Students at Ontario school for the blind travel hours, stay in hotels to attend as residences still shut

Stephanie Antone has been travelling six hours a day just so her daughter can attend schoolin person.

Patricia Hung has spentthousands to stay in a hotel, swapping weeks on and off with her husband, to make sure their child can be in class.

And yet, they consider themselves some of the lucky ones.

The children of both parentsattend W. Ross Macdonald, a BrantfordEnglish-language school for blind, visually impairedand deaf-blind students that's the only one of its kind in Ontario. Of the about 150students from kindergarten through Grade 12, over half lodge there during the week and may return home on the weekends.

But the residence portion of the school has been shut downby the Ontario Ministry of Educationsince Christmas out of concern around the Omicron variant and a surge in COVID-19 cases. That's leftstudents and their loves ones scrambling tolearn from home where they may face barriers and fewer supportsor to find a way to get to the school.

"As you can imagine, [for] someone with a visual impairment, it's very difficult for them to learn online," said Hung, whose daughter Elena is in Grade 7 at W. Ross Macdonald and has low vision.

The family lives in Toronto, but moved into a hotel from Monday to Friday to ensure Elenacan get to in-person classes.

Hung said staying at the hotel has become a "hardship," both financially and for her four other school-aged kids, but she considers herself fortunate, as some families may not be able to manage living away from home, especially if they're from longer distances such as Thunder Bay and Sudbury.

Still, "I don't know if we can do another month," said Hung. "It's very difficult."

Antone and her 11-year-old daughter Yehatimanaged to cobble together a carpool that requires them to travel from Oneida Nation of the Thames to Brantford and back again, twice a day.

"It's a six-hour day driving, just for her to be in-person learning. It's not sustainable," said Antone.

"At least I'm coming to school," said Yehati, a Grade 6 student who also haslow vision.

"I'm hoping that lodging will get opened up again because a lot of the deaf-blind and completely blind students need more support."

Decision expected by end of week

CBC News emailed W. Ross Macdonald's principal for comment on the closing of the lodging, but was told to direct questions to the Ministry of Education.

The school isn't the only one inthis situation. Ahandful of Ontario schools forstudents who are deaf or who have particular learning disabilities have had their residences temporarily closed down.

A memo from the head of the ministry'sProvincial and Demonstration Schools Branch(PDSB) that wasdated Jan. 13 andsent to staff atthe schools involved points to the Omicron variant and a surge in COVID-19 cases as the reason lodging was suspended.

It says the ministry understands the situation "presents challenges" for students and families, but itdecided thatovernight stays wouldn't be allowed until at least Jan. 28.

A decision on whether lodging can reopen Monday, when the provinceis set to liftsome of the widespread restrictions that have been in place,will be shared by this Friday, the memostates.

"We are committed to reopening lodging as soon as it is safe," Caitlin Clark, a spokesperson for Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce, said in an email to CBC.

PDSB schools are providing in-person learning where possible, and the ministry continues to follow public health protocols to protect students, Clark added.

The ministry has noted that many students live far from their PDSB schools, including dozens who have to fly in from other communities. It also says that could present a problem if thesedeveloped symptoms and were required to isolate,because their parents wouldn't be able to easily pick them up.

Antone, who also chairs the parent council at W. Ross Macdonald,said she's concerned about the spread of COVID-19, but feels the school has shown it can keep students safe.

It's not clear what scale the ministry is using to decide whether or not the lodging should stay closed while other Ontario students are back in class, she said.

A 'right to an education'

Antone said that when Yehati was accepted to W. Ross Macdonald, the family felt the way other familiesdo when their children getdrafted to playpro sports.

It's not just about learning, Antone and Hungstressed. Students gain independent living skills such as doing laundry and cooking, playsports, take part inextracurricular activities, and get to socialize and gain confidence.

At home, they have to worry about eye strain from staring at a computer screen, and parents don't have the same skills and resources as specially trained staff, said Antone.

High schooler wants Brantford school for blind, low-vision students to reopen for lodging

3 years ago

Duration 1:05

Jade Ondrik, 18, is a student at W. Ross Macdonald, Ontario's only provincially-run school for students who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. She wants the school to be able to reopen for lodging students, who travel from other parts of the province and stay overnight at the school during the week.

Jade Ondrik, 18, has been attending the school for four years. She stayed in lodging until it was shut down, a decision she said has halted her co-op at a local school.

"We are here for a reason. Learning is crucial," Ondriksaid. "Every student in Ontario has a right to an education, but for some reason, the vast majority of our students are not given that right."

The school has been mailing packages with some tactile and large-printresources, but barriers like unreliable WiFi can block learning,said Antone.

Her family tried remote learning when schools first shut down, but there's low bandwidth in the First Nations community, meaning some days, she has had to learn by telephone, while other days she wasn't able to log on at all.

When a teacher is using American Sign Language and the internetfreezes"the message gets truncated and chopped up and broken, and it's very frustrating for all parties involved," explained David Sykes, executive co-ordinatorfor District 30/Provincial Schools Authority Teachers.

The union represents teachers working at schools for the blind, deaf and deaf-blind,orliving with severe learning disabilities.

Sykes and other union leaders said they believe lodging should reopen as soon as possible, stressing that studentsare often socially isolated at home.

"We are of the mind that the distance learning for these students is totally inappropriate and they don't benefit at all."

Hung said class sizes are small, with a maximum of five students, and she believes the school could open back up for overnight stays safely.

While she's glad a decision is expected soon, the mother said she hopes the ministry will give families some notice so they can rearrange their lives.

"I wish that those who make the decisions could come to the school and really see the importance of the residence it's so much morethanjust lodging. It's the kids'independence."