The St. James-Assiniboia School
Division affirms its commitment to provide all staff, students,
and visitors to its facilities an inclusive environment. To that end the
division strives to eliminate or reduce barriers that inhibit the
participation of people who may be affected by a disability, aging, an
injury or other life event resulting in compromised:
- Mobility
- Dexterity (use of hands)
- Vision
- Communication
- Understanding
- Mental health
School division priorities are in agreement with the Accessibility for Manitobans Act
An
important priority of the school division is to ensure each
learner actively demonstrates academic, emotional and social growth
resulting from:
- Responsive, meaningful and engaging instruction
- Appropriate, current and relevant programming
- Strong focus on numeracy and literacy
- Student self-assessment
- Celebrations of learning
Other priorities include ensuring each learner benefits from strong learning partnerships resulting from:
- Community involvement in school-based activities
- The promotion of active and healthy lifestyles
- Nurturing positive relationships with families and the local and global community
- The division strives to ensure each learner is an active local and global citizen:
- Who understands and respects diverse values and world views
- Whose learning is connected to real world applications and actions
- Inclusion of student voice
The
school division believes each learner benefits from exceptional
staff, a balanced financial position and appropriate physical
infrastructure and therefore strives to:
- Provide safe and inclusive physical learning environments
- Recruit and train exceptional and effective teaching and support staff
- Grow, protect and utilize revenues to achieve positive student outcomes
Mobility
Mobility
barriers affect people with amputations, paralysis, cerebral
palsy, stroke, multiplesclerosis, muscular dystrophy, arthritis,
and spinal cord injury, and other disabilities or health
conditions. The school division continues to identify and remove
barriers to mobility by installing and maintaining wheelchair ramps,
stair-lifts, and elevators.
Dexterity
People
with dexterity disabilities may have decreased range of motion
in their arms, fingers, wrists, back or neck, and decreased muscle
control, spasms, paralysis, tingling or numbness. A simple door knob
could be a barrier. Dexterity disabilities may result from
Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome,
Tendonitis, arthritis, sciatica, amputations or degenerative disc
disease.
The school division continues to replace
doorknobs with levers, installs automatic door openers and provides
ergonomic work stations for staff and students. The division provides
support persons such as scribes and note takers and invests in
assistive technology to reduce or remove barriers faced by people with
compromised dexterity.
Vision
Communication
barriers affecting persons who are blind or have a visual impairment
result when customers are expected to read signs, forms, and
general information, understand physical gestures, locate landmarks
or see hazards. The use of service animals is permitted by
policy. Accommodations are provided by the division once
identified by staff or students. This could include documents with
increased font, iPad etc.
See website for more information http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/specedu/blind/index.html
Communication
Communication
barriers affecting people who are hard of hearing, deafened or Deaf
result when there are no alternatives to spoken communication. Hard of
hearing or deafened people may have difficulty in hearing, but can
still talk. Deaf people communicate through (ASL) American Sign
Language
A person who is deaf
and blind may have some degree of both hearing and vision. Others do
not. Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing may receive the support
of a variety of professionals including, but not limited to:
Consultants for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Teachers of the
Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Interpreters, Speech and Language
Pathologists, Auditory/Verbal Therapists, and Audiologists. Computerized
note takers or educational assistants
may also be provided to assist in meeting a student’s academic and programming goals
See website for more information: http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/specedu/dhh/index.html
Understanding
Barriers
to understanding may result when a person is affected by intellectual,
developmental and learning disabilities, including
autism,
fetal alcohol syndrome, Down syndrome and ADHD. Knowing about
the disability is not necessary in order to offer respectful
service and clear
communication. Appropriate Educational Programming provides the regulation to guide policy and programming
for
all students, particularly those with special learning needs, in
receiving the appropriate educational programming they require. The
regulations confirm in legislation that all students in Manitoba are
entitled to receive appropriate educational programming that
fosters student participation in both the academic and social life of
the school. The legislation supportsManitoba’s philosophy of inclusion.
See website for more information: http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/specedu/aep/index.html
Mental Health
Barriers
created by mental health issues include a lack of patience
and stereotyping. Mental health issues, such as anxiety and
depression, can affect a person’s ability to think clearly,
concentrate or remember things. People with brain injuries may
face similar barriers. Mental Health Promotion is about creating
environments that promote and sustain positive mental health for
everyone. Activities and interventions are designed to enhance
protective factors and minimize
risk factors (individual, family related, environmental and economic in nature).
See website for more information http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/specedu/smh/
