Previous ·  Table of Contents · Next

TEN

Education

"As you no doubt have noticed, there are a number of grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors in our brief. Sometimes, what we meant may not be spelled out clearly. This is partly due to the difficulty for a disabled person to obtain a proper education.”

“Comment to a mother of a learning disabled 15 year old, from her family doctor, ‘David is weird’. The young practitioner had no knowledge or training to help him understand a severely disabled boy, who was noticeably reticient with speech. He looked so normal, but didn’t seem to act normally. The doctor just labeled him as a ‘Weirdo’. Hard to believe? Possibly it is, but it is an event which happened here in Vancouver. The doctor qualified in Medicine in Toronto, Ontario, in the early 1970's.”

“Because of the geographic, cultural and linguistic variables affecting education in the North, it is inevitable that to an even greater extent than in other parts of the country, the primary responsibility for delivery of special services lies on the local teachers. Consequently, intensive and thorough teacher training is absolutely imperative.”

95

DEVELOP MATERIALS ON DISABILITY FOR TEACHER TRAINING COURSE

RECOMMENDATION:

That provincial ministries of education be encouraged to develop, for use in teacher training programs, course material and teaching aids about physical and mental disability.

Unprepared: As things stand now, most primary school teachers do not know how to deal with a disabled child in their classrooms. Current training programs provide minimal information about disability. This is particularly true when the problem is a learning disability. The Committee heard complaints from parents in every province about the treatment that some learning disabled children receive from teachers who are ignorant about their condition.

Provincial Task: This is entirely a matter of provincial jurisdiction, but the scope and seriousness of the problem needs to be pointed out. Inadequate preparation of classroom teachers is causing serious problems in every part of Canada.

* * * * *

96

ENCOURAGE PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS TO LEARN ABOUT DISABILITIES

RECOMMENDATION:

That professional schools and faculties be encouraged to include course material about disability, particularly learning disability and mental illness.

Serious Obstacle: Canadian society depends heavily upon the competence of doctors, nurses, lawyers, social workers architects and police. At present, there is very little knowledge among these professions concerning the needs of mentally disabled persons, particularly those with learning disabilities and mental illnesses. This ignorance, in varying degrees, places serious obstacles in the path of disabled persons who are trying to deal with the everyday tasks of living in society.

Early Awareness: The earlier in life that a disabled person receives sensible treatment from society, the fewer long-term problems there will be, both for the person and for society. The professions mentioned above are most likely to encounter disabled persons-simply because the greatest problems that disabled persons have come from conflicts with the very institutions that these professions represent: hospitals, medicine, public buildings, and the legal system.

Training: If professional training programs included content related to understanding the needs of disabled persons, many errors could be avoided.

* * * * *

The earlier in life that a disabled person receives sensible treatment from society, the fewer long-term problems there will be, both for the person and for society. If professional training programs included content related to understanding the needs of disabled persons, many errors could be avoided.

97

ESTABLISH SIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT IN BOTH LANGUAGES AT UNIVERSITY

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Federal Government direct the Department of Secretary of State to encourage the Canadian Council of Deafness and its affiliates to initiate the establishment of an accredited sign language department at an English-speaking and French-speaking university which would:

• Recognize that sign language is a distinct language and assist the development of curriculum and standards for credit courses to be taken by hearing persons similar to other language courses.
• Provide sign interpreters for a variety of courses which will enable deaf students to follow regular courses.

Desperate Need: There is a desperate need for teachers who can teach sign interpretation. These teachers will not be developed or attracted unless there is a major university department which specializes in this skill. The deaf are education-poor precisely because there are few sign interpreters in Canada. Thousands of very intelligent, but hearing-impaired individuals, are cut off from any kind of higher education simply because they face a communication barrier.

Funds Available: Education officials who appeared before the Committee have indicated that this type of program would receive support at the provincial level. Existing federal-provincial cost-sharing agreements would presently provide up to 50% of the block funding required by the accredited university where the special department is established. Academic standards and accreditation for sign interpreters are already established in the U.S., and could be used as a guide in the early stages of the new faculty.