Bill 4: ASL/LSQ Regulation
- by: Ontario Association of The Deaf
- recipient: Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education, Ontario Government
Whereas the Ontario Liberal Government fail to implement the ASL/LSQ Regulation to Bill 4, Amendment to the Education Act, 1993; and Whereas the Bill 4, Amendment to the Education Act, 1993 was passed into the law recognizing ASL/LSQ as the language of instruction in the Ontario classrooms; and Whereas the failure of the implementation of ASL/LSQ Regulation deprived many Deaf, deaf, and Hard of Hearing students of access to quality education in the Ontario classrooms; and Whereas a majority of Deaf, deaf and Hard of Hearing Ontarians strongly support for the implementation of ASL/LSQ Regulation on improving their linguistic and literacy skills on academic development; and Whereas the ASL/LSQ Regulation is clearly supported by Ontario College of Teachers, Supreme Court of Canada’s Eldridge Decision, Federal Court’s decision on Canadian Association of the Deaf’s recent case, Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Policy and Guide on Accessible Education, and United Nations Convention on Protecting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; therefore We the undersigned support the Implementation of ASL/LSQ Regulation and the Ontario Association of the Deaf (OAD)’s Eight Point Policy for Improving Access & Quality in Provincial Schools Branch, Separate School Boards, and District School Boards across Ontario for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children.
Dear Honourable Kathleen Wynne, I am asking you to act immediately in developing and implementing the regulations to Bill 4, Amendment to Education Act, 1993 towards the usage and promotion of ASL/LSQ in Ontario classrooms across the Provincial Schools and School Boards. We also seek your support of the Ontario Association of the Deaf (OAD)’s Eight Point Policy. There has been no action by your government, nor previous governments, in spite of numerous promises. The end result is we see language-deprived and language-delayed deaf and hard of hearing children across the Provincial Schools and School Boards. Note that the Ontario College of Teachers recommends a minimum level of three in ASL/LSQ Proficiency for teacher candidates of the deaf students. Also keep in mind of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Eldridge Decision, Federal Court’s on Canadian Association of the Deaf’s decision to on accommodations for deaf and hard of hearing people, Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Policy and Guide to Accessible Education, and United Nations’ Convention on Protecting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We implore the Ministry of Education, under your leadership, to provide, protect and promote the linguistic, academic and social development of deaf and hard of hearing children by implementing ASL/LSQ regulations to Bill 4, Amendment to the Education Act, 1993. This will no doubt finally break the vicious cycle of dependency, illiteracy and lack of economic and civic participation among a segment of Ontario population. I thank you in advance for heeding to this letter, and I would like to see your immediate moral support with promises on your Ministry of Education’s agenda to implement the ASL/LSQ Regulation to Bill 4, Amendment to the Education Act, 1993.
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