OHRC marks Human Rights Day with call for student art, poetry and media
To mark International Human Rights Day, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) is calling on students to submit art, poetry and media on “what the right to read means to me” as part of its Right to Read inquiry.
Letter to Board Chair and Director of Education for eight selected school boards
I am writing to your school board to request documents, data and information that may be relevant to the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) Right to Read inquiry into human rights issues that affect students with reading disabilities in Ontario’s public education system.
Right to Read: public inquiry into human rights issues affecting students with reading disabilities
The OHRC is conducting a public inquiry into potential human rights issues that affect students with reading disabilities in Ontario’s public education system.
Letter to Secretary of Cabinet Davidson on anti-Black racism in the Ontario Public Service
Thank you for your letter dated July 26, 2019, and for meeting with the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on September 17 to discuss the government’s efforts to address systemic anti-Black racism in the OPS. In addition to our meetings with your office, the OHRC has met with the Black OPS employee network (BOPSers), as well as with individual employees with personal experiences of anti-Black racism in the OPS.
Letter to Associate Minister Dunlop on the Child Welfare System Consultation
I am writing on behalf of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) with regard to the government’s public consultation into Ontario’s child welfare system.
OHRC launches Right to Read public inquiry
Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) launched Right to Read, a public inquiry into human rights issues that affect students with reading disabilities in Ontario’s public education system.
Voices from the community
[The] public school refused to acknowledge or accept the dyslexia diagnosis until she was seven. … Without timely remediation, my daughter is barely able to read and write in English as she enters Grade 3. … In the meantime, her mental health is strained because she is keenly aware of her learning differences and extremely frustrated by the fact that she struggles to read and write. … Last year she asked Santa Claus for “the power to read” – she’s still wondering if she’ll ever get her wish.
- Parent of 8-year-old
Voices from community partners
The Learning Disabilities Associations (LDAs) across Canada started from the Toronto office in 1963 and today is overseen coast-to-coast by the LDA of Canada. The LDAC led the efforts involving the Geoffrey Moore case where the Supreme Court of Canada examined the rights to education and considered the “ramp” required for those with Learning Disabilities to have the access they deserve. Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO) is committed to students with Learning Disabilities being given the best possible opportunities to succeed in Ontario schools and there
Letter to Minister Lecce on Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) No. 163 – School Board Policies on Service Animals
I trust this letter finds you well. On behalf of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), congratulations on your appointment as Minister of Education. In its 2017-2022 Strategic Plan, the OHRC identified education as a focus area and committed to identifying and addressing the systemic discrimination children and youth face in education.
Right to Read: Inquiry into Reading Disabilities Backgrounder
The Ontario Human Rights Commission is conducting a public inquiry into human rights issues affecting students with reading disabilities in Ontario’s public education system.