Kids with Special Needs Continue to be Forgotten

We want to provide support, but our budget is limited. It’s the (insert ministry or level of government) that you need to talk to, not us. Our hands are tied, we are doing what we can with the resources we have. There are just more kids with special needs than resources available. It’s a complicated situation. We know you’ve been waiting (insert time) for an assessment/therapy — please be patient, your child is on our list. No, we don’t know when your child will be seen, but we’ll let you know when their name comes up.

Any of these statements sound familiar? If you’re a parent or caregiver of a child with special needs, I expect you’ve heard at least one, if not many, of the above statements in the last month. I’ve been blessed cursed to have heard them all in the last week.

COVID 19 has created additional barriers and roadblocks to supporting kids with special needs in school, healthcare and in the community. This despite clear promises from governments that these kids won’t be forgotten.

But yet they continue to be overlooked.

Broken promises

I had a brief moment of optimism this summer when I read our provincial government’s return to school plan.