Toronto Star, Aug. 30, 2003

Classmates urged to help special needs students

Trish Crawford
Life Writer

Mark Nagler has cerebral palsy. On the first day of school in 1946, his mother stood before the class, explained Nagler's condition and asked his classmates to help him.

Nagler, who has a Ph.D. in education but has never hand-written a word, was assisted throughout his entire education by other students who used carbon paper to make copies of their notes.

Today, Nagler, of Hamilton, is a specialist in the field of disabilities and he says parents of a disabled child need to prepare the principal and teacher before their child even enters the school. As well, they have to be strong, assertive advocates for their child and work actively to find solutions for problems that arise.

Roughly 5 per cent of Ontario's student population has some form of disability.

Many schools have lost their teaching assistants and other helpers, such as social workers and counsellors, who helped ease the transfer of students with disabilities into regular classrooms, Nagler says.

As a result, there is a lot of work for parents to both find and access what services are available to them. Service clubs, such as the Kiwanis, and organizations, such as the Cub Scouts, frequently provide support to special needs children, he says, as well as organizations such as the Cerebral Palsy Foundation of Ontario.

Sadly, disabled students are often left out of the social and athletic life of the school, Nagler says. In his case, his parents invited every student in his class to his birthday parties and, as a result, he got some return invitations.

"I wasn't invited to all the parties but about 20 per cent, which was better than nothing, " he says. As well, his father insisted he be included on teams and, although he didn't play, he sat on the bench with the others and participated in practices.

"Many students with special needs are excluded socially, from parties and celebrations. You spend weekends watching TV with your parents."

This is where parents of students who are not disabled can play an important role, he says. They should make sure they are aware of special needs students in their child's class and include them in invitations. They should show by example how to accept and assist those who have a disability. They should demonstrate kindness.

It is impossible for the average classroom teacher with 30 students to totally meet all the needs of a disabled student, Nagler says. But, just as his classmates copied notes for him 30 years ago, classmates can help other students with special needs by doing such things as carrying their backpacks, picking up handouts, being careful not to bump or jostle them and even joining them at lunch.

Parents must insist on an Individual Education Plan for their special needs child and update it throughout the year as the child improves or new difficulties arise, Nagler says.