Kisaka Kyande
Member
- Jan 10, 2026
- 8
- 2
I am Kisaka Kyande, and this is my very long report on accessibility and ableism. Accessibility is one of the most important issues in the history of Canada. According to Municipal World, they say that the population of disabled people in Canada is increasing. The article says, “Statistics Canada’s 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability found that 27 per cent of Canadians aged 15 years and older, or eight million people, had one or more disabilities that limited them in their daily activities. The rate of disability in Canada has increased by five percentage points since 2017, when 6.2 million people had one or more disabilities.” [Daair, Ibrahim, “Canada’s cities aren’t accessible to people with disabilities.”, Municipal World, March 2024, https://www.municipalworld.com/feature-story/canadas-cities-arent-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities/#:~:text=Statistics%20Canada's%202022%20Canadian%20Survey,had%20one%20or%20more%20disabilities.] Since the population of disabled people and seniors is growing, accessibility is more and more important. According to Rebecca Blissett from the Rick Hansen Foundation, “Disability can naturally accompany the aging process, with many older people encountering challenges such as hearing and vision loss, reduced mobility, and health issues such as rheumatism and arthritis, hindering their full engagement in their communities. While the onset of age-related disabilities can often be unavoidable, addressing barriers to accessibility is not.” [Blissett, Rebecca, Rick Hansen Foundation, “Accessibility is the Key to Unlocking Age-Friendly Communities.”, November 17th, 2023, Accessibility is the Key to Unlocking Age-Friendly Communities.]
We are used to self-opening doors when you enter a Walmart or a Fortinos, ramps that help strollers to places that aren’t accessible by stairs, PA systems telling us where the next stop is, and elevators that are much faster than walking up and down stairs. Our everyday lives are impacted by accessibility, especially in schools. As a person who has a disability, I face something called the ‘A’ word. (More on the ‘A’ word later). I encountered inaccessible places for a lifetime. According to an article from Holland Bloorview, some Canadian cities are lacking incredibly in accessibility. The article says, “Nearly 60 per cent of public buildings and spaces in Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa are not accessible to people with disabilities, or only partially accessible, according to a study called Mapping Our Cities for All (MOCA) by AccessNow.” [Kinross, Louise, Holland Bloorview, “Major Canadian cities shut out disabled people, study finds.” December 1st, 2023, https://hollandbloorview.ca/stories-news-events/BLO OM-Blog/major-canadian-cities-shut-out-disabled-people-study-finds.] Isn’t that ironic? I mean, the fact that the problem is in the big cities is kind of funny, but given that one of the cities is the capital city of our sovereign country? That is just sad and very unfortunate. Though, unfortunately, the Federal Government is not addressing this issue. Sadly, more and more people are ignoring the fact that students with disabilities are not getting the support they need. For example, I originally wanted to go to ECI, but I could not attend school there, just because it’s not accessible, and I am not the only one who will face this challenge. According to a report from the TDSB, “TDSB’s enrollment declined by 9,486 students between 2016-17 and 2022-23. Over the same time period, the number of students identified with Special Education Needs (SEN) decreased from 46,350 to 40,577 or by 5,773 students. This resulted in a decrease from 19% to 17% of all TDSB students being identified as having SEN.” [“Trends in Toronto District School Board Special Education Data 2016:2022.” Toronto District School Board, December 2022, Trends in Toronto District School Board Special Education Data: 2016-2022. Slide 9] That is only for people with developmental disabilities. 1.5% How can this be possible? Plus, the TDSB’s schools are really, really old. In fact, according to a Toronto Lands Corp article, they say, “Most of these schools were built between 1940 and 1980; in fact, currently 444 schools are 50+ years old, with the average age of a TDSB school at 60+ years old.” [Zaharia, Gabriel. “100 years of TDSB schools by decade.” No date applied, Toronto Lands Corporation, https://torontolandscorp.com/100-years-of-tdsb-schools-by-decade/. Accessed 27 May 2025.] If the TDSB had known this for a long, long time, you think they would have been able to confront this issue. But instead, they are spending money on a trip. This is happening in other countries too. According to a report from The World Bank, they say that students are being excluded from schools, just because the children are disabled. The article says “The study, Disability Gaps in Educational Attainment and Literacy, found that primary school completion for children with disabilities in 19 developing countries* is just 48 percent, and as many as three in ten children with disabilities have never been in school. The study, based on analysis of census data, also found that literacy rates and secondary school completion lag considerably behind: Only six in ten children with disabilities can read and write, and only a third complete secondary school.” [No Name, “Education: Children with disabilities are being left behind, says World Bank/GPE report”, World Bank Group, Education: Children with disabilities are being left behind, says World Bank/GPE report]. Why haven’t they done something about this important issue? Do they not care about the well-being of their students with disabilities? Why should we care about accessibility and ableism in schools?
