Industry Leaders and Experts

26Canadian Disability Policy Alliance

Why Chosen:

27People for Education

Why Chosen:

Annie Kidder is the Executive Director of People for Education. Annie attended 12 schools between kindergarten and grade 12, which may have been how she acquired her passion for public education. Annie is the recipient of numerous awards for her advocacy work, including awards from the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, the Ontario Principals’ Council, the Toronto Community Foundation and the Ontario Teachers’ Federation. She has spoken at conferences across the country and is regularly quoted in the media as an expert on education issues.

28Easter Seals Ontario

Why Chosen:

Easter Seals Ontario promotes and creates awareness for disability and accessibility issues through their March is Easter Seals Month campaign, media relations, direct mail, and government relations activities, and through their annual Ester Seals Telethon. Easter Seals’ staff participate on a variety of committees within the disability services sector and are periodically invited to present to various government forums.

29The Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario

The Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario is a registered charity dedicated to improving the lives of children, youth and adults with learning disabilities. Our mission is to provide leadership in learning disabilities advocacy, research, education and services and to advance the full participation of children, youth and adults with learning disabilities in today’s society.

Why Chosen:

The association assists people with learning disabilities and their families in meeting their expressed needs by providing support, guidance and up-to-date resource information; providing the opportunity for the sharing of information and common concerns; encouraging research in the field of learning disabilities; and supporting and generating legislative initiatives. They are focused on furthering the educational, social, recreational, legal, medical, vocational, and employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities in Ontario.

30Inclusive Education Canada

This organization promotes the Canadian vision for inclusive education. Their website has been designed as a meeting place for parents, family members, teachers, education officials and community members who are committed to making inclusive education a reality in our communities.

Why Chosen:

Inclusive Education’s goal is for all students to attend and be welcomed by their neighbourhood schools in age-appropriate, regular classes and be supported to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of the life of the school. The hope to achieve the goal that people with intellectual disabilities are fully included with their peers in regular education, with appropriate supports from early childhood through to post-secondary and adult life-long learning.

31Peter Chaban

Peter Chaban is a teacher researcher and is head of the School Liaison Team, Community Health Systems Resource Group at The Hospital for Sick Children. He is also the learning disabilities representative for the Ontario Minister's Advisory Council on Special Education (MACSE).

Why Chosen:

Peter received his MA in Applied Linguistics from York University and an M.ED. in human development from Harvard University. He is presently completing a Ph.D. from York in Applied Linguistics. His background is in teaching, linguistics and developmental psychology. These three areas of training have focused my interests on teacher education and building healthy dynamic school communities. Projects to date include: school based family health centre, promoting parent and staff collaboration and rolling out a reading program across a school board. Peter has written numerous research articles related to children with disabilities and their needs in the Ontario educational system.

32Heather Willis

Heather Willis is the Accessibility Co-ordinator in Disability Studies, Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Ryerson University. She joined Ryerson University in 2010 as Ryerson’s first Accessibility Coordinator. She joined Ryerson University in 2010 as Ryerson’s first Accessibility Coordinator.

Why Chosen:

Heather has been advocating accessibility and social justice for persons with disabilities since she was a teenager growing up in an institution for disabled children. She leads “ACCESS RYERSON”, a cross campus accessibility initiative aimed at identifying, removing, and preventing barriers to inclusion for all members of the Ryerson community who experience disability, and ensuring University compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Heather has a BA in Disability Studies from Ryerson University and a post-graduate diploma in Disability Studies from the University of Leeds.

33Dr. Gary Bunch

Dr. Gary Bunch is a Professor of Critical Disability Studies at York University. His research over the last several decades has focused on improving the accessibility of education for students with disabilities.

Why Chosen:

Dr. Bunch has researched and written extensively on issues facing children and youth with disabilities in Ontario. Recently he has published work focusing on student’s with disabilities’ issues with transitioning from high school to adulthood successfully. His research includes primary research with students, parents, and teachers on transitioning experiences and provides recommendations on how to improve the process.

34Community Living Ontario

Community Living Ontario is a non-profit, provincial association started in 1953, which advocates for people who have an intellectual disability to be fully included in all aspects of community life. Community Living Ontario and the local Community Living associations are also part of the Canadian Association for Community Living. They belong to a world-wide advocacy network called Inclusion International. With the province of Ontario they have over 12,000 member and represent 107 local Community Living associations.

Why Chosen:

Community Living Ontario is activity works for inclusive education in Ontario. They define inclusive education as an educational experience where every child shares in all facets of ongoing education that will meet his/her unique needs; and, where all Boards of Education ensure that these rights include the opportunity:

To attend regular classrooms in their local neighbourhood school;

To attend classes with similar-aged children;

To receive an education program based on, but not restricted to, individual goals;

To receive adequate supports to ensure equitable opportunity for success;

To receive coordinated planning and assistance in all transitional phases, including

Preschool to elementary, elementary to secondary, post-secondary, cooperative education,

Colleges and universities or continuing education;

They believe parents should have the opportunity to become true partners in determining all aspects of their child's education. Community Living Ontario believes that inclusion must be promoted and supported as a first choice for all students who have an intellectual disability, and that the Ontario Ministry of Education must be accountable and fully responsible for the full and uniform implementation of these measures in all school boards throughout the province.

35Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D.

Dr. Jorgensen is an inclusive education consultant in private practice, after being a Project Director with the Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), and assistant research professor in UNH’s Education Department from 1985 until 2011.

Why Chosen:

Jorgensen is now semi-retirement and able to focus on the work on issues related to education and children with disabilities. Her work includes student-specific consultation, team professional development, school-wide systems change, policy advocacy, and writing. She particularly works with students with Down syndrome and their educational teams.

36The Inclusive Design Research Centre, OCAD University

The IDRC is a research and development centre at OCAD University where an international community of open source developers, designers, researchers, advocates, and volunteers work together to ensure that emerging information technology and practices are designed inclusively.

Why Chosen:

The Inclusive Design Research Centre and the MDes in Inclusive Design are working to better define and update what is meant by “Inclusive Design”. This is challenging, as the practice has flexibility and adaptation at its core. Any criteria, principles or guidelines cannot be absolute but need to be relative to the user, the context, and the goal. They have even considered creating an inclusively designed definition that is presented in a flexible way depending on a particular perspective.

The group promotes inclusion in a full complement of activities:

Growing design and development practices

Creating tools that others can use and contribute to

Teaching the principles and techniques of inclusive design

Advocating for inclusion in international standards

Providing services that match solutions with individuals.

37Transitions and Inclusive Environments Lab (TRAIL)

The mission of TRAIL is to conceptualize and develop programs and interventions to enhance the inclusion of children and youth with disabilities in school, at work and in the community. Their focus is on transitions between environments and transitions to adulthood.

Why Chosen:

Drawing on mixed-methods, their team works to understand the enablers and barriers to inclusion and seeks to develop effective interventions and programs. The TRAIL is interdisciplinary and draws on a youth/family engagement approach. The core values of their e-search are clinical, health and social impact, evaluation, and knowledge translation. The TRAIL is led by Dr. Sally Lindsay and is part of the Bloorview Research Institute at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

Directory: strong-effective-aoda
strong-effective-aoda -> Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance

Download 1.92 Mb.

Share with your friends: