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Ombudsman refuses to investigate waiting lists |
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March 13, 2009
On the first World Autism Awareness Day, April 2, 2008, hundreds of families of children with autism launched a campaign urging the Ombudsman of Ontario to conduct an investigation into the autism crisis in our province. We communicated the following information to his office:
1) Is your child on the IBI waitlist and if so, how long? (eg: “My child has been on the waitlist since May 2006”, or “My child is currently receiving IBI but was on the waitlist for 3 years”, etc.)
2) Is your child having to receive IBI outside of school and if so, why? (eg: “My child is receiving IBI outside of school because although I have asked if my child can attend for at least part of the school day with direct support from his/her IBI Instructor Therapist, the school has not allowed this”, or “My child is receiving IBI outside of school because he/she is only 3 years old”, etc.)
3) Has your child been discharged from IBI and why? (eg: “My child was receiving IBI but was cut-off when he/she turned age six when the age stipulation was still in place and now he’s/she’s back on the waitlist again”, or “My child was cut-off of IBI in September 2007 because they said that he/she is not progressing enough”, etc.)
I was copied on a number of the correspondence letters/emails and saw first-hand the heartbreaking stories from the many families.
We were told that his office would research these three points and then decide as to whether or not they would go ahead and conduct an investigation. I have since been communicating with them on a regular basis doing my best to ensure that they understand our situation. I received a call from his office today letting me know that the Ombudsman is not going to investigate the autism crisis but rather will “monitor” the Ministry of Education’s “monitoring” of PPM 140 (the so-called ABA in the schools). They will also monitor the appeal process that will be implemented for discharges based on the benchmarks (the new cut-offs).
So what does this really mean?
It means that the Ombudsman is not offering an adequate response to the urgent call for attention to the autism crisis in Ontario.
It means that nothing will be done for your child on the waitlist for provincially funded ABA (IBI), which we know to be as long as 2-3 years on average.
It means that nothing will be done for your child who can’t receive a public education together with ABA.
And it means that nothing will be done for your child who is being cut-off of the provincially funded ABA program (IBI) to be thrown into the void of Ontario’s public special education system.
His office will be sending me/us an official letter/statement within the next week or so and it will include the relevant details. I will be sure to send it to all of you once I receive it. However, I felt that it was important to share the news immediately.
Taline Sagharian
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Ed: You can download the Ombudsman’s letter stating his decision by clicking here.
Sun Media’s story is available here. |
