Mom with autistic son battling province over lack of supports
The plight of a Windsor family desperately trying to care for their severely autistic son was brought to the fore at Queen’s Park Tuesday by Windsor West NDP MPP Lisa Gretzky.
Gretzky, the party’s community and social services critic, spoke of 16-year-old Abdullah Yar Khan, who was excluded from attending Holy Names high school six months ago.
“Abdullah is unable to communicate his needs,” Gretzky said. “He has been excluded from school because of lack of supports in the education system.
“His parents — with their own health issues — struggle with his care. They don’t receive support or respite during school hours even though Abdullah isn’t allowed to attend school. What funding, direct programming, or direct support does the Wynne government have in place for Abdullah and his parents?”
Abdullah’s mother, Shabana Shahab, said she has been battling with the Ministry of Community and Social Services to get financial assistance to hire a worker from Community Living Windsor, but the ministry said the issue is under the purview of the Ministry of Education until Abdullah turns 18.
“He is totally isolated at home, I have no extended family here,” said Shahab. “My husband is a heart patient and I am sick, too.
“I have been fighting for the service so he can go into the community,” she added.
Abdullah, who’s largely nonverbal, spends his days lying on a couch watching television and playing with a straw.
“He has no physical activity and because of that he is suffering now from insomnia,” said Shahab. “He is not tired enough.
“His whole routine, his life is upside down,” she added.
Shahab has exhausted virtually all possible avenues, and has even considered filing a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.
“There is nothing that can resolve my issue because the human rights process is too long and I need that service right now,” she said. “I need some program right now because it’s affecting our life.”
Gretzky said the problems aren’t limited to parents of children with autism; it impacts those with a wide spectrum of mental and physical disabilities.
“So when Abdulla’s mom came to my office to meet about this particular issue it really just kind of highlighted how many families are facing hardship, how many families are having issues accessing financial support as well as other support for their children as they start to get older, as they start to reach adulthood,” said Gretzky.
She said school boards should be properly funded to include staff who can deal with children like Abdullah.
“It was just really the exclamation point on the issue that the education system is not funded properly to support students with special education needs, which means often the very staff that would support children with special needs are the first to go,” said Gretzky.
On Wednesday, Gretzky will hold a news conference at Queen’s Park calling for continuity of services for adults with developmental disabilities.
That news conference will be followed by a rally for development services on the front lawn of Queen’s Park to be attended by OPSEU president Smokey Thomas, CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn, NDP children and youth services critic Monique Taylor and Gretzky.