We are used to self-opening doors when you enter a Walmart or a Fortinos, ramps that help strollers to places that aren’t accessible by stairs, PA systems telling us where the next stop is, and elevators that are much faster than walking up and down stairs. Our everyday lives are impacted by accessibility, especially in schools. As a person who has a disability, I face something called the ‘A’ word. (More on the ‘A’ word later). I encountered inaccessible places for a lifetime. According to an article from Holland Bloorview, some Canadian cities are lacking incredibly in accessibility. The article says, “Nearly 60 per cent of public buildings and spaces in Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa are not accessible to people with disabilities, or only partially accessible, according to a study called Mapping Our Cities for All (MOCA) by AccessNow.” [Kinross, Louise, Holland Bloorview, “Major Canadian cities shut out disabled people, study finds.” December 1st, 2023, https://hollandbloorview.ca/stories-news-events/BLO OM-Blog/major-canadian-cities-shut-out-disabled-people-study-finds.] Isn’t that ironic? I mean, the fact that the problem is in the big cities is kind of funny, but given that one of the cities is the capital city of our sovereign country? That is just sad and very unfortunate. Though, unfortunately, the Federal Government is not addressing this issue. Sadly, more and more people are ignoring the fact that students with disabilities are not getting the support they need. For example, I originally wanted to go to ECI, but I could not attend school there, just because it’s not accessible, and I am not the only one who will face this challenge. According to a report from the TDSB, “TDSB’s enrollment declined by 9,486 students between 2016-17 and 2022-23. Over the same time period, the number of students identified with Special Education Needs (SEN) decreased from 46,350 to 40,577 or by 5,773 students. This resulted in a decrease from 19% to 17% of all TDSB students being identified as having SEN.” [“Trends in Toronto District School Board Special Education Data 2016:2022.” Toronto District School Board, December 2022, Trends in Toronto District School Board Special Education Data: 2016-2022. Slide 9] That is only for people with developmental disabilities. 1.5% How can this be possible? Plus, the TDSB’s schools are really, really old. In fact, according to a Toronto Lands Corp article, they say, “Most of these schools were built between 1940 and 1980; in fact, currently 444 schools are 50+ years old, with the average age of a TDSB school at 60+ years old.” [Zaharia, Gabriel. “100 years of TDSB schools by decade.” No date applied, Toronto Lands Corporation, https://torontolandscorp.com/100-years-of-tdsb-schools-by-decade/. Accessed 27 May 2025.] If the TDSB had known this for a long, long time, you think they would have been able to confront this issue. But instead, they are spending money on a trip. This is happening in other countries too. According to a report from The World Bank, they say that students are being excluded from schools, just because the children are disabled. The article says “The study, Disability Gaps in Educational Attainment and Literacy, found that primary school completion for children with disabilities in 19 developing countries* is just 48 percent, and as many as three in ten children with disabilities have never been in school. The study, based on analysis of census data, also found that literacy rates and secondary school completion lag considerably behind: Only six in ten children with disabilities can read and write, and only a third complete secondary school.” [No Name, “Education: Children with disabilities are being left behind, says World Bank/GPE report”, World Bank Group, Education: Children with disabilities are being left behind, says World Bank/GPE report]. Why haven’t they done something about this important issue? Do they not care about the well-being of their students with disabilities? Why should we care about accessibility and ableism in schools?
