“Our daughter was part of the 2016 Class Action lawsuit against the Provincial Schools for the Deaf. This story is about her severe neglect and mistreatment at school since then, resulting in her life changing harm.

In September and October 2018, The E.C. Drury School for the Deaf failed to protect our daughter from multiple assaults by an older male student twice her size, including protecting her from two assaults on the same day which resulted in her significant harm and the older males’ arrest.

When we complained to the school board that their staff did not protect our daughter from multiple assaults on the same day even after we reported the first one, the E.C. Drury school leadership responded by:

1 – Withholding video evidence and incident reports from the Police and from us, her parents, during and after the Police investigation, evidence which would have proven our daughter’s claims of multiple assaults against her at school. This caused the Police not only to state that they disbelieved our daughter’s claims because the school denied them, but also to threaten to arrest our daughter for an assault she did not commit.

2 – Denying our daughter the right to be interviewed about her assault claims by school staff, and when we attempted to appeal for our daughter, accompanied by multiple letters from her health care providers stating her resulting trauma from being disbelieved about assaults that happened to her at school, we were banned from direct communications with any staff at the school except for the superintendent. This ban specifically included Student Health Services and our daughter’s school based psychiatrist.

3 – Failing to provide a safe environment for our daughter after her assaults, which included monitoring of her assailant as assured to the courts by the Provincial and Demonstrations School Branch

4 – Denying our daughter the provision of easy medical accommodations as recommended to the school in writing by multiple health care providers, including:

- Refusing even the consideration of Multiple Exceptionalities for our very sick child, irrespective of five separate diagnosis in their possession

- Refusing to notify our daughter’s teachers of her potential seizures in class, irrespective of medical documents in their possession stating her doctors concern for seizures

- Delaying our daughter’s Psychoeducational Assessment until one month after our daughter was declared medically unfit to return to school by her neurologist.

- Denying our daughter medical exemption from the Ontario high school cell phone ban so that she could contact her parents if she was suffering brain injury symptoms, irrespective of a written request from one of our daughter’s physicians

- Denying us participation in the construction of our daughter’s IEP while stating in writing on the IEP that we were consulted

- Concealing a severe psychotic episode from us which our daughter suffered through in class, where she saw hallucinations, screamed, and ran into the bathroom, requiring comfort and coaxing back to class from her assigned “Caring Adult”. Our daughter was unable to self-advocate at school or tell us or her health care providers that she suffered from such severe brain struggles that she was hallucinating until an entire year after this first happened in school. To make things worse, when our daughter tried to reach out to her “Caring Adult” teacher her to talk about this episode in her class months after it happened, the teacher was instructed tell our daughter that she was not allowed to speak about anything but schoolwork. This resulted in misdiagnosis of our daughters’ condition, significant, avoidable suffering, and delay of proper medication for an entire year.

Our daughter’s neurological and psychological symptoms became so severe under the abuse of school leadership that she was suffering brain injury symptoms. These symptoms included dizziness, headaches, imbalance, extreme fatigue, nausea, and a neurological phenomenon she calls “lightning in her brain”. These “lightning in her brain” episodes, which the school had medical documentation of as potential seizures, are yet undiagnosed neurological trauma which cause her severe head pain, fatigue, and significant mental health struggles.

The school had medical documentation regarding our daughter’s neurological phenomena of “lighting in her brain” and the possibility of them being seizures when she refused to notify her teachers. They also possessed multiple medical documents stating our daughter’s significant fear of safety at school and related trauma, as well as numerous other medical diagnosis and assessments. Irrespective of this, the superintendent and principal consistently turned a blind eye to the abundance of crucial medical information in the school’s possession and instead grossly neglected our daughter. Their negligence of our daughter not only resulted in significant exacerbation of her existing neurological and psychological symptoms but triggered new, life threatening symptoms. In Dec 2019, our daughter was declared medically unfit to return to school by her neurologist. We had removed her weeks before for her safety.

We possess considerable medical data and documentation which supports our view that E.C. Drury’s failure to respond to our daughters claims of assaults, combined with the school's denial of her medical and safety accommodations, resulted in severe and completely avoidable life threatening physical and mental health conditions.

