SEAC Association Connections
Under Ontario's Education Act, every student is entitled to a program which meets their needs. In Durham, our Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) helps the Board protect the rights of students with special learning needs. SEAC provides information, advice and assistance to parents/guardians whose children may require additional support.
SEAC advises and makes recommendations to the Board concerning the establishment and development of special education programs and services.
What Happens at a SEAC Meeting?
SEAC meetings are a forum for SEAC members to provide advice and discussion of Board programs and support services for exceptional pupils.
Meetings follow a formal format including:
- Review of minutes
- presentations
- current issues and initiatives in Special Education
- Committee Reports by members
- Board Reports: a) Trustees b) Staff
- Correspondence and Questions
The committee is composed of member representatives from:
| Association for Bright Children (ABC) |
|
Website: https://www.abcontario.ca/ SEAC Representative: Eva Kyriakides Email: bill.eva.k@rogers.com |
| Autism Ontario |
|
Website: https://www.autismontario.com/region/central-east SEAC Representative: sensaRAneb Burrell Email: Durham@autismontario.com |
| Sawubona Africentric Circle of Support |
|
Website: https://www.sawubonaacs.org/ SEAC Representative: Jenny McLaughlin Email: sawubonaACS.org |
| Durham Down Syndrome Association (DDSA) |
|
Hosts a variety of activities, including yearly events like the summer picnic (virtual this year), pumpkin patch visit and swim party. Also hosts a support group for parents of children with down syndrome. Website: www.ddsa.ca FB Group: https://m.facebook.com/DurhamDownSyndromeAssociation SEAC Representative: Tara Culley E-mail: SEAC@ddsa.ca |
| Easter Seals Ontario |
|
Easter Seals Camps and Recreation: We own and operate 2 fully accessible camps and offer children and youth 10-day summer camp experiences. Equipment Funding: We funding for essential mobility and accessibility equipment for up to $3000 per year, per child to help purchase equipment such as wheelchair, walkers, ramps or lifts. Scholarship Program: We offer a variety scholarship programs for young people with physical disabilities attending post-secondary education. Special Education and SEAC: Easter Seals Ontario is one of a small group of external organizations organizations who are invited to have representatives participate on the Special Education Advisory Committees of the various Boards of Education across the province. Awareness and Public Education: Easter Seals Ontario promotes and create awareness for disability and accessibility issue through family resources; our March is Easter Seals month campaign; media relations; government relations activities; and through our Annual Easter Seals Telethon. Incontinence Supplies Grant: Easter Seals Ontario administers the Incontinence Supplies Grant program on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Top Up Program - This program "tops up" the annual amount form the Incontinence Supplies Grant program for eligible individuals and families. These 2 programs are fully funded by the Ministry. Website: https://www.easterseals.org/ SEAC Representative: Hanah Nguyen Email: seac.easterseals@gmail.com |
| Learning Disabilities Association of Durham Region (LDADR) |
|
To achieve this we provide:
Website: http://www.ldadr.on.ca/ Follow Us on Twitter: @LDA_Durham SEAC Representative: Rowin Jarvis E-mail: info@ldadr.on.ca Telephone: 905-430-9230 |
| Ontario Parents for Visually Impaired Children |
 Ontario Parents for Visually Impaired Children (OPVIC) is a provincially recognized non-profit, non-partisan advocacy voice of parents and guardians of children with vision loss in Ontario. This includes children and youth who are blind, or who have low vision, deaf blindness, or vision loss combined with one or more disabilities.Website: https://opvic.ca/ Email: opvicfeedback@gmail.com Facebook: OPVIC Facebook page Twitter: @_OPVIC.ca |
| Voice for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children |
|
VOICE offers multiple programs for parents, educators, teens, children, and newly arrived families. We work through programs of advocacy, support and education to connect those with hearing loss and ensure success in their lives. Website: https://www.voicefordeafkids.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VOICEfordeafandhardofhearingchildren/ SEAC Representative: Kathy Kedey E-mail: mskedey@hotmail.com Telephone: 905-852-1347 |
| Members at Large |
|
SEAC Representative: Morgann Cameron E-mail: morganncameron@hotmail.com
SEAC Representative: Elizabeth Daniel Email: jason_liz@sympatico.ca |
| DDSB Trustees |
|
Trustee Kelly Miller Trustee Deb Oldfield |
| Special Education Advisory Committee SEAC |
|
SEAC Members as Advocates
Durham DSB SEAC Resources: |
The Association for Bright Children of Ontario Société pour enfants doués et surdoués de l'Ontario is an all volunteer, provincially incorporated registered charity, with many chapters across Ontario It is dedicated to providing information, advocacy and support to parents of bright and gifted children and adolescents through networking, an annual conference and local workshops It offers the parents' voice to local school boards, educators, professional groups and the Ontario Ministry of Education.
Autism Ontario is dedicated to increasing public awareness about autism and the day to day issues faced by individuals with autism, their families, and the professionals with whom they interact. The association and its chapters share common goals of providing information and education, supporting research, and advocating for programs and services for the autism community. The Durham Chapter of Autism Ontario has focus on providing social learning opportunities for children, youth and their families.
Founded in 1986, the Durham Down Syndrome Association (DDSA) has acted as a resource for health, education and support, to improve the lives of Durham residents who live with Down syndrome. Our mission is to continue building a supportive, inclusive community by providing social and active events for people with Down syndrome and their families.
Easter Seals Ontario provides programs and services to children and youth with physical disabilities across Ontario to help them achieve greater independence, accessibility and integration.
The Learning Disabilities Association Durham Region’s mission is to advocate, support and educate the Durham community about learning disabilities and to enable persons with learning disabilities to reach their full potential.
VOICE is an organization that develops and implements programs and services encompassing advocacy, family support, and public education. VOICE has connected hundreds of parents and families of children with hearing loss and has become one of the largest support organizations of its kind.
Trustees on SEAC
