Children sit around a classroom table working on drawing and colouring activities. Art supplies, worksheets, and a booklet with an airplane diagram are spread across the table, and boxes and classroom materials are visible in the background.

February is Inclusive Education Month

Inclusion BC’s origins are closely tied to those of inclusive education. It started with a small group of parents who were determined not to send their children with disabilities to institutions. They strongly believed that their children belong in the community, with their same-age peers, and should also have access to an education. They believed in seeing the potential to learn in every child. Parents were later joined by more families, educators and other allies.

For many years, the strides toward inclusive education felt a constant move forward, even if at times too slow or suspended. Since last year, we have seen steps backwards in the way of comments, decisions, and outright discriminatory actions against students with disabilities.

When the path forward seems lost and with obstacles at every turn, it is time to stay grounded in our vision and values. And how do we do that? By working together to build awareness, advance rights, and inspire action to create a world where everyone belongs.

In February 2026, for Inclusive Education Month, this is what working together for inclusion looks like:

Building Awareness – bring to light what is happening

Requests for advocacy support reached an all-time high for our team last year. Nearly 50% of the calls we support are about barriers to inclusive education. Some of the most common barriers in K-12 education we hear about are:

  • Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are poorly developed or not followed.
  • Partial-day schedules or students being frequently sent home due to a lack of support.
  • Lack of meaningful consultation to develop support plans that meet a student’s needs.
  • Attitudinal barriers that show a regression to outdated mindsets that were prevalent in the institutionalization era.
  • Segregation of students with disabilities into disability-focused classrooms, which is contrary to human rights and inclusion.

The underlying barrier is the lack of supports and resources across the educational system to ensure access to inclusive education for students with disabilities.

In the early learning and child care sector, children are being excluded from or denied access to child care centres because of their disability. This is discriminatory. The province is moving to expand school-aged child care; however, there are no clear requirements for all these programs to be universal and inclusive when they should be. Children with disabilities are an afterthought or are not even considered in the planning.

If you are a student, a parent, an ally educator, or an ally advocating for the rights of students with disabilities, we see you. Stay strong.

Advancing Rights – what we are doing for systems change

Amongst the challenges of everyday advocacy, the actions taken to advance systemic change might be missed. At this time last year, we welcomed the news of the BC Ombudsperson’s official investigation into school exclusions. They have received a very positive level of participation from parents/caregivers, and we appreciate that they followed the idea of opening a survey for educators. Additionally, they have been visiting school districts across the province. The investigation has been thorough, and we know we are all waiting for the results and recommendations. We stay connected with the Ombudsperson’s team and closely follow the progress. They are working through their process to prepare their report. Stay tuned!

Inclusion BC launched an MLA Engagement Campaign in the fall of 2025. We wrote a Summary Document on Access to Lifelong Learning for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities that served as the basis for our meeting with the Minister of Education and Child Care, Linda Beare. During our meeting, we discussed the barriers students are facing in the K-12 and child care systems. We asked for her commitment to implement the recommendations from the Ombudsperson investigation and to create more robust accountability mechanisms to ensure that all School Districts fulfill their responsibilities to provide equitable access to education and child care for all students in BC.

Later this Spring, we will complete our series with our Position Statement on Lifelong Learning for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Our Position Statements are rights-based, evidence-informed documents that outline the status and challenges in different aspects of the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. As a package, they are the foundation of our goal to advance a Provincial Disability Strategy.

Inspiring Action – what you can do and resources to help you

We remain committed to taking action to advance the rights-based changes needed to ensure that all children with disabilities in BC have equitable access to education. We invite you to join us!

We hear firsthand the toll that constant advocacy takes on parents and anyone involved. For this reason, we hope to inspire you to take the action that best suits you wherever you are today. It can be reading a resource, sharing a video with your school team, sharing the Handbook with a fellow parent, taking a pause to recalibrate, or amplifying our calls to action for a better education system in BC. We welcome you in any way that feels okay with you today, or maybe later. Please know Inclusion BC will be here, advocating for inclusive education for all.

Our approach to advocacy is guided by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, which recognizes the full citizenship and human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Kerridan Dougan, Advocate

Support Our Work, Empower Everyone.

Together, we can break down barriers and create an inclusive world for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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