Has Canada Done Enough to Ensure that Individuals Born with Developmental Disabilities are Able to Thrive in Society?
Sometimes the moments in your life which seem insignificant are really the ones which create your morals, help you to form solid beliefs and shape who you are as a person. One of these moments occurred when I was only ten years old. All of Mrs. Rozniak's grade five class sat quietly on the first day of school. For some reason, the principal stood at the front of the room telling us that shortly a new student would be joining our class. I remember thinking it was quite odd that the school was making such a fuss about a new student. It was pretty typical for classes to have at least one new student each year and never before had a formal introduction been necessary. The principal left for a few minutes and when she returned, she brought with her our new classmate. In through the door walked a girl who stood no more than four and a half feet tall. Her tiny head was dotted with two massive blue eyes, slanted upwards and appearing not fully open. Between them was a barely noticeable nose no larger than a marble. Instantly the class was silent; they were too busy examining the student as she walked unsteadily to the front of the classroom. No one, including myself, had ever seen anyone who looked like Mackenzie before.
Mackenzie’s physical abnormalities are a result of a genetic condition she was born with called Down Syndrome, a developmental disability (DD) caused by the presence of a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21 in the genome (What is Down Syndrome?). In addition to Mackenzie’s attention-grabbing appearance, her condition also caused her to have lacking communication skills and a delayed intellectual development. For a person born with the condition, the effects of DS can make life more challenging than that of the average citizen. Mackenzie and the 160,500 other Canadians with developmental disabilities rely on the Canadian government and population to provide them with the supports they require to not only cope with their condition, but also excel in society (C. Marshall et al.).
From the moment Mackenzie’s mother found out she was carrying a child with Down Syndrome, she knew raising her child would be a long, winding path with many bumps and unexpected turns. From a very young age, Mackenzie experienced an array of difficulties different from that of a typically-developing baby. She had many different physical disabilities which hindered her ability to mature and required the support of more than just her family. For the first three years of her life, Mackenzie would be visited by physiotherapists who would help her to improve her low muscle tone. The physiotherapists would encourage Mackenzie to make small, repetitive motions with her arms, legs, and head. Mackenzie’s condition made it very hard for her to perform these tasks regardless of how small they were. She was not acknowledging the physiotherapist's’ instructions and therefore her treatment was not progressing. Physiotherapists are trained to use unconventional methods that have been proven to produce positive results (Physiotherapists: What to Expect). These approaches are effective with people who have DDs because they target each individual’s learning techniques. Since Mackenzie was a very visual learner, her physiotherapist decided to use mirrors to show her how to move her body. Mackenzie’s mother remembers Mackenzie spending hours in front of the mirror moving her hands and head. Her mother recalls that Mackenzie seemed to be using the mirror to discover what her body could do. It seemed as if Mackenzie was not moving parts of her body because she did not realize that she could. Eventually she managed to make larger movements with her legs, arms and head. She was able to take her first steps shortly after her first birthday. This was a considerable accomplishment for a child with Down Syndrome and her mom credits the success to her physiotherapist. Many other people with DDs utilize physiotherapy as a method to effectively deal with their condition. Specialized movements which improve balance, minimize chronic pain and strengthen muscles have the ability to reduce the physical effects of various DDs (Physiotherapists: What to Expect). As for Mackenzie, she still utilizes this service to help her further improve her fine motor skills. Her condition makes it difficult for her to perform tasks such as printing neatly, holding small objects or making small precise movements. But with the help of her physiotherapist, she has been able to make considerable amounts of progress which would have otherwise been impossible during her school years.
