Some Excellence Learning Academy pupils.
Excellence Learning Academy works hard with the limited resources at its disposal for its special needs pupils.
Enable NV occupational therapist D’Antoinette Roger-Sorton speaking in Parliament on Thursday.
PHILIPSBURG--Persons functioning in the area of “special needs” painted a grim picture on Thursday of the lack of facilities to sufficiently accommodate and care for children who have special needs in the community, and highlighted the need for authorities to do more in this area.
Excellence Learning Academy founder Alisha Brookes, whose private institution caters to special-needs pupils, said that currently there are no day-cares specifically designed to offer services to children with special needs. Children and/or students with special needs can include those with autism, Asperger syndrome, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, dyslexia, dyspraxia, blindness, deafness, and ADHD.
“It is no secret that there are no day-cares specifically designed to holistically educate any of these students on the spectrum. Day-cares that have accommodated students with special needs have done this to assist parents, but at some point had to un-enrol the student because they were no longer able to accommodate the student as it became difficult to cater to the needs of the student,” Brookes said, speaking on behalf of her board.
“Having one student with special needs requires a designated staff which includes a teacher, nurse or nurse’s assistant, specific equipment (wheelchair ramps, special required bathing tubs) and materials. In the Excellence Learning Academy Development plan, it is a goal to have a specially designed day-care and preschool facility that holistically caters to various students on the spectrum.”
She said since the inception of Excellence Learning Academy, the institution had not been approached by government or any other organisation to provide a scalable plan, as it concerns an educational plan specifically designed for students with special needs from early education up to and after higher learning.
A meeting was held with Education Minister Rodolphe Samuel and support and lack of policy to facilitate special needs was brought up.
“The minister was adamant not to go into discussion of this fact and proceeded to suggest that we ‘attempt’ the request for funding, indicating that these policies are still lacking and are not a priority at the moment,” Brookes noted.
She said St. Maarten Early Childhood Development Association (SECDA) has been in operation for the past decade and has been focused on getting day-cares and preschool centres on a scalable plan that includes students with special needs, but it is not the primary plan in early childhood education. The document being worked on by SECDA in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth focuses on children from birth to age six.
“The document is being worked on and is in its final stages,” stated President Sofia Pharrell.
Excellence Learning Academy falls under SECDA because it educates students with special needs from ages 3-4 years old who fall under the Early Childhood Education plan.
“As an independent organisation, we have not been approached to personally provide a plan from our board, school, parents or teachers. However, under SECDA we have been invisibly involved in the plan.
“As an organisation whose focus is educating students with special needs, we would be more than happy to provide a scalable plan for special education from early childhood, primary education, higher education and job transitioning programmes specifically designed for students and schools that cater to students with special needs,” she noted.
In responding to a question on what Parliament and government can do to assist socially, financially, and legislatively in the short, medium, and long term, Brookes said Excellence Learning Academy hopes that a collaborative agreement can be entered into with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS); Department of Education, Student Support Services Division (SSSD) and elementary schools in the country.
She would also like to receive subsidy support (with supporting policies and eventually legislation, maximum time frame 24 months). Also, helpful would be ECYS providing policy support and protection (in synergy with Rights of the Child). SSSD can also provide additional testing and provide parental assistance through breaking stigma and connecting parents for a support group.
ECYS can give suggestions and assistance with curriculum design innovation (ECYS guides, supports and discusses innovative tools and methods) and ECYS’ Sport Department can support a specific curriculum and trained movement teacher for developing special needs students’ physical capabilities (studies show that physical development is highly important for a child’s positive development).
She would also like to see special needs educators on the study financing priority list and obtain assistance in finding someone who can teach American Sign Language (ASL) and Braille to assist students and persons in the community who need these forms of communication.
She would also like Excellence Learning Academy’s afterschool programme endorsed where students with special needs and learning disabilities have a right to participate in recreation and extracurricular activities that can help with the development of their skills socially and physically.
ECYS in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor VSA can also provide assistance for parents who are not financially able to send or sign up their children.
She would also like to see more wheelchair-accessible locations such as schools, classrooms, bathroom and leisure and recreation spaces for persons with special needs; the creation of a safe and inclusive environment for persons with special needs; and an inclusive education system and job market that caters to support these persons.
In the long term, she would like to see two to three classrooms built to facilitate and accommodate students with various diagnoses on the special needs spectrum; the creation of an all-inclusive and accepting society (breaking the stigma); and children who are born with special needs being diagnosed by a medical professional, which means they are considered to have a medical condition (which falls under the
VSA Ministry).
“Once the medical diagnosis is made treatment begins at a particular age here on the island. Treatments can include therapies such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, physiological therapy, physiotherapy and more. These types of therapy treatments fall under a medical umbrella first.
“As citizens of the country, we know that social insurance is important to have in order to get assistance. With my observation, I then feel that the Ministry of Public Health, Labour and Social Affairs and our Social and Health Insurance company SZV should be included in the discussions when it comes under the topic of special needs students and special education.
“As an advocate for special education and persons with special needs I understand the importance of protecting and safeguarding our special needs community by providing sufficient care and offering activities that focus on social inclusion.
“While meeting with ECYS Minister, it was made mention that the policy workers are working diligently on creating the policies for special education in the classrooms. However, I find it very concerning that the Ministry of VSA is not included in the discussions and design to provide care and education to the special needs citizens.
