One of the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board’s goals regarding special education support services is to provide appropriate resources and program support to all teachers so that as many students with special education needs as possible remain in regular classes for program delivery. As part of this support and resources for teachers, professional development opportunities were provided to special education resource teachers and classroom teachers in the junior grades that taught and promoted inclusion practices.
Over 100 education assistants participated in professional development through the Ontario Disability Employment Network to learn how to develop skills in students with special education needs for successful employment early and throughout their education. Also, the author of Can’t Read, Can’t Write, and Here’s My Book, Michael Jacques, a compassionate adult with autism and an intellectual disability, spoke to education assistants and students at an elementary school on ways to promote inclusion, independence, and to build a sense of belonging in the classroom and on the playground.
Two high schools had staff trained in the JobPath program through the Ontario Disability Employment Network to incorporate the program into their high schools. JobPath is an employment discovery program that helps students learn about themselves, and to build the skills for employment through field trips and working with community partners.
KPDSB partnered with George Jeffries Children’s Centre again this year to offer social skills programming for students with autism-spectrum disorders. Thirty-seven students participated in these programs, focusing on school readiness skills and social skills development. Support staff also participated in these programs to help support the transfering of skills throughout the school day in different environments. Workshops for parents and caregivers were also offered.
KPDSB Applied Behaviour Analysis Leads participated in weekly non-identifying consultations and monthly professional development with a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst in partnership with four other school boards throughout the school year. These consultations provided additional support in programming to staff and students. Non-identifying consultations were also provided to school teams, enhancing programming skills for students with autism spectrum disorders.
Central special education staff, as well as central curriculum staff, visited the Trillium Provincial Demonstration school in London to learn about specific programs to support students with learning disabilities. In September, six reading intervention teachers and thirteen special education resource teachers were trained in the Empower program. The Empower program is a reading intervention program that teaches students skills in decoding and spelling in a sequential way.
Over the past year, we have carefully looked at our special education procedures to ensure that they support the inclusion and accessibility of pathways. Training opportunities have helped staff understand inclusion practices and how to embed them in the classroom, and staff have been trained in intervention programs to help students build the skills for independence.