The school’s wielded the power of the Police, the Crown, staff, and superiors within the Ministry of Education, using other adults in authority to unwittingly inflict severe harm on our daughter.

Our daughter remains at home, medically unfit to return to school and under the protection of us, her parents 24/7/365 as we work with her team of physical and mental health care providers. The school leaders who mistreated our daughter remain at the highest rank of government officials entrusted with the care of Canada’s most vulnerable Deaf children.”

“My daughter was born deaf with other disabilities such as having food via G-tube on the stomach, very poor balance, low muscle tone, low immunity, slow with learning American Sign Language, learning disabilities, etc. Her experience was a bumpy one. The administration struggle to provide proper support at times and often made us feel the school only wanted the students who are deaf with no other issues. There were some incidences. There is one stood out vividly even 10 years later. One day I was there to pick her up. She was left in very soiled diaper for the whole day with urine and stools inside. I broke down in tears there. But they told me "Sorry, we were short staffed...If you need proper care for your girl, you can contact local MPP for this issue..." I saw the same number of staff that day. I could not understand why they told me that. Later, I brought a letter and gifts to the meeting to solve this issue. Eventually, the issue was left to me to solve. I decided to stay with my daughter in class for half day from that day on. I forgot how long I was doing that. At least, for several months, I think. There are many many obstacles of raising a child with disabilities. I guess my brain makes my to forget lots of painful details. Also, one day, even I was in the class, when the teacher was explaining the plants the class has planned together, the teacher put my daughter by another table with a boy with violent behavioural issues and the teacher did not explain the content to my daughter and the boy. I felt sorry for my daughter and the boy. I asked the teacher why she did that. She jus brushed me off. After that, I bought lots of educational materials and learned ASL in private. As I have always done it, I took the obstacles into my own hands. Now I can explain everything to my daughter in ASL. We have moved my daughter to a mainstream hearing school. Lucky for her, the Special Ed team in the hearing high school has better services for her. I tried to understand the administration why they are often very defensive when parents ask for help. I was not trying to accuse of wrong doing. I was trying to figure out a way that my daughter is properly cared when I am not around, with them. My daughter is a quiet and sensitive girl, reserved as well. She did not tell much of what she saw and how she felt when she was in deaf school. Now she is older and started to tell me she felt sorry for some younger kids sometimes when she was in the deaf school. She said sometimes, some people were rough with young kids too. It just broke my heart that she has to witness that. Overall, it is a good school, but with lots of improvements needed. Kids with more disabilities are not welcomed there. Their focus is more on the normal deaf kids. Kids like my daughter would be brushed aside. Still we really appreciate the education and support my daughter had there. Some happy memories, some not so rosy. Really hope some improvements can be made. Would inclusion mean including kids with other disabilities not only deafness, as well?”

"My short name is PK and I am deaf. I went to Ernest C. Drury School for the Deaf in Milton, Ontario from 2006 to 2012. I was a very shy and lonely person. Furthermore, I did not have friends. Mostly white students did it. In 2007 two white students [male student 1] and [male student 2] both started to sexually assaulted me. They followed in the hallway, cafeteria, gym and my classroom. They touched my body. I tied to hide when I saw them, but they always followed me. I felt sad, angry, and disgusting when they touched my body. Someday I could not tell to the principal or teachers because I was very afraid for them and I thought they would hurt me more if I inform anyone. That is why I could not tell anyone. I kept this problem for a long time until I finished the school in 2012. I think in 2010, one day one of the boys. [male student 1] followed me and pulled my hand when I walked in the hallway and I got really mad and pushed him away really hard then he felt on the floor, but he got up again and punched my left side of the ear. It started to bleed. That time some students witnessed what happened to me but no one helped me or informed to the office. I was very sad and upset. Since that day [male student 1] stopped to assault me, but [male student 2] continued to abuse me until he graduated in 2011 when he left the school in 2011. I felt relief and happy. I finished high school in 2012, but I could not get my diploma to get into a college because I failed my literacy test. My mom asked to stay one year to finish literacy courses. I requested to stay because of the assault I did not want to suffer anymore. Also, I was with my school counsellor because she did not provide me the proper information about the literacy course when I failed the literacy test in grade 10 and 11. I heard from a teacher when I was in grade 12 then I requested to the counsellor I wanted to take the literacy course, but she told me the class was full, and I could not take the course in 2012. If she mentioned me before I could finish the course in grade 12, and I could enter into a college in 2013. My mother got frustrated with the school because she felt the school did not provide enough support and care I requested that time. My mother also suffered emotionally. I have had nightmares. I emotionally traumatized by their abuse. One day I think in 2013 I decided to tell my mother because I suffered psychological and emotionally, and I could not keep the pain inside. When I told my mother she got really upset and angry. Then she comforted me and started crying. I got relief after I told everything to my mother. She always makes sure I am ok. She always talks to me and helps my studies because she knows sign language. One of my brothers [brother 1] and I are deaf. So my mother learned sign language when I was 2 and my brother was one year old. After 3 years of struggle I finally got into college in September 2018. I am still very upset and angry about the Milton school. My bad memory still continues."

