Talking to schools about your brain injury

After a brain injury, you may need some additional help with school and education. Each province/territory will have their own legislation on accommodations in schools. This means that supports and service available to you may depend on where you live.

However, what you can do no matter where you live is engage in discussions with the school. Here are some things you can do to start discussions with your school to make sure you’re able to access education.

Set up meetings with your teachers, coaches and administration

The biggest part of advocating for yourself is to make sure that the people in your life are aware of your needs. If they don’t know you need help, they can’t help you. However, that doesn’t mean you need to tell them specific information about your brain injury, disability, or any other health information.

You can talk with your parents and your health care team to decide what (and how much) to share with teachers, coaches and relevant school administration. Keep in mind that telling someone you need accommodations because of your brain injury doesn’t mean you need to tell them details that are private for you. You also don’t need to disclose the same information to every person [1].

It may be helpful for you to first come into these conversations with a clear outline of what kinds of supports you need. For example, if you have trouble hearing, ask if the teacher would be willing to wear a microphone during class time.

Ask your health care team to provide you with appropriate documentation

You should never be put in a position where you are asked to ‘prove’ you have a disability or need accommodation. However, documentation from your health care team can help you advocate for accommodations. Your doctor can provide letters confirming your need for accommodation along with recommendations for accommodations or any information the school might need in order to keep you safe.

Make sure you keep copies of any documents for yourself, and ask your parents/guardians to double check them for personal information the school doesn’t need to have.

Take some time to learn about your educational (and human) rights

There are universal human rights and universal rights for persons with disabilities. The United Nations states that education is a right for people of all ages with disabilities, and that children should be able to access education on an equal basis with other people in the community [2]. Canada as a country agreed to this and follows the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which includes children.

If you want to do some more reading on your rights, we have some links for you. Please keep in mind that many of these resources use complicated language, so ask someone for help if there’s something you don’t understand.

When it comes to education and disability, this is done by each province and territory (so there are no Canada-wide standards). We’ve linked some resources for each province/territory to get you started, but you and your parents may have to do some more research to find information.

 

For college/university/post-secondary education, you will have to talk specifically to the institutions about accommodations and their accessibility and anti-discrimination policies. There may be specific forms you have to fill out for each university. If you are connected to a pediatric hospital, they may have service teams that can help you find and complete these kinds of forms, as well as support your transition to college or university.

Write down/document everything

When you’re having these conversations, ask parents or someone you trust to help write down/record information. You can also ask for things in writing and keep copies of emails and documents you receive. This will give you a history of your discussions and make sure you are able to look back on plans and who is involved in the process.

These notes can be on paper, but many people find it easier to keep information on their smartphone. You can ask for digital notes if that’s easier for you. Remember, notes don’t have to be pretty or perfect—they just have to work for you.

If writing or typing doesn’t work for you, there are voice-to-text programs or voice recorder devices/apps that can be used as well.

Be open to working with parents, teachers and the school on solutions

It’s the responsibility of the schools to do their best—but there may not be a perfect solution. It’s important to work together with parents, teachers, and the school to create a plan and system of supports that will give you the best possible outcomes.

Check out this video from a student advocate talking about their education experience and advocating for themselves in their school board.

Please remember: This student’s experience may not be reflective of yours. But it’s helpful to hear from other people about what they’ve done.

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Information from this page sourced from:

[1] McMaster University—Disclosing your disability in a school setting and to potential employers

[2] United Nations Article 24 on Education under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)