Espresso Knowledge #59 - Manitoba! Do better for students with disabilities.

Researchers unveiled a bleak picture about the treatment of students with disabilities in Manitoba.

A summer 2019 anonymous online survey online of their parents shows that schools need to be more inclusive for students with disabilities.

Schools use unsafe restraints that are banned in most correctional and health care facilities.  Seclusion spaces lack doorknobs to prevent escape. Some children are being restrained or secluded daily, with sessions lasting up to three hours.

Parents were rarely or never informed by the school that their child had been restrained or secluded. Most never received a written report.  A majority reported that their children were emotionally traumatized.

Manitoba urgently needs a framework that regulates restraint and seclusion, and records and reports incidents quickly. Seclusion spaces should be highly regulated, safe, and humane. Educators need proper training and know alternatives like Positive Behaviour Interventions and de-escalation strategies.

Original article:

The Conversation: Restraining and secluding students with disabilities is an urgent human rights issue

Original study:

Restraint and Seclusion Behind-Closed Doors