A major contributor to success in society is education. Considering children spend twelve to fourteen years of their lives in school, an extreme amount of development, particularly social development, occurs within this timeline. Many important life skills such as responsibility and independence, as well as curriculum content are learned in school. Education acts as the foundation for an individual’s future and therefore it is important that the task of educating a person is carried out correctly. Educating students with developmental disabilities is much different than the process involving typically-developing students. The Ontario Ministry of Education recognized that children with DDs deserved an alternative teaching style and therefore, Special Education was introduced in Ontario. Ontario’s primary goal is to have all children integrated in the same classroom. However, sometimes this is not realistic for children with DDs. Students whose needs are not met in a regular classroom are then provided with an Educational Assistant or are placed in a specialized learning environment like a resource room (An Introduction to Special Education in Ontario). The most effective way to implement special education is through partial integration, a method which allows students with exceptional needs to be present in a regular classroom for roughly half of the day and then take part in a special education class for the remainder. Partial integration has proven to be effective in Ontario, however, there are still flaws in the special education system.
Mackenzie struggled through her early elementary years before her special education plan was perfected. She had thirteen different educational assistants between kindergarten and grade four. She had regular outbursts in class, struggled to listen to direction and had difficulty getting along with her classmates. Her school suggested that she be placed in a full-time special education class, but her parents worried that this would exclude her from learning crucial social skills. She also struggled with bullying. Mackenzie was regularly teased, taunted, and excluded during school. Some days she would stand alone at recess, be picked on by her peers, or forced to sit out in a class. Issues such as these are experienced by children with DDs all the time.
Mackenzie is now nineteen and about to graduate from high school. She hopes to find a part-time job for the summer. Unfortunately, she has been having an extremely difficult time doing so. According to Stats Canada, Mackenzie is not the only person with a DD who is having difficulty becoming employed. The overall employment rate in Canada hovers around 79%, while the employment rate for Canadians with disabilities (both mental and physical) is about 49% (Persons with Disabilities and Employment). Considering Canada has anti-discrimination laws in place to protect workers with disabilities from being treated unfairly, the gap between these two figures should not be so drastic. Of the 51% of unemployed disabled people, 12% of them reported that they had been refused a job because of their disability within the last five years (Persons with Disabilities and Employment). This is clearly a massive issue that the Canadian public needs to address. The government has developed laws which protect the rights of all workers, yet they are not being followed. Why is this so?
A study completed by members of Queen's University’s Department of Psychiatry in Kingston, Ontario aimed to provide Canadians with that answer. The study, Public Views on Employment of People with Intellectual Disabilities, took place in 2006 and included phone interviews with 680 residents in southern Ontario. Respondents were asked multiple questions relating to the advantages and disadvantages of having people with disabilities in the workplace, why these people may not be hired as often as those without, and what types of jobs would be best for them. Of those interviewed, 87% believed that people with intellectual disabilities should be employed (P. Burge et al). However, 72% of respondents believed that these workers would require more supervision and training, making them a more costly addition to the business (P. Burge et al.). Furthermore, 69% of respondents believed that employers think people with intellectual disabilities do not have the required job skills to be able to perform the duties of an average job (P. Burge et al.).
Mackenzie has been faced with this issue numerous times over the past few years. Even after completing a full day co-op at Dairy Queen for an entire semester, she was still not hired after applying because the employer believed that she did not have the necessary skillset to be a paid member of staff. It is outrageous for her to receive this response when she had completed over four hundred hours of placement time. It is clear that there is still some underlying form of discrimination faced by individuals with DDs when seeking employment. Part of living a fulfilling life is having independence, financial stability and a sense of purpose. Without a job, it is hard to accomplish these tasks and be able to prosper.
Without a stable income, many people with DDs find it next to impossible to take care of themselves financially and physically without the help of family. Often individuals with DDs will live with their family until a point when their family is no longer able to provide care for them. When this time comes, individuals with DDs have the option to seek out residential supports in their community. Group homes provide people with exceptional needs the care they require to live a happy and healthy life (Group Homes). Equipped with knowledgeable and caring staff, group homes provide services unique to each of their residents’ needs. Typically, group homes allow for people with similar disabilities to live together in a residence (Group Homes). The members of staff within the home carry out tasks such as cooking, cleaning, monitoring residents’ personal hygiene, and assisting residents with toileting, medication, transportation, feeding, and clothing. Many group homes offer 24/7 care and support their residents while at home and away. Staff can accompany residents to medical appointments and any other outing which would require aid.