"I transferred to EC Drury school in fall of 1997. A male student asked me to go out on a date which I said no as I was not interested in him. He kept asking and asking and escalated to telling other people we were boyfriend/girlfriend and made sure no one else would ask me out, offered me money if I gave him handjob, blowjob, or fuck him, waving bills of cash in front of my face, and later progressed to physically assaulting me, grabbing me and touching me in unwanted places and pressing his body on mine and rubbing himself against me, and later progressed to sexually assaulting me and attempted rape. Throughout this whole ordeal I reported the incidents repeatedly to the vice principal of the school [VP name] (because as a woman I thought she would help) and she told me she would take care of it. The assaults continued, I reported to her again and again and again for a total of 6 different times. I even organized a group report in which several other female students plus myself all met with [VP name] to explain to her about this student’s conduct towards us. She said she would take care of it. The last time I reported to her she told me to my face to stop complaining, that I was pretty and a popular girl and the male student had no friends and I should just give him a break. I became withdrawn and felt that no one cared about my well-being. I jokingly told other students that I might as well go kill myself now because the school wasn’t going to do anything about this male student continually stalking, harassing and assaulting me. Those students told someone and I was forced to speak to a psychiatrist at the infirmary. I did not know who this hearing man was and refused to speak with him. I was then removed from the school and forced to go to the hospital where I was placed under Form 14 suicide watch at the psychiatric ward of the hospital where I was forced to spend a week. After that I decided I needed to stop the harassment and assaults from this male student and together with 5 other female students we tricked this guy off school property where we could beat him up to teach him a lesson to leave us alone. After that I was promptly arrested along with 2 or 3 other students while the others involved in the assault on the male student were allowed to go free. Three of 6 of us were forced to “voluntarily withdraw” from EC Drury due to their zero tolerance policy on violence, if we didn’t agree to voluntarily withdraw they would put a black mark on our school records which would have meant we wouldn’t be able to go to school anywhere else. Where was the zero tolerance on sexual violence?? The male student was allowed to continue being a student at EC Drury despite the countless acts of sexual violence he committed against me as well as other girls, and was never so much as reprimanded for his actions. Meanwhile I tried to ask for help and reported the matter to the highest female person in administration that there was at the time, the only female vice principal, not once not twice not three but at least six times. In addition, the resident counsellors knew what was going on from seeing what was happening and through reports from other students. I voluntarily withdrew from EC Drury to avoid having a black mark on my school records. After that my life took a turn for the worst and I became suicidal and self-mutiliated and self-harmed and did all sorts of things to destroy myself. No one cared enough to help me when I asked for help, so why should I care about myself? And now, 20plus years later I still struggle with issues from that time. Deaf schools are the worst places for a deaf child/young adult to be - there is rampant abuse and negligence and everyone looks the other way in order to keep Deaf schools open ... at the expense of our Deaf youth’s well-being and safety."

"My son was arrested for protesting the conditions at E.C. Drury School for the Deaf – 2016" - Barbara Dodd
Here is the link - https://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2014/09/09/teens_arrested_after_protest_at_deaf_school.html

"Would like to participate but being an employee of the government or ministry prevents me from revealing my name. Will try to find a way around it. You will be surprised how much I have to share." – anonymous

"Here is my raw video about ECD. i was a victim. https://www.facebook.com/329232934418895/videos/1212805932398284 I thought very hell in ECD. I never make friends because I am the only a Middle Eastern Deaf student in ECD. I have more stories to say. i prefer ASL" - Avril Hertneky – 2012

"We were abused by teacher by making sexual comments And he hit us Our education was low level so my parents decided put me to hearing school close to home It sure made me struggle because of my education."

"Anthony Lattanville - My experience, I been through a lot in High School because of a lot of there favouritism teachers and students. When I wanted to ask some question for my class work to my former teachers say yourself, You are little mind?, Not my Problem, Ignored me. I feel so hurt a bit till I see teachers help some favouritism students not us. That why I was angry with that. Also they was hurt my wrist hand and shoulder. Tell me to clean up it. I did clean up. But push me away. I feel so get struggle more then When I get trouble for What I did made wrong action. They does detention me for me suspension a week. But Princpal gave them 1-2 suspension day for what did same wrong action. That’s not fair till I graduated from that school. Next year I visit Mayfest. Some of my old teachers ask me Do you still live with Group Home? And Where are your staffs? I told them no longer live there and I live by myself. They just smirked and I will keep look at you when you around this street. Teachers bring it up from that when I graduated. Keep it up bring it up sometime. I feel so more disturbing. This time need to STOP ECD Staffs and Administration." – 2015

"I have 2 bad experience at school. Once Principal hurt my hand with rule . Other time teacher picked on me and get my attention to read lip she ingored other students. I told her i do not understand and she targeted at me whole time during class. She put her hand at my chin move watch her face and try to read lip. I was so upset I walked out of the class."

"1. High School year- Junior 1978-79 Physical education class: football practice was over and the boys would go into the shower room to get cleaned up. The P.E teacher/ football coach named Jerry Hall joined the boys on two occasions (when I was there. May have been other times Hall did this that I was not aware of) to shower with them. The P.E. teacher had his own shower to use that was separate from the boy’s shower, was located in his office. After this, rumors spread amongst the boys about the size of Hall’s penis: “horse penis”. 2. High School –Senior 1979-1980 Superintendent Roger Miller called me into his office. I was going to be suspended for getting caught drinking alcohol with my friends at school. When I went into his office, there was no sign language interpreter present. Miller was not proficient in sign language. It was only Miller and myself. Miller pulled out a tape recorder with a microphone. Miller thrust the microphone at me and forced to verbally admit my guilt into the tape recorder. Miller wanted to use the recording as proof to my parents that I admitted to drinking at school. 3. High School – Junior 1978-79 Physics class-during Physics class the teacher pointed me out in front of the other students. I started to lose my hair at an early (age 18). On this day, the teacher pointed to me, singled me out and said: “you have the appearance of becoming old very early.” I felt deflated. My self-esteem plummeted. For about one month after this, I became very depressed, could not focus on school and I started to drink. 4. High school- Junior (one year left before going on to Senior year and graduating) 1979 My appointment with the school Guidance Counsellor to discuss my options after graduation did not happen until I was almost ready to transition into my senior year. These appointments should have started in the sophomore year to prepare students for their future. When I expressed a direct interest in attending Gallaudet University, the Guidance Counsellor informed me that my English grades were too low, and that I would not meet Gallaudet’s academic expectations. If this was the case, I should have been informed this a year or two before. Instead it was dropped on me with only one year left in high school. 5. High school- Junior 1978-79 Football away game-returning to our school on the bus. Both Jerry Hall, the football coach and Mr.Hurd, the assistant coach were both on the bus. Jerry Hall was at the front of the bus. Mr.Hurd was further back on the bus. There were about 7 or 8 football players who decided to roughhouse Mr.Hurd in fun. The players approached where Mr. Hurd was seated, and soon stopped in their tracks, for Mr.Hurd was sitting with his pants wide open and his penis hanging out. Upon seeing this, the players backed off and sat down. Jerry Hall was at the front of the bus laughing. 6. High school –Junior 1978-79 Speech class I had been receiving A’s and B’s in my speech class, and was told on numerous occasions that my speech was clear and intelligible. But my experience with my own mother and friends in my neighborhood was that they could not understand my speech. This experience with the speech class left me feeling stupid and that my education was being wasted. The school held an annual awards day, where students were awarded in various categories. I was given the award for best speech and felt like a fool. I was taunted by the other students and felt embarrassed about the quality of my speaking abilities." - Ronald Dans – 1980

