Thanks!
Buffy

If your child has Autism/ASD, then ACT (Autism Community Training), is contracted by the provincial govt to provide family support: Info/contacts at http://www.actcommunity.net/

They also organize excellent training workshops. They have one coming up in October that focusses on parent advocacy in the school system & knowing your rights that would be very useful: http://www.actcommunity.net/autism-education/upcoming-live-events/438-info-bc-schls.html

If your child has learning disabilities, the LDA (Learning Disabilities Association of BC) may be able to provide support or info: http://www.ldabc.ca/

Other options include:

BCACL family outreach: http://www.bcacl.org/

Family Support Institute: http://www.familysupportbc.com/ (They also host workshops on parent advocacy and navigating the school system, but I don’t see anything specific scheduled on their website, though you can ask.)

MOMS does not have the funding/resources to provide one-one advocacy as a rule, but we can send a message out via our email network to see if any experienced families in your community are able to provide the support you need. If you have specific questions, please free to send them to the MOMS email address and ask us to post them (if we can’t answer them outselves).

Your local DPAC may also provide family advocacy. It varies, but as a rule, DPAC parent advocates tend to not be as well informed about the intricacies of special ed rights/challenges. The provincial parent body BCCPAC also used to provide advocacy but that’s been eliminated due to provincial budget cuts.

Another resource you may find useful, in terms of learning more and empowering yourself to deal with the BC public school system and to assure that your child gets his/her special education needs addressed, is this website that I also maintain for a Vancouver parent group: http://www.vpsinclusion.net/index.html It includes links to Ministry info, legal decisions, news & other important resources.

Another option is to join our MOMS Facebook page, which we’re encouraging parents to use to chat/ discuss, share thoughts directly with other families on advocacy issues: http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=03c6991c3497b360e8179d4da0cbd4c6&#!/groups/152308497771/

I’ve copied this to Cyndi, who coordinates the MOMS network with me, in case she can think of anything I’ve missed, and to XXX at the Simon Fraser Association for Community Living, who may have better info about what’s available in your area.

Some added words of advice on successful parent advocacy in the public school system:

1) Arm yourself with as much info as possible on what you can and cannot ask of the public school system – you are your child’s best advocate.

2) Try as much as possible to get the classroom teachers & school staff onside to work WITH you vs AGAINST you. In most cases, they want to do the right thing, but cutbacks and pressures put them in survival mode. The source of the problem may be way up the bureaucratic ladder but the reality on the ground is to gloss over special needs unless you become a “squeaky wheel” and push back. So try to create a dynamic where you and local principal/teacher are working together to pressure higher authorities to provide the teacher & the classroom with the support your child needs and is entitled to. If they can’t do what’s needed, ask what’s missing and who’s responsible for providing it and work out a plan together on how to address that. If the school can’t solve the problem, go up to the next level. If you’re going over someone’s head, try to do it with their consent or at least inform them. Keep going up the bureaucratic ladder until a reasonable solution is found. It may be a compromise – the key is to insist on a “reasonable” solution.

3) Use the IEP (Individual Education Plan) process to its full potential. You are entitled to participate in preparing your child’s IEP. Document your child’s needs and the required special ed resources in the IEP. It’s a legal, enforceable document – and then follow up to ensure those needs are being met.

4) Sometimes you need to take legal action to force schools to meet your child’s needs, but that should always be a last resort. Once you even mention legal action, school staff will be required to stop meeting with you and all communications must go through the lawyers.

5) Sometimes the problem IS the teacher or principal (or a personality conflict) or a parent whose demands aren’t reasonable. Going in with six guns blazing will probably just aggravate that. Try to be sensitive, firm and reasonable in your expectations and realize that sometimes personality issues are insurmountable and it’s not worth fighting if you can get your child into an alternate school that is more receptive and willign to work with you to overcome the many challenges involved.

A final point is that teachers are in the midst of a labour dispute and on a “work to rule” job action, which will add a further challenge to resolving issues. Here’s a brief on that issue shared by a parent and very experienced advocate whose children attended Tri-Cities schools: http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=03c6991c3497b360e8179d4da0cbd4c6&#!/notes/clair-schuman/bc-parents-of-children-with-special-needs-starting-out-the-school-year-with-your/265164883508164

Please feel free to email us back if there’s anything else we can offer.

I am a mother of a 5 year old twins with autism. We just recently diagnosed. And one of my new found friend at FSI forwarded me your email link. I would love to be added on your email list.

Jessica Schmunk