Many people with DDs are in need of some additional care but are able to live independently for the majority of the day. They do not need to live in a group home that offers 24/7 care, so instead they live at home and participate in supported independent living programs. Supported independent living programs send staff members to regularly “check-up” on the individuals supported (Residential Services and Supports). The visiting staff are responsible for making sure that the supported individual is taking care of himself with a high degree of effectiveness. They make sure that there is enough food and toiletries in the house, and that the individual is feeding and bathing himself regularly. Staff can visit for several hours per day or only a few hours per week depending on the resident’s needs. They are also able to assist with tasks such as banking, grocery shopping and transportation if need be. If the individual is not able to complete these tasks or is having difficulty doing so, staff members may visit more often to perform some of the tasks for the resident, or a group home setting may be discussed. This style of residential support is heavily favoured in communities and is offered by organizations in Hamilton such as Christian Horizons, Choices, and Community Living.
Although Mackenzie still currently lives at home, these are options she will most likely consider once she decides it is the right time for her to move out. It is crucial that these supports exist for people with DDs and their families. Parents of children with DDs often take care of their children until they are past retirement and into their senior years. Mackenzie’s mother wishes to have Mackenzie live at home for as long as possible but is comforted knowing that when she feels like she is no longer able to care for herself and her daughter, there are supports available to them in the community they live in.
It is amazing to see how far Mackenzie has come since our paths have crossed. A moment that seemed to happen by chance has turned into one of the most important moments in my life... one that has encouraged me to dedicate the rest of my life to helping other people like Mackenzie. I have been incredibly blessed to see how she has blossomed into a beautiful young lady full of enthusiasm, positivity, and potential. Mackenzie deserves to have the same opportunities as every other person in Canada. She deserves to receive an education that enlightens her and has been provided to her by teachers trained to support her properly. She deserves to go to a school where children are educated about different DDs and therefore bullying is virtually non-existent. She deserves the right to be an active member of the workforce, not a victim of discrimination. Only if these conditions improve will people like Mackenzie be able to thrive in their communities and contribute to make Canada a better country for everyone to live in.
Sometimes the moments in your life which seem insignificant are really the ones which create your morals, help you to form solid beliefs and shape who you are as a person. One of these moments occurred when I was only ten years old. All of Mrs. Rozniak's grade five class sat quietly on the first day of school. For some reason, the principal stood at the front of the room telling us that shortly a new student would be joining our class. I remember thinking it was quite odd that the school was making such a fuss about a new student. It was pretty typical for classes to have at least one new student each year and never before had a formal introduction been necessary. The principal left for a few minutes and when she returned, she brought with her our new classmate. In through the door walked a girl who stood no more than four and a half feet tall. Her tiny head was dotted with two massive blue eyes, slanted upwards and appearing not fully open. Between them was a barely noticeable nose no larger than a marble. Instantly the class was silent; they were too busy examining the student as she walked unsteadily to the front of the classroom. No one, including myself, had ever seen anyone who looked like Mackenzie before.
Mackenzie’s physical abnormalities are a result of a genetic condition she was born with called Down Syndrome, a developmental disability (DD) caused by the presence of a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21 in the genome (What is Down Syndrome?). In addition to Mackenzie’s attention-grabbing appearance, her condition also caused her to have lacking communication skills and a delayed intellectual development. For a person born with the condition, the effects of DS can make life more challenging than that of the average citizen. Mackenzie and the 160,500 other Canadians with developmental disabilities rely on the Canadian government and population to provide them with the supports they require to not only cope with their condition, but also excel in society (C. Marshall et al.).
