ABOUT THE PROJECT
Dreaming Safer Schools is a community and youth-engaged research project. We research the Ontario education system and engage various communities to imagine education spaces that are safe for Black, Indigenous and racialized disabled/neurodivergent students.
This project was created by the Disability Justice Network of Ontario with funding from the Laidlaw Foundation.
This project is made up of a toolkit to help criminalized people living with disabilities navigate the education system - especially those who are also racialized. The Education Project is an abolitionist project that aims to offer concrete support to students and families, amplify their voices and experiences, and organize and educate within the community.
The project team dreams of a world where community and relationships are central to care, accountability, and justice in education.
This toolkit is for:
Disabled and racialized youth being criminalized or unjustly punished in schools.
Their parents/caregivers.
Anyone looking to support these groups.
Get Started
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This toolkit was created through months of planning, discussions, and a collective vision across communities of Black, Indigenous, racialized, and disabled students, their parents/caregivers, educators, community organizations, academics and activists.
Methods of community engagement included both online and in-person focus groups with secondary students, elementary students and parents/caregivers across Ontario.
We would like to acknowledge all of the project contributors:
Current and former staff (Ahona Mehdi, Brad Evoy and Megan Linton)
Placement students (Lulia Yutovi and Surbhi Rao)
Toolkit logo & cover page designer (Naisha Khan)
Volunteers (Ariel Meagher, Francis Routledge, Dea Rylott, Danny, Hannah Klein and Megan Suggit)
Research placement students (McMaster Research Shop)
Toolkit content creators (Sabreina Dahab, ARCH Disability Law Centre, and Policing-Free Schools)
THE EDUCATION PROJECT TEAM
Hannah Klein (she/her)
Hannah joined DJNO as a volunteer in 2024 and has since provided support with DJNO's research and resource-building work within the Education Project. Hannah has worked closely with youth with disabilities in educational, medical, research and other settings. This has made her passionate about challenging carceral approaches towards disabled youth in the education system.
Megan Suggitt (she/her)
Megan Suggitt has been a volunteer at DJNO since 2023, contributing to the Prisoner and Education Projects. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Disability Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University and is passionate about disability justice and neurodiversity. As a neurodivergent entrepreneur, Megan embraces her learning disability, using it to foster a deeper understanding of neurodiversity and to empower others.
Francis (they/them)
Francis is a volunteer with DJNO and has provided coalition-building and research support for DJNO's Education Project. Francis is passionate about disability justice and has an interest in communications and accessibility in digital spaces.
Dea Rylott (they/them)
Dea brings an energy for community-based advocacy and disability justice to their work. As a member of the volunteer research team with DJNO’s education project, Dea has been conducting outreach with community organizations to aid in coalition-building building efforts. Dea is completing a Master of Social Work Degree at McMaster University, and is writing their thesis on the use of seclusion and restraint practices in Ontario schools.
PRINTABLE RESOURCES
Survey Results
Read the results from our survey conducted with the McMaster Research Shop.
Printable Toolkit
Read and print the whole toolkit!