We regularly post commentary on our website and hope you will check it out and add your comments to the matter under discussion. Please let us know if you have suggestions for topics or suggested contributors.
G. Porter, Editor – www.inlcusiveeducation.ca
All information, including commentaries, names of contributors, and details submitted by contributors, are considered public domain. Any information that you wish to remain confidential should not be submitted in your commentary. InclusiveEducation.ca reserves the right to censor, edit or prohibit inappropriate, offensive or objectionable language and/or topics and images. Comments and opinions stated here are not necessarily the position of InclusiveEducation.ca or its sponsor the Canadian Association for Community Living.
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January 2009- Making 2009 Matter
It is January 2009 and winter is doing its work on us here in Canada. From across the land we hear of snow, ice, cold winds and …. But as it is said – this is Canada and it is winter.
And what of the challenge to make our schools inclusive?
How are we doing?
What lies ahead in this new year?
We are interested in what you think. Follow the directions and sign in and make a comment letting us know your thoughts – we want to hear from parents, teachers, advocates, - everyone.
One of the highlights for me during the past year was the CASHRA Forum – on Human Rights and Inclusion held in Toronto in September. There were many interesting and provocative speakers and a lot of discussion by Participants.
Check out the record of the discussion – then post a comment on the site.
Join the discussion.
Gordon Porter, Website Editor
Click here and give us your comment.

August 2008- 50 Years of Stories and We Want Yours! 2008 marks the 50th Anniversary of CACL.
And that means there are 50 Years of Stories out there of things that have moved us forward and made a difference.
We want to hear your stories - about positive things you can share from your own experience about how kids have been included in classrooms, schools and communities in Canada.
Things are different today then they were in 1958. but not different for everyone - and not different enough for us to be complacent. So we want to hear from you.
CACL President Bendina Miller has written our Commentary and shares 2 stories from her experience as an educator in Western Canada. I think Bendina has done a simply great job to get us started.
Follow the links and post your story on line - share it with others and tell people about this effort.
We will select 3 stories to share with delegates to the CACL Conference in Ottawa in November - and we will feature the 3 contributors stories on our main website.
So ... read Bendina's Commentary and share your own. We want to hear from you!!
Join the discussion.
Gordon Porter, Website Editor
Click here and give us your comment.

May 2008- Saskatchewan ACL Calls for Change in Legislation.
SACL President Laurie Larson has called on the Government of Saskatchewan to stop proclamation of Section 178 of Bill 29, the revised Education Act. The new section 178 gives schools the power to determine what “reasonable accommodation” looks like, and then to segregate students who need “behaviour or medical support”, who interfere with the education of other students, or for whom supports are deemed too expensive.
Here is the link to the Bill: www.legassembly.sk.ca/bills/PDFs/Bill-29.pdf
Ms. Larson says; “Instead of focusing on the rights of all children to a quality, inclusive education, these changes focus on the rights of the school board.
“As well, the proposed section 178 reinforces the inadequate appeal process that is in place, leaving parents who are dissatisfied no recourse other than legal routes. These changes are regressive and will make the current situation much worse as children will face more exclusion in segregated classrooms and schools.”
The following is the media release that SACL issued on April 30, 2008 as well as letters from CACL and association across the country.
1. SACL’s Media Release. (PDF)
2. CACL President Bendina Miller’s Letter. (PDF)
3. Inclusion International President Diane Richler’s Letter. (PDF)
4. Alberta ACL letter. (PDF)
5. New Brunswick ACL letter. (PDF)
6. Community living Manitoba Letter. (PDF)
7. British Columbia ACL letter. (PDF)
8. Letter from Tim Stanton, University of British Columbia. (PDF)
You have been able to read what others think.
Let’s hear from you.
Click here and give us your comment.