From the moment Mackenzie’s mother found out she was carrying a child with Down Syndrome, she knew raising her child would be a long, winding path with many bumps and unexpected turns. From a very young age, Mackenzie experienced an array of difficulties different from that of a typically-developing baby. She had many different physical disabilities which hindered her ability to mature and required the support of more than just her family. For the first three years of her life, Mackenzie would be visited by physiotherapists who would help her to improve her low muscle tone. The physiotherapists would encourage Mackenzie to make small, repetitive motions with her arms, legs, and head. Mackenzie’s condition made it very hard for her to perform these tasks regardless of how small they were. She was not acknowledging the physiotherapist's’ instructions and therefore her treatment was not progressing. Physiotherapists are trained to use unconventional methods that have been proven to produce positive results (Physiotherapists: What to Expect). These approaches are effective with people who have DDs because they target each individual’s learning techniques. Since Mackenzie was a very visual learner, her physiotherapist decided to use mirrors to show her how to move her body. Mackenzie’s mother remembers Mackenzie spending hours in front of the mirror moving her hands and head. Her mother recalls that Mackenzie seemed to be using the mirror to discover what her body could do. It seemed as if Mackenzie was not moving parts of her body because she did not realize that she could. Eventually she managed to make larger movements with her legs, arms and head. She was able to take her first steps shortly after her first birthday. This was a considerable accomplishment for a child with Down Syndrome and her mom credits the success to her physiotherapist. Many other people with DDs utilize physiotherapy as a method to effectively deal with their condition. Specialized movements which improve balance, minimize chronic pain and strengthen muscles have the ability to reduce the physical effects of various DDs (Physiotherapists: What to Expect). As for Mackenzie, she still utilizes this service to help her further improve her fine motor skills. Her condition makes it difficult for her to perform tasks such as printing neatly, holding small objects or making small precise movements. But with the help of her physiotherapist, she has been able to make considerable amounts of progress which would have otherwise been impossible during her school years.
A major contributor to success in society is education. Considering children spend twelve to fourteen years of their lives in school, an extreme amount of development, particularly social development, occurs within this timeline. Many important life skills such as responsibility and independence, as well as curriculum content are learned in school. Education acts as the foundation for an individual’s future and therefore it is important that the task of educating a person is carried out correctly. Educating students with developmental disabilities is much different than the process involving typically-developing students. The Ontario Ministry of Education recognized that children with DDs deserved an alternative teaching style and therefore, Special Education was introduced in Ontario. Ontario’s primary goal is to have all children integrated in the same classroom. However, sometimes this is not realistic for children with DDs. Students whose needs are not met in a regular classroom are then provided with an Educational Assistant or are placed in a specialized learning environment like a resource room (An Introduction to Special Education in Ontario). The most effective way to implement special education is through partial integration, a method which allows students with exceptional needs to be present in a regular classroom for roughly half of the day and then take part in a special education class for the remainder. Partial integration has proven to be effective in Ontario, however, there are still flaws in the special education system.
Mackenzie struggled through her early elementary years before her special education plan was perfected. She had thirteen different educational assistants between kindergarten and grade four. She had regular outbursts in class, struggled to listen to direction and had difficulty getting along with her classmates. Her school suggested that she be placed in a full-time special education class, but her parents worried that this would exclude her from learning crucial social skills. She also struggled with bullying. Mackenzie was regularly teased, taunted, and excluded during school. Some days she would stand alone at recess, be picked on by her peers, or forced to sit out in a class. Issues such as these are experienced by children with DDs all the time.
Mackenzie is now nineteen and about to graduate from high school. She hopes to find a part-time job for the summer. Unfortunately, she has been having an extremely difficult time doing so. According to Stats Canada, Mackenzie is not the only person with a DD who is having difficulty becoming employed. The overall employment rate in Canada hovers around 79%, while the employment rate for Canadians with disabilities (both mental and physical) is about 49% (Persons with Disabilities and Employment). Considering Canada has anti-discrimination laws in place to protect workers with disabilities from being treated unfairly, the gap between these two figures should not be so drastic. Of the 51% of unemployed disabled people, 12% of them reported that they had been refused a job because of their disability within the last five years (Persons with Disabilities and Employment). This is clearly a massive issue that the Canadian public needs to address. The government has developed laws which protect the rights of all workers, yet they are not being followed. Why is this so?
