Pointless And Powerless Politics

Why do politicians talk in circles and throw out irrelevant information when asked a direct question?

I’m neurodivergent, not naïve

Okay, I do get it, to a certain extent. Politicians (and others who are held publicly accountable) speak in circles and repeat talking points to avoid questions they don’t want — or don’t know how — to answer.

I understand that.

I get really tired of slamming my head against a proverbial wall when I’m trying to advocate for neurodivergent and disabled students in our public education system.

I’m not writing letters to politicians for fun. For that I have my online articles and social media. I’m writing with genuine and serious concerns, providing evidence-based information (complete with references, because Autism) to support my statements.

I’m polite, clear, and direct. It takes months to receive a response (if I get one at all), and after all that waiting, the response is useless.

It’s become a tired old joke and it’s run its course. It’s past time for the our representatives to truly be held accountable, especially when it comes to protecting our vulnerable children.

Our inclusion policy violates the UNCRPD

A recent report published by a joint committee on disability matters evaluated international policy and legislation around the rights of disabled people, and whether they met the basic principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

I don’t think any disabled person will be shocked to learn that, in many areas — and in many countries — our politicians and policy-makers are failing miserably.

One area in particular, which is highly relevant to neurodivergent (ND) and disabled children and families, is the use of behaviourism-based “interventions” with ND and disabled children.

With regard to both Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), and Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (PBIS), the committee concluded the following:

“Behavioural interventionist therapies are ultimately founded on modifying disabled people’s behaviour to meet goals decided by others; often to conform more closely with neurotypical communication, behaviour and/or norms and therefore the Committee believe cannot uphold the UNCRPD principles of autonomy, dignity, right to identity and freedom from non-consensual or degrading treatment.” — Joint Committee on Disability Matters

That’s pretty damn clear.

I wrote our Minister of Education about this, after multiple other letters went ignored. The response I received failed to address any of the concerns I had raised, and attempted to “advertise” our provincial government’s paltry investments in “special needs” education, saying nothing about PBIS, nor the UNCRPD.

I’m not surprised, but I am incredibly frustrated and growing increasingly annoyed with our Minister’s lack of action.

Like most politicians, our provincial government talks a big game, but follows up with very little progress — and change is often in the wrong direction, making things worse rather than better.

I’ve got emails from reporters requesting interviews and politicians (from the opposition, of course) requesting meetings. I will keep working and speaking out, but I definitely need help to make change.

There’s strength in numbers

As I’ve said before, politicians only take notice when they feel something is politically important. That means a lot of voters need to care about the issue and express their discontent in ways which cannot be ignored.

Once again, I’m asking Manitoba families to please write your local MLA, write Brent Epp, the inclusion consultant for Manitoba Education, and write MLA Wayne Ewasko, our Minister of Education.

Write, post, attend meetings. Make your voice heard. We should not have to fight so hard for our children’s basic needs to be met, this should be a major political and social issue.

Let’s make that happen.

Below is the letter I sent to Ministers Ewasko and Epp today.

My open letter

To Ministers Wayne Ewasko and Brent Epp,

Minister Ewasko, thank you for your response letter, dated March 30, 2023, in response to my letters of February 14 and March 16. In sum, my letters expressed serious concerns about the lack of inclusive education in Manitoba, and even more dire, that Manitoba Education’s inclusion policy, based on PBIS, does not even meet the basic principles of the UNCRPD.

I note with disappointment that my regional representative, MLA Eichler, did not respond to any of my letters.

With all due respect, Minister Ewasko, also disappointing to me was the lack of substance and relevance in much of your response.

My correspondence very specifically detailed serious issues within Manitoba’s public education system, yet for some reason unknown to me, your letter outlined various events you have attended (which is your responsibility as Minister of Education), and not related to the issues I brought forward.

Your letter indicated funding which has been dedicated to “special needs” education, a term which neurodivergent and disabled students and families tend to find distasteful (and patronizing).

Our children’s needs are not “special”, their needs are basic human rights which are not being met in Manitoba’s public education system.

Minister Ewasko, please clarify some details for me:

• Are these specific funds an additional $5 million, on top of the $7 announced in April 2022?
• And if so, does this mean those funds are only provided to schools who apply for the funding for students who must meet the criteria for level two or three support, as outlined on the Ministry’s website?
• What funding, specifically earmarked for neurodivergent and disabled students, is going to schools without the requirement of additional applications needing to be submitted?

The other questions which were not answered, which I initially asked in a letter one year ago in a letter dated March 30, 2022, were:

• What purpose do these advisory councils serve if the school divisions will not have the resources and funding to carry out their recommendations?
• What plan does the Manitoba government have to ensure our children will actually benefit from the work of these councils?

My follow up questions in my most recent letter were:

• When will the Ministry of Education provide its plan for following the council’s recommendations in their report of November 2022?
• What resources is our government dedicating to following the specific recommendations in its own advisory council’s report?

Lastly, and most critical, were my concerns about Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (PBIS) being used as a platform for Manitoba Education’s inclusion policy.

Behaviourism is harmful and out-dated, something which I have brought to your attention more than once, including my letter of nearly one year ago when I wrote to you about issues with PBIS back in April of 2022 (I’ve attached a copy of the article I published based on these concerns for your review).

These are not merely my opinions, Minister Ewasko, this is my professional advice as an expert on ADHD, Autism, and neurodivergent learners, based on my decades of experience, and extensive academic and professional qualifications.

These issues have also been outlined by numerous experts in the fields of education and child development. You’ll note in the reference section of my original letter of April 11, 2022, these concerns have been raised by these experts for at least the past twenty years.

I close with the most urgent questions I have for you, as our Minister of Education:

• What is Manitoba’s Ministry of Education doing to address the human rights violations happening in our schools on a daily basis?
• What is our Ministry of Education doing to update and revise Manitoba’s sorely out-dated (from 2011) inclusion policy to bring it in line with current research and to meet the principles of the UN’s Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities?

I look forward to a timely response which addresses the specific questions I have clearly posed in this letter.

Thank you.

© Jillian Enright, Neurodiversity MB

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References

Joint Committee on Disability Matters. (2023). Aligning Disability Services with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. [Online].