Highlights from the 16th Annual National Policy Forum on Inclusion
- Inclusion Canada
- 3d
- 9 min read
On November 5th, 12th, and 19th, 2025, Inclusion Canada and People First of Canada hosted the 16th annual national policy forum on inclusion. This year’s theme was What’s holding us back? The future of inclusive education in Canada.
Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities says that people with disabilities have a right to an inclusive education at all levels. Over the 3-day series, we explored what gets in the way of these rights in Canada and highlighted examples of how we can overcome these barriers together. We created an information sheet with links to resources that were mentioned during the event. It also provides ideas of actions you can take after attending this year’s policy forum. A recording of the event was also provided to everyone who registered.
November 5 - Part-time school has a full-time impact: The realities of partial-day schooling
We started the day with a land acknowledgment and accessibility summary led by Donna Brown, President of People First of Canada. Next, we heard from Gordon Porter, Executive Director of Inclusive Education Canada. As the moderator, Gordon introduced us to what is happening in Canada with partial-day schooling, including some of the key takeaways from the report Pushed Out: The Harmful Effects of Partial Day Schooling?
With this context set, Gordon then introduced our guest speakers. First was Niko Pupella, Council President with Community Living Ontario. Niko shared his school experience, including being separated from his peers without disabilities during some of his high school classes.
“Never be afraid to speak up for what you want to accomplish and use your voice to say, ‘This isn’t right, I want to be able to obtain my full education the way it’s intended’.” - Niko Pupella, Council President with Community Living Ontario
Next, we heard from Anna MacQuarrie. Anna is the Vice-President of Inclusion Nova Scotia and a parent to three children with disabilities. Anna talked about her children’s school experiences over the past 11 years. She shared the impact partial-day schooling has had on their family. And she outlined some elements that supported them:
Good, proactive support is essential.
A positive working relationship with the school and a shared vision of success makes a huge difference.
Continued advocacy to protect the supports you have is always needed.
“We know schools and teachers want to get it right. When they don’t have the resources or haven’t seen what it can look like, they often default to segregation. That is a system failure. Not our failure, and not my kids’ failure.” - Anna MacQuarrie, Parent, Vice-President, Inclusion NS
The next speaker was Tracy Humphreys. Tracy founded and ran BCEdAccess for 11 years and now serves as Director of Operations at the Family Support Institute of British Columbia. She is a queer autistic person with ADHD and the parent of 3 adults with disabilities. Tracy talked about the creation of Exclusion Tracker, its national expansion, and how rights-based advocacy can help families understand their rights, their children’s rights, and gain better access to inclusive education.
“Some of the things for families that we have seen work are: making sure that everything is documented and communication is in writing; asking for a return to school plan; taking your communications beyond the school level to the district level.” - Tracy Humphreys, Disabled Parent, Director of Operations, Family Support Institute of BC
Our final speakers were Shawn Pegg and Jess Whitley. Shawn is the Director of Social Policy and Strategic Initiatives at Community Living Ontario. Jess is a Professor of Inclusive Education at the University of Ottawa and currently holds a University Research Chair in Inclusion, Mental Health and School Attendance. Shawn and Jess talked about the research findings presented in Community Living Ontario’s Report, Crisis in the Classroom: Exclusion, seclusion, and restraint of students with disabilities in Ontario schools. They shared how the report explores the context of why exclusion is happening and how understanding these elements can lead to more effective advocacy.
Shawn & Jess’ PowerPoint presentation is available in English.
“We are really stressing the need to develop provincial regulation and policy on these issues, with young people with disabilities and families taking the lead on the development of that policy.” - Shawn Pegg, Director of Social Policy & Strategic Initiatives, Community Living Ontario
After an engaging question-and-answer period, Shelley Fletcher, Executive Director of People First of Canada, wrapped up the session.
