Human Rights & Education
OVERVIEW
This is the 1st of 4 videos in our short series on Human Rights and Education, in collaboration with ARCH Disability Law Centre.
This video introduces the legal rights of students with disabilities in school and the protections they have under human rights law.
You will learn about:
the right to equal treatment
the right to meaningful access to education
the school’s duty to provide accommodations that meet disability-related needs
what an appropriate accommodation can look like—and why dignity, inclusion, and individual needs matter
You can find the transcription for this video here (including visual descriptions for the video).
Refer to our glossary if you’re having trouble understanding any of the terms in this series.
What are the rights of students with disabilities?
The Ontario Human Rights Code says that a disability can be a physical disability, mental, developmental disability, learning disability and mental health disability. A student with a disability has the right to be treated equally at school without discrimination and has the right to meaningful access to an education.
What is the duty to accommodate?
A student with a disability may need some supports or accommodations so they can receive a meaningful education. In these situations, the school has a duty to accommodate the student to the point of undue hardship. As part of this duty, the school would have two main obligxations. The school must:
1) Identify the student’s needs and the appropriate accommodations; and
2) Provide the specific accommodations that address student's needs.
An appropriate accommodation would:
Respect the student’s dignity;
Be individualized to the student’s specific needs; and
Make sure the student is integrated and can fully participate in school.