A study completed by members of Queen's University’s Department of Psychiatry in Kingston, Ontario aimed to provide Canadians with that answer. The study, Public Views on Employment of People with Intellectual Disabilities, took place in 2006 and included phone interviews with 680 residents in southern Ontario. Respondents were asked multiple questions relating to the advantages and disadvantages of having people with disabilities in the workplace, why these people may not be hired as often as those without, and what types of jobs would be best for them. Of those interviewed, 87% believed that people with intellectual disabilities should be employed (P. Burge et al). However, 72% of respondents believed that these workers would require more supervision and training, making them a more costly addition to the business (P. Burge et al.). Furthermore, 69% of respondents believed that employers think people with intellectual disabilities do not have the required job skills to be able to perform the duties of an average job (P. Burge et al.).
Mackenzie has been faced with this issue numerous times over the past few years. Even after completing a full day co-op at Dairy Queen for an entire semester, she was still not hired after applying because the employer believed that she did not have the necessary skillset to be a paid member of staff. It is outrageous for her to receive this response when she had completed over four hundred hours of placement time. It is clear that there is still some underlying form of discrimination faced by individuals with DDs when seeking employment. Part of living a fulfilling life is having independence, financial stability and a sense of purpose. Without a job, it is hard to accomplish these tasks and be able to prosper.
Without a stable income, many people with DDs find it next to impossible to take care of themselves financially and physically without the help of family. Often individuals with DDs will live with their family until a point when their family is no longer able to provide care for them. When this time comes, individuals with DDs have the option to seek out residential supports in their community. Group homes provide people with exceptional needs the care they require to live a happy and healthy life (Group Homes). Equipped with knowledgeable and caring staff, group homes provide services unique to each of their residents’ needs. Typically, group homes allow for people with similar disabilities to live together in a residence (Group Homes). The members of staff within the home carry out tasks such as cooking, cleaning, monitoring residents’ personal hygiene, and assisting residents with toileting, medication, transportation, feeding, and clothing. Many group homes offer 24/7 care and support their residents while at home and away. Staff can accompany residents to medical appointments and any other outing which would require aid.
Many people with DDs are in need of some additional care but are able to live independently for the majority of the day. They do not need to live in a group home that offers 24/7 care, so instead they live at home and participate in supported independent living programs. Supported independent living programs send staff members to regularly “check-up” on the individuals supported (Residential Services and Supports). The visiting staff are responsible for making sure that the supported individual is taking care of himself with a high degree of effectiveness. They make sure that there is enough food and toiletries in the house, and that the individual is feeding and bathing himself regularly. Staff can visit for several hours per day or only a few hours per week depending on the resident’s needs. They are also able to assist with tasks such as banking, grocery shopping and transportation if need be. If the individual is not able to complete these tasks or is having difficulty doing so, staff members may visit more often to perform some of the tasks for the resident, or a group home setting may be discussed. This style of residential support is heavily favoured in communities and is offered by organizations in Hamilton such as Christian Horizons, Choices, and Community Living.
Although Mackenzie still currently lives at home, these are options she will most likely consider once she decides it is the right time for her to move out. It is crucial that these supports exist for people with DDs and their families. Parents of children with DDs often take care of their children until they are past retirement and into their senior years. Mackenzie’s mother wishes to have Mackenzie live at home for as long as possible but is comforted knowing that when she feels like she is no longer able to care for herself and her daughter, there are supports available to them in the community they live in.
It is amazing to see how far Mackenzie has come since our paths have crossed. A moment that seemed to happen by chance has turned into one of the most important moments in my life... one that has encouraged me to dedicate the rest of my life to helping other people like Mackenzie. I have been incredibly blessed to see how she has blossomed into a beautiful young lady full of enthusiasm, positivity, and potential. Mackenzie deserves to have the same opportunities as every other person in Canada. She deserves to receive an education that enlightens her and has been provided to her by teachers trained to support her properly. She deserves to go to a school where children are educated about different DDs and therefore bullying is virtually non-existent. She deserves the right to be an active member of the workforce, not a victim of discrimination. Only if these conditions improve will people like Mackenzie be able to thrive in their communities and contribute to make Canada a better country for everyone to live in.