"We were abused by teacher by making sexual comments And he hit us Our education was low level so my parents decided put me to hearing school close to Ho,e It sure made me struggle because of my education. The school hired tutor for me and made me succeed Not only Ontario school abuses deaf kids. Also. Toronto school too abused deaf"

"I am not good English umm so I knew that all teach are bullshit and not teach us well and look at me and i am try to my best to learn but seem not good so I learn English outside from people and close caption is help me and but ecd school is not help me.. I want my goal but I fail.. also I had been abuse and sex abuse too.. also that 325 million dollar is fair but we got smaller smaller like smaller is not fair .. it not right .. the government is smart that all deaf had no power because small number .. we pay tax .. the government should give us more .. look at hoarding school get more than us .. what the hell.. I am piss off still today .. thanks you" - Marilyn Janes

"Milton- E.C Drury School of the Deaf 1965-1972 Junior Residence I no longer experience hallucinations or delusions, but there is not a day that I don't feel the pang of paranoia, the breathlessness of anxiety, the obsessive pull of rumination, or the lingering fear of that thick, black wave of depression. I was approximately 11 or 12 years of age and staying in the boys residence at E.C. Drury school. There was a counsellor who worked the night shift in the boys Residence. He would do bed checks and carried a large, flashlight with him. One night a group of us boys had gotten out of bed, and we were playing in the hallway. He caught us and the punishment I received was being struck on the head( struck on my forehead and the side of my head) with the large, very heavy flashlight he carried. At E.C Drury school, the use of sign language was forbidden. The school enforced oral communication( use of speech)for Deaf students. Any student who was caught communicating in sign language was sent to the principal's office for punishment. I have a brother who is Deaf and I remember at my young age how much I admired my brother and his use and ability of ASL. Again, I cannot emphasize enough the school's very strict prohibition of ASL. I ended up getting seen using sign language and sent to the principal's office fpr punishment. I soon found out the rumors from the other students were true: that the principal would administer punishment with the use of a ruler, striking the palms of the student. Sure enough, the principal pulled out a very large, wooden ruler….I remember it was longer than a regular twelve inch ruler. I had to hold my holds palms facing upwards and the principal struck both hands with the ruler multiple times. It was extremely painful! Again, the reason I was being physically punished was for being caught using ASL. It was extremely painful!!! I remember a Junior Residential counsellor by the name of Tom Anderson. He was a hearing individual. He wore cowboy boots and would come up behind me and kick me in the buttocks with his cowboy boots There was another counsellor, male and hearing. He would use his hand as a punishment: He would keep his fingers closed and palm open and jab at me with his hand. He would jab me in my shoulder. This same counsellor would grab me by the shoulders, facing me and push me up against the wall as a punishment. Bathtime At bathtime, there was a male counsellor who would come into the bathroom while we were having our baths. He was older, possibly in his 40's. I was around age nine or ten, maybe even eight. This was in the junior boys residence. He would come to supposedly help wash the boys backs. I didn't know. I thought he was just helping us wash. He started to touch my penis. I was young and did not fully understand if what he was doing was right or wrong. And then reached down and under, almost touching my anus. That felt strange. Then the bathtime was finished. Once bathtime was finished, I remember it felt funny-like this isn't right. He was older and should not be touching the boys. That experience left me feeling emotionally scarred and frightened. – Ronald Dans - 1980

"It has been done in class action but I felt it is not enough. They deprived our grades again and our credits such as English and math... any school board won’t recognize my credits since 1991. It’s so complicated to expresses out. Thanks" – anonymous

"To Whom It May Concern, YES, Bellville and Milton School for the deaf. they hurts reputations me as they destroy my esteems. Can I talk to right person who takes that cases, pls? Sincerely, William OLLEN, 72ish Deaf :-("
- (anyone who feels they can help William please email us and we will forward your advice on, thank you DeafTrauma.com)

