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 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. One where harsh punishment and carceral practices - including the education system as we know it - are obsolete.
This toolkit is for:
Disabled and racialized youth being criminalized in schools.
Their parents/caregivers.
Anyone looking to support these groups.
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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:
Staff (Ahona Mehdi, Brad Evoy and Megan Linton)
McMaster Research Shop Team (TBA)
Placement students (Lulia Yutovi and Surbhi Rao)
Toolkit logo & cover page designer (Naisha Khan)
Volunteers (TBA)
Research placement students (McMaster Research Shop)
Toolkit content creators (Sabreina Dahab, ARCH Disability Law Centre, and Policing-Free 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!