November 12 - Behind closed doors: A call to end seclusion and restraint in schools
Day 2 began with a land acknowledgment and accessibility summary led by Moira Wilson, President of Inclusion Canada. Next, we heard from Karla Verschoor, Executive Director of Inclusion British Columbia. As the moderator, Karla introduced us to the topic of seclusion and restraint – why it happens, gaps in the data, differences across the country, and why this topic matters. She ended with calls to action to protect students and create real change.
“Instead of asking ‘What’s wrong with this child?’, we should ask ‘What is this child trying to tell us?’” - Karla Verschoor, Executive Director, Inclusion BC
With this context set, Karla introduced our first speaker, Jennifer Grol. Jennifer is the President of People First of Ontario. Jennifer shared her experience of being singled-out in class by a teacher who used a display box on her desk to restrict what she could see and who she could interact with.
“Later they said that I'll never make it past 21. That I should just stay here all my life...I said, ‘That's never going to happen. I'll show you. I'll prove you wrong’.” - Jennifer Grol, President, People First of Ontario
Next, we heard from Nicole Renaud. Nicole is a parent of children with disabilities and an advocate from Alberta. Nicole talked about the use of seclusion rooms, the pressure parents face from schools to seclude their children, the introduction of provincial standards in Alberta, and reporting requirements. She explained how families have used Freedom of Information requests to learn how seclusion is being used in their local schools. Nicole offered suggestions to help parents and advocates protect their children from seclusion and advocate for an end to these practices.
“The data tells us the story of how seclusion is being used excessively under certain school administrators, and that what’s considered ‘imminent harm’ and ‘absolutely necessary’ is very subjective and open to interpretation.” - Nicole Renaud, Parent and Advocate, Alberta
The next speaker was Kelly Lamrock. Kelly is the New Brunswick Advocate. He talked about findings from his recently published report, Isolated: How school seclusion rooms became accepted practice outside the law. He described the importance of regulations and the risks of imposing an immediate ban without putting the right resources and training into place. He explained three key elements to moving forward:
A clear permission structure to access the support children need
Resources for prompt evaluations, proper interventions, and training
Accountability measures tied to tracking the use of seclusion, restraint, and partial days
“They continue to call things like partial day and seclusion an intervention. It is not an appropriate intervention. It should not be termed an intervention. It is what happens when there is a failure to provide interventions.” - Kelly Lamrock, New Brunswick Advocate
Our last speaker was Nadine Bartlett. Nadine is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. Nadine talked about her research, including a survey that asked parents of children with disabilities whether their child had experienced seclusion or restraint. She shared some of the things they learned, their recommendations, changes they have seen, and gaps that still exist. Nadine also directed people to the pan-Canadian policy analysis her team has done on these topics.
Nadine’s PowerPoint presentation is available in English.
“My hope is that my research and the information shared this evening will serve as a real call to action to ensure that necessary protections are put in place to prevent the use of these harmful procedures against children, and in particular against children with disabilities.” - Nadine Bartlett, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba
During the question-and-answer period, Sarah Wagner, the Deputy Advocate from New Brunswick, joined the rest of the panelists to respond to questions from the audience. We ended the evening with closing remarks from Krista Carr, CEO of Inclusion Canada.
November 19 - The ripple effect: How inclusive education changes lives and communities
Day 3 began with a land acknowledgment and accessibility summary led by Shelley Fletcher, Executive Director of People First of Canada. Next, we heard from Jacqueline Specht. Jacqueline is a professor and the Director of the Canadian Research Centre on Inclusive Education at Western University. As the moderator, Jacqueline introduced us to some of the ways that an inclusive education contributes to an inclusive life and society. She talked about how research supports the idea that inclusive experiences positively influence life outcomes for students with and without disabilities.
“The evidence does exist in research to show us that inclusive education leads to a better life for all.” - Jacqueline Specht, Professor and Director, Canadian Research Centre on Inclusive Education, Western University
With this context set, Jacqueline introduced our first speaker, Jolene Nelson. Jolene is the Chair of People First of Canada’s Youth Committee. She lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and four-year-old twin daughters. Jolene was interviewed by Monica Schroeder from People First of Canada. Jolene talked about her family’s involvement with the People First movement, her own school experience, the importance of friendships, and her hopes for her daughters’ inclusion in school.
