When in-person learning for Ontario students resumes January 17th, or later, student lodging at the Provincial demonstration schools have been closed indefinitely.

As a concerned student at W. Ross MacDonald School for the Blind and Deaf Blind, I find this decision to close lodging and not allow us to return unacceptable. It seems as if this decision was made without consultation. As students, we feel we are an afterthought, and are not taken into consideration when making plans regarding schools. I understand this decision has been put in place to keep us safe and I respect that. However, our lodging programs hold a small number of students.  At my school in particular we hold around 80 students and in these past months lodging has been implementing many safety measures. With all of the safety precautions adapted, our schools have detected no cases of COVID 19. On the other hand, schools with 1000 students who have increasingly high cases are going to be allowed to return.

As a senior student with a visual impairment, I know for a fact that virtual learning has not been beneficial at all for me, or my peers at our schools. Provincial demonstration schools have been put in place to serve students who are blind, deaf, deaf blind, visually impaired, and hard of hearing/hearing impaired. We may all have different accommodations, however, we all have one thing in common; that we all learn in a hands-on environment which is not possible with online learning. For some of our students, the only way they can learn is being in person which now has been taken away from them.

Our school holds many programs to accommodate different needs of every student. With this new decision being put into place, it has affected most of us, especially for those in the deaf blind program. Making the decision to close down lodging and having students learn online for an indefinite time period is easier said than done. This decision has impacted their education significantly. Students in this program learn by using hand-over-hand sign language. Now that online learning has returned for everyone, these students will not be able to continue their education because it is physically impossible to do that.

Over the past two years, we know for a fact that everyone’s mental health has suffered. Keeping this in mind, just imagine being a student who is deaf and blind. It is harder for these students to maintain a social life. In comparison to others who can call a friend or socialize with children around them, many of our deaf blind students cannot. As we know, this can have a serious impact on their mental health. Whenever these students return to school after the break or even on weekends, they are so happy to be able to communicate with their staff and students. What many people do not understand is that for most of these students, the staff at the school are like family, because they can connect with them from a personal perspective. 

Along with our deaf blind students, a few other programs will also be severely affected.

Some of our students in the S.I.P. program are also in the same situation as our deaf blind students, due to their conditions. Some of these students in this program require one-on- one in-person learning; which with this decision being put in place is not possible. Therefore, with this decision implemented, both of these programs, that support bright students that are excited to learn, will not get an opportunity to receive a proper education until further notice.

Another essential program that needs to be addressed is our Bridges program. This program helps prepare students for a post-secondary education; whether it is by helping us improve our academic writing skills, or teaching us how to live independently. Through lodging, these students get their independent living experience where they learn to do everyday household chores such as vacuuming, prepare meals, and learning to do things that otherwise they would not be able to do on their own. Bridges students are usually students who have already graduated from high school and want to take an extra year to prepare for post-secondary. Regardless of the program, our students have been equally affected due to this decision.

The last topic that I would like to discuss is our Expanded Core Curriculum. This is very important for our students. The Expanded Core Curriculum covers skills such as Orientation and Mobility (O&M), independent living skills (ILS), recreation and leisure, assistive technology, self-determination, social interaction, and sensory efficiency. With students currently being online, they are unable to learn these skills. For example, in independent living skills, we learn to cook, clean, and use appliances to help us in life for the future. Trying to accomplish these skills through online learning is simply impossible due to it being dangerous, especially when learning kitchen skills. The same reason applies to Orientation and Mobility. Through this, we would experience how to travel independently. For example; crossing streets, getting to places, learning bus routes, and much more. It is just not possible to achieve these goals over virtual learning. With the government preventing lodging students to return, the Expanded Core Curriculum is unable to properly function. The Expanded Core Curriculum is just as important as the normal curriculum for students with a visual impairment and unless this decision changes, students will not learn the skills they need for the future.

As a student who understands all the negative effects this decision will have on me and my peers. I request the Ford government and the Ministry of Education to reconsider their decision on lodging at provincial demonstration schools, and commit to reopening lodging at the same time in-person classes resume across the province. As a student with a disability I feel that schools for students with special needs should be the first to open and not the last. I ask you all to please sign this and help students like me with a visual impairment return safely to in person learning.