Directorate of Ontario
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- Government Policies and Programs
- Framework Development Process
- Early Childhood Intervention Program
- Individual Education Plan (IEP)
- Assistive Technology for Literacy Learners
- SARAW - Speech Assisted Reading and Writing
- Supplementary Grant or Remissible Loan
- Lifetime Funding and Loan Limits
- Study Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities
52Northwest TerritoriesRegulations for Special EducationNorthwest Territories Education ActNorthwest Territories Education Act, s. 9 (1) at the written request of a student ‘s parent or the principal, a District Education Authority may designate one or more persons to assess the student on its behalf to determine whether the objectives of the education program are too challenging for the student or do not challenge the student sufficiently, and where this determination is made, the principal shall recommend to the student ‘s parent the development of an individual education plan for the student. Northwest Territories, Education Act: “Every student is entitled to have access to the education program in a regular instructional setting.” Government Policies and ProgramsNWT Disability FrameworkBackgroundIn May of 2001, the Premier of the Northwest Territories tasked the Disability Steering Committee Partnership (the Partnership) with developing an interdisciplinary and multi-dimensional framework that will guide the development of effective programs and services, and promote the full inclusion of persons with disabilities throughout the Northwest Territories (NWT). 174 Framework Development ProcessThe Partnership has representation from the Government of the Northwest Territories, non-governmental organizations and Aboriginal organizations, including: Health and Social Services; Education, Culture and Employment; Municipal and Community Affairs; the NWT Housing Corporation; the NWT Council of Persons with Disabilities; the Yellowknife Association for Community Living; and the YWCA of Yellowknife. Other participants included the Dene Nation and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, who monitored discussions but were not actively able to participate. The five priority areas identified under the Framework include: Education; Employment; Income;
Disability supports; and Housing.175 Early Childhood Intervention ProgramThis program was created in response to requests from parents that their preschool children with disabilities have the opportunity to access community early childhood programs. The program has expanded to provide early childhood intervention to 12 preschool children with disabilities. Funding is received from the Healthy Children Initiative from ECE and HSS. Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) workers assist children with their development, for a minimum of five hours per week, in community early childhood programs and/or in their home environment.176 Individual Education Plan (IEP)The responsibility under the Education Act (1996) to develop Individual Education Plans for students who are determined to require them does not specify that a student must have a diagnosis or "label" in order to have an IEP developed. The decision to develop an IEP for any student, with or without a diagnosis or “label”, is made when information gathered and discussion by a team, including the student and parent, determines that the student's challenges are such that they require learning outcomes that are outside NWT curricula and/or supports, accommodations/adaptations, facilities, resources, and equipment beyond what is required by the student's competitors. It should also be noted that there are students in NWT schools with diagnosed disabilities who do not require an IEP and who function in a regular or modified program with accommodations/adaptations and a variety of supports.177 Assistive Technology for Literacy LearnersThe NWT Literacy Council is a territorial non-profit organization that promotes and supports literacy activities in all official languages of the Northwest Territories. Assistive technology can be any item, piece of equipment or system that helps work around or compensate for a disability, whether it is a learning disability or a physical disability. There are many technologies available that can help an individual cope with their disability. It is important to first understand the person‘s disability by doing assessments or through a diagnosis. After students have this, they will be able to select the most effective assistive technology. Technology will only help an individual if the tool matches the individual's need. 178 Many literacy learners have difficulty reading print or electronic material. This can be due to visual problems or low literacy levels. There are many types of assistive technology to help learners with the printed word. Text-to-Speech (TTS) is software used to read aloud a computer document such as word processor text or a web page. Words can sometimes be highlighted as text is read. It may be helpful to people who need or want to hear what they are seeing in print. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is the process of converting an image of text, such as a scanned paper document or electronic fax file, into electronic text. The text in an image is not editable. 179 JAWS for WindowsJAWS is a screen-reading program for Windows that uses a voice synthesizer and a computer sound card to speak the text on their computer screen. It works with many applications, including email, word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, web development tools, database management software, instant messaging programs, and web browsers. JAWS can send information to Braille displays and can interact with MAGic Screen Magnification. The voice settings, amount of screen information students hear, and how the words are spoken can all be customized. 180 Victor Reader VIBEThe Victor Reader Vibe is a small digital talking book player that is designed for people who are visually impaired or who have difficulty reading print. The VIBE can be used for school, work, or leisure. It can be used as a digital talking book player as well as an audio and MP3 CD player. It allows students to read highly structured digital books such as school manuals and reference books as well as novels and magazines. 