"At the elementary (junior) school a teacher slapped my outer hands with a wooden ruler as she banned me from using a sign language. I was in an oral class. 1) I was in the group shower with other girls. The counselor turned the water on in a very hot (high temperature) conditions. Our body turned out red. 2) I am very embarrassed to use my voice since a teacher made fun of my voice as my voice was like a horse . That time I was a cheerleader in high school. 3) A teacher offended me about my color skin. My skin color is like a shit. He must be a racist." - Gail McCarthy

"I am disappointed with government that still hide and should double the lawsuit shame on you. I have no trust in anyone anymore I try to save myself esteem and I find it s best to be alone less anger and happy don t want to hear anymore bullshit and where is the rest of my lawsuit" – Francois

"My Brother in the early 70’s was abused. Did the paperwork for the lawyers around the horrid sketches my brother drew to tell his story. He was part of the class action lawsuit. That minor stipend will NEVER erase his flashbacks and anger today he will deal with the rest of his life. It angers me immensely, that going through that process has not changed the culture or care of these vulnerable students. 1970’s" - Mike Steele

"Yes, I thought only staffs teachers and Counsellor but it were more involved that i did not know that i realize that includes students were bullied and sexual touch im really mad and bad emotional for many years. If reauires to tell more stories of students involved i will do that let me know Thank you for information !!" Leslie M - 1980

"I have been traumatized by the school admin. My deaf son is 33 year old and does not want to speak about his time at the school. I as parent feel I was unfairly treated and abused/ one of the superintends asked me why I named my son such a stupid name. there are many more examples. I have not felt up to talking about this for years, but now I want to speak of it." CYNTHIA Pearson - 1998

“I had a very hard time getting around in school every time the principal see me always call me to his office or the washroom to pull down my pants and search for drug and was force to take a urine example and did not find no drugs that is the reason why i quit school and never gone to any other school after that be so uncomfortable with the principal one deaf be through the same thing as me” - Blaine C Silliker

"Yes I was abuse scar from milton and robarts of deaf schools 1970 to 73 in milton then 1974 to 1985 at robarts school." - Steve Groggins – 1985

"When I join Robart school for the deaf I was transfer from hearing high school from grade 10 to Grade 12 B that I was smart student being abused by teachers and counseling grade is very low education I couldn’t enter college or university ruin my goal life I have been awful abused by teachers I have PSTD grade was awful like children public school subject and grade I need high grade no teacher not even helpless and that hurt they didn’t teach me about deaf culture I have no idea my grade low couldn’t go college or university thank a lot make me suffer" – 1989

"Around Sept. 2019, I received a very small amount of money for physical abuse only after the Ontario Government reached $15 million out -of - court settlement only out instead of $325 million I previously asked the law office if I also should include the emotional abuse. They told me that I can’t claim the emotional abuse. Please advise me accordingly. Thanks, Roger" – 1972

"Yes I was abuse scar from milton and robarts of deaf schools 1970 to 73 in milton then 1974 to 1985 at robarts school" - Steve Groggins – 1985

"Mr. David Herman I'm deaf yes I sad lots prolbem in EC Drury deaf school milton I know I remember long time ago teacher hit me and class teacher never help me no math no home work I got $9,000 last 2019 aug so i not happy my pay very small money $9,000 not good I dont belive it I want more $$40,000 to $45,000 look better that it mr david many year prolbem high so teacher never give me home work match no lunch nothing for me I sad quit leave oct 1 1987 david herman no jobs sad well school fault it" - David Herman – 1987

""Yes, I was a victim from two schools. I will share all, Ronald"

"I remember E.C.Druy staffs were negligence me. I used to lived in the resident for two years and its awful.Education system is poor!! I got explled at resident and then the school board decided to expelled me too for no reason. The teachers was terrible"