“The Ministry of ECYS can facilitate activities and initiatives that assist with the development of special education, and it is imperative that the Ministry of VSA is included as a key stakeholder. With a unilateral approach from both ministries, data collection, policy making and execution of initiatives can become more efficient and effective in the long term.
“My question is: What are the short-term and long-term deadlines for policies with ECYS and VSA to support students and persons with special needs?
“After careful conversation and research into various topics on special education I understand that the Ministry of ECYS cannot be held fully accountable for the finalisation of policies in the topic. However, as mentioned before, the care for special needs falls under VSA and it needs to be active in the discussions and creation of these policies with the Ministry of VSA.
“The newly-established board of Excellence Learning Academy will be looking into alternate ways to assist and support parents and students who attend Excellence Learning Academy. We aim that SZV assists with funding this cost fully, if not partially, and the White and Yellow Cross and the Sister Basilia Center; students who attend Excellence Learning Academy can receive equal financial assistance to support their developmental and better their well-being through care and education.”
In the meantime, Enable NV occupational therapist D’Antoinette Roger-Sorton said all schools require an accredited Special Education system that should both identify and assist children with special education needs.
“At the moment, many schools find it easy to identify students that require assistance from each class, but the students are not being referred either fast enough or at all to the appropriate services for care – I am receiving students way too late,” she told MPs in providing answers to questions posed.
“Parents do not know what is available for their children. Also, each school should have a care pathway system in place – like an algorithm, much like how it should be in healthcare – that demonstrates a flow of the level of education and care that that student should be receiving based on their assessments. For this to be implemented, I would assume that initially a policy and then a law would have to be created to ensure that all schools are being held accountable and are following the same pathways.”
She said this undertaking requires a multi-disciplinary approach, as it will require assistance from all healthcare workers and educational professionals. Some schools will need to hire their own on-site professionals and resources, or increase the amount that they currently have. This requires funding to cover the cost increase in salaries, materials and physical space. Regarding tariffs, she said a system should be set up that is effective and low-maintenance.
In addition to tying in paramedical tariffs to a doctor rate, recognise and implement another percentage (increase/decrease) into a paramedic’s diploma (bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate), to attract talent from abroad.
“By taking away the worries that come with rates that are too low, the quality of living of the health care workers increases, their stress levels decrease and they in turn will be better capable of serving the public that is in need of health care service.”
She said there is room for more than one special educational institution in the country. However, she noted that as there are still parents who are distressed and children who are falling between the gaps, the special educational programmes within each institution need to be revised and ensure that they are following all appropriate procedures and meeting all needs of the students registered at their school.
Additionally, even with each institution providing the special education programme, it would be in the best interest of students that these schools work together to ensure that the students’ needs are met – especially if it means that the needs of that student cannot be met at one school and he or she should be referred to another school.
Roger-Sorton said she had faced many challenges since opening her clinic in St. Maarten, including having to give up a clinic as she was unable to pay the rent.
“Occupational therapy is not like the other paramedical services, as it completes many visits, including home, work and school visits, on a daily basis. These visits include a lot of travel time and, therefore, I am not able to accumulate the volume of clients needed to maintain the clinic, as my colleagues are able to, to pay the bills. Besides that, the tariff rates were depressingly low.
“Therefore, I was forced to outsource my services to Anguilla and to Saba. Ultimately, Anguilla and Saba have been paying to keep the extramural occupational therapy clinic doors open in St. Maarten.
“We have been in talks with VSA since 2018 about a tariff increase. Since my presentation to Parliament in November 2020, the Minister of VSA, Honourable Minister [Richard – Ed.] Panneflek is rumoured to have approved the tariff increase. Being on the potential receiving end, I’ll have to wait and see what materialises in practice.”
In response to a question on capacity, she said putting all of the focus on Prins Willem-Alexander School for Special Education to cater to all students with special educational needs will not work.
“All schools on the island must have and be capable of developing special educational needs or individualised education classes. As mentioned as well, schools can hire personal educational assistants (PEAs) to assist special education
students within each classroom. These are not teacher’s assistants who require degrees – the PEAs can be anyone and can be trained on the job.
“This system is being done in both Anguilla and Saba and has been successful. There are special education students in all schools. This way, the student will be able to stay on campus, with friends, and receive the level of education they require.”
While she works very closely with the Public Health Department regarding updating her information and registration, there is not much communication with the minister or his cabinet.
“This is unfortunate because, as a paramedic, there is a lot of work to be done working with government; for example: preventive care in St. Maarten, which would benefit the people in terms of care received and the government in terms of cost savings.”
She said also that apart from approaching the Ministry in 2017 with a special education school proposal and curriculum and not receiving support, she did not have any contact with the ministry. “I work directly with each school and the parents.”
She stressed in one of her answers that legislation should be made to ensure that government recognises needs institutions and programmes within general educational schools. These programmes should be accredited programmes that are approved and can be assessed by government to hold all stakeholders accountable and, most importantly, ensure that the needs of all students are being met.
“For this system to work, there will need to be a multi-disciplinary team in place for each institution. The funding for that will be dependent on what team each institution already has in place or requires.”
The two officials were speaking in Parliament’s Committee of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Affairs. The meeting was the continuation of a meeting on special education and they were responding to questions posed during the start of the meeting.