“I hope that they enjoy their time in school and that they find some great friends that will be with them along the way.” - Jolene Nelson, Chair, People First of Canada Youth Committee
Next, we heard from Cathy Laycock, a parent from Alberta. Cathy shared her family’s story, including their journey to build an inclusive life for their son, Brant. She talked about some of the health and educational barriers they encountered, and the role of advocacy and support from community organizations. Cathy also talked about the role of inclusive recreational opportunities and how they have opened new doors for Brant. She explained how Brant’s inclusive education was the building block to his current life, as a fourth-year student at Lakeland College, studying to become a Journeyman Heavy Duty Technician.
“When I look at Brant’s life, he may need different support than that of his siblings, and we’ve had to get creative—but at its heart, it is ordinary and inclusive. And ordinary is extraordinary…If you’re struggling, tired, overwhelmed, and wondering if inclusion is worth it—I want you to know: it absolutely is.” - Cathy Laycock, Parent, Alberta
The next speaker was Candace Kennon. Candace is a member of the local school board in Saskatchewan and a parent of children without disabilities. Candace talked about her daughter Maya’s experience of being in an inclusive classroom since pre-school and the positive impacts it has had on her life. She talked about their experience with museum trips, music festivals, Christmas concerts, birthday parties, and visits to the swimming pool. She explained the essential role that parents, teachers, principals, and school board members play in fighting for the resources that make inclusion possible. Candace finished by offering suggestions for ways that parents of children without disabilities can be effective allies.
“I am extremely grateful that parents are asked to help supervise these outings, as it gives us an opportunity to experience firsthand the kind of inclusive education I was never allowed to experience. It shows us the joy that their class experiences together. That is what I appreciate as a parent. That my daughter sees how deeply each one of their students is valued. That the question is not ‘why should we’ but ‘how can we’.” - Candace Kennon, Parent, Saskatchewan
Next, we heard from Jillian Power, the Owner/Operator of Shooting Stars Daycare in New Brunswick. Jillian talked about how early learning can be one of the most powerful times to nurture the values, attitudes, and skills that support inclusion. She explained the need to embed inclusion throughout every aspect of early learning programs. She talked about the benefits of inclusion throughout the lifespan, the skills it helps children develop, and the positive impacts on families. Jillian finished by sharing concrete ways they adapt their environment and approach to include all children.
“When we create inclusive environments in early learning and childcare, we’re doing much more than just supporting children in the moment. We’re really laying the groundwork for inclusive classrooms, inclusive communities, inclusive workplaces that will come in the future.” - Jillian Power, Owner/Operator, Shooting Stars Daycare
Our final speaker was Ross Meacham. Ross is the Principal of Riverbend Gikinoo'amaagewigamig in Manitoba. Ross started by sharing three ideas that make inclusive work possible at schools:
Circles of support – the concept that families and classroom teachers work together to hold children in a secure relationship at school, surrounded by the additional supports they need to be successful.
Care, community, and curriculum – these principles mean that every child knows there is someone at school who cares about them, they are in relationship with other people, and they have a meaningful connection with the material.
Ethics of care – the idea that caring educators put their own motivations aside to respond to the needs of the child.
Ross then offered examples of things people would see and hear if they visited Riverbend’s kindergarten to grade 5 school.
When we are planning for a student, you’ll hear me say ‘We’re going to put everything on the table before we start taking things off’...Creative thinking doesn’t work unless we do it together.” - Ross Meacham, Principal, Riverbend Gikinoo'amaagewigamig
After a thoughtful question-and-answer period, Krista Carr, CEO of Inclusion Canada, closed the session and thanked everyone for participating.
Thank you
We would like to gratefully acknowledge the many people who contributed their time and expertise to make this event possible. We would also like to thank the community for coming together to share, learn, and encourage each other in our ongoing pursuit of inclusive education throughout the lifespan.
