). Some of the agencies are listed below:
- Association for Bright Children (ABC)
- Autism Society of Ontario
- Brain Injury Society of Toronto
- Community Living Toronto
- Down Syndrome Association of Toronto
- Easter Seals Ontario
- Epilepsy Toronto
- Integration Action for Inclusion in Education and Community
- Learning Disabilities Association
- VIEWS for the Visually Impaired
- VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children
Contact your school board’s special education office for more information about this committee or if you would like to speak to a committee member about your child’s needs. Here is the website for Toronto District School Board’s SEAC: http://www.tdsb.on.ca/Community/HowtoGetInvolved/CommunityAdvisoryCommittees/SpecialEducationAdvisoryCommittee.aspx
School Trustees
Your vote helps choose the trustee who will speak up for your child’s education at the school board. The trustee can help you find information on available services or put you in contact with someone who can answer your questions. Contact your local school board office for the name of the trustee in your area. Here is the website for Toronto District School Board’s listing of school trustees: http://www.tdsb.on.ca/Leadership/Trustees.aspx
Last updated May 2018 by a Family Support Specialist
If you have any questions about this tipsheet, please contact resourcecentre@hollandbloorview.ca
