Inclusive Education Working Group Shares New Insights in Report


The Inclusive Education Working Group (IEWG)—a group of caregivers organized through the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council—is completing a new report on the inclusion of students with disabilities and diverse abilities in Vancouver School District schools.
Observations during the 2023–2024 school year included resource teachers frequently being pulled to cover absences, and reductions in instructional support from educational assistants.
To better understand these changes, the IEWG collected funding and staffing data from the BC Ministry of Education and the Vancouver School Board, and parents were surveyed on their children’s experiences. Findings showed a marked decrease in support, along with substantial barriers to inclusion reported by families. These shifts made it harder for students with disabilities and diverse abilities to receive necessary help, leading to exclusions from learning, social spaces, and other activities.
The IEWG shared some of these findings with Vancouver School Board trustees, but the 2024/25 budget process did not include the level of resourcing that advocates hoped to see. The new IEWG report connects these funding and staffing patterns to the experiences of students with disabilities and diverse abilities and their caregivers. It also underscores the urgent need to reverse this decline in support to ensure meaningful inclusion for all students.
Please join us at 7pm, January 22nd for an online presentation and Q&A on the IEWG report on inclusive education in Vancouver schools. To register, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/0XCaBYqdQ0WVIfwYGHPTqQ
If you would like to join the IEWG, please go to vancouverdpac.org, find us under the tab “DPAC Groups > DPAC Working Groups” and click on “Join” to be part of discussions. Links to our monthly meetings can be found in the DPAC calendar on the website. You can also email us at email us at iewg@vancouverdpac.org.
[…] A report prepared by members of IEWG: “Advocating for Equity: A Caregiver-Led Examination of Inclu… will be released this week with an online presentation of the content and Q&A taking place Wednesday, January 22nd at 7pm. To register for the online presentation, please follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/0XCaBYqdQ0WVIfwYGHPTqQ […]