"My experience with PSB is that they have neglected the kindergarten teacher and my request to have my son diagnosed as he demonstrated signs of ASD/PDD. The initial demand for diagnose/analysis was in 2015 at SJW and when my son switched to ECD , there has been no diagnosis for his ASD eventhough Pah! (The counselling services repeatedly encouraged the school to recognize my son’s needs). Staffs were responding saying he is mildly progressing and doesn’t stale so he is fine. Later on the child psychologist misdiagnosed him with adhd and pressured me to enforce the adhd medications. I refused and said that he rather had ASD/PDD. The school child psychologist did not know sign so he couldn’t really identify ASD from his lack of expressive skills. 6 years later after pressuring to have a second diagnose from the child psychologist (the school post poned and later said that the psychologist was in maternity leave and provided absolutely no other solutions to this).... What made me decide to take him out of ECD is when I noticed that he started to mimic bullying behaviours. Since I knew he can only learn social behaviour by mimicking others, I knew he was getting bullied and thought it was a Norma part of socializing. The other incident was that he was part of an extra curricular activity — a Deaf ballet troup. They were promised to be all involved in a final play in France. They, all 5 students, practiced for more than a year and then all of the sudden they decided to narrow down the troup to 3. The two excluded children were children with extra disability (mine with ASD and the other with mild physical disability). This was the last straw. The school kept perpetuating this elitism and bullying culture and made absolutely no attempt to ensure all their students are feeling welcome. So at that time, I decided to send my son to another school put of the PSB system as a preventive measure as I did no longer trust their approach to students. This needs to be seriously reviewed. We cannot let PSB schools perpetuate Bully culture and neglect of those with extra disabilities. Once sent to the other school (a Deaf school in the USA ), my son immediately got diagnosed with ASD and immediately got OT and PT as well as EA in class to assist with his disability. By that time 7 years of neglect has passed! This is now severely hurting his ability to learn at school. People with ASD need intervention in very early age!!!"

"This is really hard for me because I had put those aside for a while now.. thank you for sharing your story and it hurts to see that it has continued no matter what year.. I thought there is anti bullying in schools now but I guess not.. I was bullied by students and they didn’t get reprimanded for their actions.. I get reprimanded by the staff, saying I started all this but I didn’t.. I was very innocent vulnerable child and was very upset, even tried to return back to public school but never have. I was stuck there for over 11 years.. I had almost no support and they keep saying I was the problem.. I was traumatized by that school but had no proof to show emotional abuse by the school.. Always have struggled with mental health since I was preteen.. it took me long long time to recover with mental health.. it is with me for the rest of my life and still cant stand being around people.. I don’t want others to battle just like me for more than 20 years.. I don’t even work and still scared to do.. I do hope your daughter gets the opportunity to recover and get lots of support.. I had to advocate for myself all on my own and had to help myself recover with amazing support services I have now."

"It left a mark on my life." - Karen M Boxwell – 1968

I am sorry to hear about her situation. There is another issue with Deaf education , their system , any hearing school board and also any job opresses.. I also feel angry at the present court too.

"I were bully constantly at SJW school, by the peers, and the staffs did not do anything, but put the blame on me and getting constantly punishment. there was two staffs I can remember, They physically abused me. other staffs will always give me the blame. I never had an chance to graduate at SJW. Struggling to find a school. Fortunately I found a school, graduated, under the agreement with Ottawa Police.. the older I get, and I realized, I am the only two POC at SJW.. Me and an Vietnamese. Thenfore, I never knew something for a long time, they had the past settlements which I never claimed anything from these kind of experience at SJW" - Mark-Andre Veira - 1998

"I was abuse from teachers and restenice counseling also bullying make fun of me i was emotional plus mental health principal abuse too education was abuse"

"I'm too worked up now. It's thinking about all the kids who had to endure this. For 30 years almost, I have worked directly as a front line within the deaf AND deaf/blind community and I DO see how the deaf and hard of hearing society have been unfairly controlled by ignorant administrators who know nothing. Those are the same people who messed with the indigenous tribes and bands across the country. I was an employment counsellor and also an adult education teacher, with hundreds of deaf and hoh. So I am living proof that the mess schools have caused us - by creating and containing a bubble society based on meritless knowledge, abuse and neglect. Many of my clients and consumers WERE NOT prepared for life after school. Majority of them obtained OSSD/OSSC while ill-prepared for the real world. With 95% of parents not being there for them, with society oppressing them, and having this pandemic on top of it all - just boils my heart. I hope the future deaf and hoh can be treated better than your daughter and the rest who have endured enough. Just how cruel it is to manipulate the innocent vulnerables. I hope it is not just monetary goals out of this but to pursue the bastards behind the walls - and to make sure they can pay and make it right. Sorry for being upfront and a bit emotional. Just by being a parent - I can't comprehend how people can ignore this. This is not right at all. Not right."