February 2008- Community Living Ontario Commentary .
The Toronto District School Board has recently announced an initiative to open one or more “black-focused schools” in Toronto. Premier McGuinty spoke out against the proposal.
Community Living Ontario president Dianne Garrels-Munro urges Dalton McGuinty to include Ontario students who have an intellectual disability in his position on non-segregated schools. Here is her letter...
Our forum is up and running! Click HERE to read Dianne's commentary and let us know what you have to say by connecting to our feedback page.

December 2007- Marilyn Dolmage speaks up on Ian Brown’s Globe and Mail Articles.
On three successive Saturdays, the Toronto Globe and Mail published lengthy articles by Ian Brown, a writer and father of a son with significant disabilities. Marilyn Dolmage is a mother and advocate. Her son Matthew who lived with significant disabilities passed away in 2004 at age 29. In the commentary below she presents a very different perspective to the one Ian Brown voices in the Globe and Mail articles.
To read Marilyn's commentary - Click Here.
Our forum is up and running! Click HERE to read Marilyn’s commentary and let us know what you have to say by connecting to our feedback page.
November 2007
Anne Kresta is a parent and has been actively promoting inclusive education in Manitoba for some time. Anne is active in education issues with Community Living Manitoba. She has provided a commentary that sets out some the positive things happening in that province.
Read Anne's commentary - then go to the feedback page and share some positive happenings from your school, community or province. We want to share this information and this is a way for you to be part of the discussion.
To read Anne's commentary - Click Here.
Our forum is up and running! Click HERE to read and participate in current and past commentaries.
October 2007
Progress toward inclusive education in some parts of Canada has been sporadic at best. Some would argue there has actually been a move backward.
What do you think? We welcome the opportunity to ask parents and family members to give us your assessment of where things stand – for your own child – and in general.
You can click on the attachment below and place your general comment on our website feedback page. Write a paragraph or two and let us know how things are going in your community, specifically with your son or daughter.
You might also want to take part in a national survey CACL is conducting on inclusive education as part of a “Report Card on Inclusion”.
We want to make sure the report card is accurate and reflective of the voices of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. In order to do this we need your help. Access to accurate, reliable and comparable information on the education of students with intellectual disabilities is extremely difficult. In order to obtain reliable and up to date information on the educational experiences of children and youth with disabilities and their families, a survey has been developed and is available for completion on-line. This survey is short (can be completed in less than 10 minutes) and is completely anonymous.
The data obtained from the survey will be critical in painting a picture on the national status of education for students with intellectual disabilities, the extent to which it presents as an inclusive experience, and the extent to which families are satisfied with this experience.
Here's the link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=PBiTxo3P0ApmO3aHwpXaVA_3d_3d
If your son / daughter is of school age we would ask that you take a few minutes to complete this survey. Your participation in this survey is critical to ensuring that our report on Education is based on real and up to date experiences of children and their families. If you know of other families who have school aged children with disabilities please feel free to share with request with them also.
In late November 2007, the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) will be releasing the national REPORT CARD ON INCLUSION – a report that will comment on how well we are doing, as a country, with respect to inclusion in the areas of Deinstitutionalization, Disability Supports, Family Supports, as well as Education.
We thank you in advance for sharing your comments and for completing the survey.
Check out our website for further information.
Dr. Gordon L. Porter
Director of Inclusive Education Initiatives
CACL
Our forum is up and running! Click HERE to read and participate in current and past commentaries.
This is our first "Monday Commentary". It was written by Zuhy Sayeed, the president of the Canadian Association for Community Living. Zuhy is a mother
of a young man with disabilities and she shares her experiences and thoughts
with us. It is a story similar to many. It is distinctive in the fact that
Zuhy and her family were able to see that their son Rashaad was included in
regular classes at a time when that was not to be taken for granted. But
then we must acknowledge that in many schools and communities it is still
not taken for granted.
Zuhy Sayeed Monday Commentary May 2007.pdf (21 KB)
Read Zuhy's commentary and let us know what you think. You can send a short
email message to: InclusiveEducation@cacl.ca
Our forum is up and running! Click HERE to read and participate in current and past commentaries.