181 Victor Reader SoftThis computer software allows students to use their computer to read and navigate through digital audio books. Students can navigate through a book structure as well as save information within the book such as bookmarks, text annotation and to customize the display parameters. Victor Reader Soft combines the audio and text mode that let students read the text on screen synchronized with audio and is accessible to print disabled persons. With Victor Reader Soft, students can browse the table of contents, skip from section to section or return quickly to a page, insert bookmarks to return to a spot or mark important passages.182 IBM Home Page ReaderIBM Home Page Reader is an Internet browser designed for users who wish to access the Internet in a non-visual or combined auditory and visual way. It is useful for people that are blind or partially sighted users, people with dyslexia or learning difficulties, and users who are learning a new language. 183 SARAW - Speech Assisted Reading and WritingSARAW (Speech Assisted Reading and Writing) is a talking computer program designed to teach basic reading and writing skills to adults who currently read and write in the range of grades 2-6. SARAW was designed primarily to meet the needs of adults with severe physical disabilities who are nonverbal. SARAW offers learners a set of activities to choose from, rather than a set of lessons that must be completed in a particular order. The learners make their own choices about what interests them, and what skills they want to develop further. SARAW has three major components: Reading, Activities, and Writing. 184 Grants and LoansThe Northwest Territories assists residents attending a post-secondary educational institution through the Student Financial Assistance (SFA) program. The SFA program provides financial assistance to students who are enrolled as a full-time or part-time student. The Northwest Territories does not participate in the Canada Student Loans Program but does receive an alternative payment from the federal government to operate their own program. Basic GrantStudents that fall under the Northern Indigenous Aboriginal Resident and Northern Resident “Schooled in the NWT” categories can apply for the Basic Grant. Eligible students may receive up to $1,925 per semester for tuition and fees and up to $400 per semester for books. Travel benefits are paid to the student for the cost of travel for the student and dependants from their permanent residence in the NWT to the closest post-secondary educational institution offering their program. Supplementary Grant or Remissible LoanStudents that fall under the Northern Indigenous Aboriginal Resident and Northern Resident “Schooled in the NWT” categories can apply for the Supplementary Grant or Remissible Loan. A monthly allowance is provided to assist the student and his/her dependants with monthly living expenses such as rent, food and transportation while the student is attending school. A remissible loan may have to be repaid, if the student does not meet certain requirements. Repayable LoanAll residents of the NWT can apply for the Repayable Loan. The Repayable Loan is a form of financial assistance to help with the cost of tuition, tuition fees, books, travel and monthly living expenses. This loan must be repaid. Eligible students can receive up to a maximum of $1,400/month of study. Lifetime Funding and Loan LimitsAll students can access up to 20 semesters of funding and up to $60,000 in student loans. Each student category would determine the limits for the Basic Grant/Supplementary Grant or the Basic Grant/Remissible Loan.185 Student Financial Assistance Program186The Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) provides financial assistance to eligible Northwest Territories (NWT) residents to assist with postsecondary education-related expenses. ECE offers full-time and part-time financial assistance to NWT residents attending accredited, postsecondary institutions and programs through the Student Financial Assistance (SFA) Program. The purpose of the SFA Program is to help supplement the cost of obtaining a postsecondary education, not to cover all expenses. Depending on eligibility, SFA may provide postsecondary students with assistance for: Basic Grant – Funding for tuition and fees, books and travel costs Supplementary Grant or Remissible Loan – Monthly living allowance Repayable Loan – Funding for tuition and fees, books, travel and a monthly living allowance NWT Grants for Students with Permanent Disabilities Course Reimbursement - Part-time studies funding up to $500 per course
Program IResidents of the NWT who have a permanent disability can apply for the Study Grant to assist with the cost of: A tutor
An interpreter – oral, sign, note taker A reader
Transportation – to and from school daily depending on circumstance Attendant Care (while in school) Special equipment – such as a Braille writer, alternative keyboard and alternate formats such as large or Braille print or voice activated program One-time medical assessment – 75 percent of the cost up to a maximum of $1,000 Eligible student may receive up to $8,000 per academic year in addition to the other types of assistance they qualify for under the SFA program.
Program IIResidents of the NWT who have a permanent disability can apply for the Study Grant up to $1,000 per course. This would replace Course Reimbursement. General Eligibility Must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident Must be considered "Ordinarily Resident ", of the NWT for at least 12 continuous months before the start of their program Previous SFA loan payments must be up to date and must not have any outstanding debts with the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) Must submit all required documents Must apply with the correct application by an applicable deadline188 Directory: strong-effective-aoda strong-effective-aoda -> Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Download 1.92 Mb. Share with your friends:
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