"So this is my family's story. We were forced by the Separate School board in Chatham Ontario to send our daughter to Robart School. May Lynne started he education at an early age she went to regular school for Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten. Her kindergarten teacher visited Robart and reported to the School Board how good this school would be for May Lynne. We did not want her to go to Robart School. The Catholic School board wanted her to go there. They said if we won’t let May Lynne got at Robart School they would draw up paper to get her removed from my home. They informed me that Children Aid will be in contact with us for her removal if won't let her go. We became week-end parents and our nightmares began. The first year she went she was left unsupervised and jumped off a slide and broken her foot this was a week after she began school. Christine an older child that lived in dormitory told me that a boy was pulling May pants down exposing her. This is when is was 7 years I notified Shirley Roberts I a social worker and I thought things were getting better. She said that she would be better supervised during recesses. She was slapped so hard by one of her care givers in residence that it left a hand bruise on her cheek you could actually see her hand print. One of the student bit on the cheek that she broke her skin. Her care giver in Residence said that the other child though she was giving her a kiss. My next question was why would that even happen? Why was she even that close to this child because they knew she was physical aggressive? May Lynne was sleeping under her bed because she was scared someone walked in the bedroom she was sleeping in. She was so scared she had stopped taken bath’s. Then I found out she was made share the tub with another child. She started wetting the bed I knew something was happening to her she was 9 years old. When she was 11 year old saw was awoken up by a person they called Granny. Granny was the older caregiver in residence, told her to go sleep on the couch and someone was already there another girl. She was forced to sleep face to face with this other girls. May Lynne tell her no she wanted to sleep in her own bed? Granny made her sleep face to face. By this time I am thinking what the heck is going on, so I contacted Shirley Roberts again and told her I am not liking how May Lynne is behaving something has happened to her because emotionally she all over the place this would have been about 1989, she was 10 years old. That Christmas I went to a Christmas Play this is when Shirley Robert told me that May Lynne was being molested by at 17 year old boy. This boy was transferred from E.C. Drury because he was molesting at that school too. So I asked her what is going to happen to him he got a 2 week suspensions then he will come back to school. May Lynne have to see and be around this person till grade 9 or 10? Shirley also said that the police were called and it turns out not to be true. I found this out during the Deaf School court case. I asked for help from Shirley Robert to protect May Lynne from this person, she and the nursing staff suggested that May Lynne see a Psychologist to make sure everything was fine with her emotionally after everything she went through this is another thing I should have never accepted because she became another victim of Robart School I never wanted her to be put on medication. They told me that this medication will make her behave the way they wanted her to behave. And I though she was going to the Psychologist because she was being molested. The school forced us to put her on this medication she told us it made her feel really weird. Then she because physically and emotionally out of control over the years. She kept on tell us the medication was making her feel out of control. I told this to the nurses and they ignored my telling them. May Lynne was on this medication for years. This medication was making her so out control that we needed her to slow her emotions down. The last straw was when she was in grade 9 or 10 I believe an incident happened just before sending her to school. We need to calm her down so my husband made her sit down he grabbed her by the wrist. She got to school and told the nurse her wrist was sore. Instead of them calling use they called the police. We were told that when May Lynne came back home to bring her to the police station and we were all talked about what happened. I believe the medication was Zoloft and I believe it has caused her to have a Pituitary tumour. Communication from school and parent especially those who are in residence were very lacking. I believe when my child misbehave in school we as parents should be told. One example is May Lynne and a friend decided to steal money for the poor. I was never notified and she became a theft for awhile. When sending your children to these schools you have "no input on how to raise your child. You put your child in stranger’s hand and pray and hope things will be fine. We parents have also suffered the many years of fears, blaming ourselves and heart break. Then fear turns to anger I blame the School Board, and the Residential Program for all my family have endured over many years. But we do have remedies Deaf Schools have had a class action suit and yet see nothing has changed. We need to protect the most venerable our children. Thank you for hearing my story. Diane."