Special Education Advisory Committee
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 is comprised of representatives from local parent associations that advises and makes recommendations to the Board concerning the establishment and development of special education programs and services.
View the SEAC brochure, the SEAC Obligations and Expectations, SEAC Association Connections or contact your SEAC for help or information.
Did you know?
Serving on SEAC is a great opportunity to support and contribute to DDSB school communities and build valuable personal and professional skills and experiences. Contact the Special Education Advisory Committee to discuss available opportunities to serve on this committee or complete an Association/Member Nomination form provided in the Association Membership tab.
| Association Membership |
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Durham District School Board's (DDSB) Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) is comprised of individuals from across Durham Region committed to the learning and well-being of students. SEAC advises the District on programming and services for students with special education strengths and needs. SEAC also supports parents/guardians with information about community connections. SEAC is able to have up to 12 association members and is looking to expand. We are seeking a diversity of experience within SEAC to provide meaningful feedback to the District. The current voting members of the Committee are comprised of association representatives, two members at large and representatives from the Board of Trustees. Current Associations:
Requirements to be an Association Member:
As per the DDSB SEAC by-laws, associations must be no fee for services. For profit or fee-based organizations are not eligible to have membership. SEAC meets no less than ten times per school year. Members must attend meetings for quorum purposes. If your association would like to nominate a local representative and alternate to the DDSB SEAC, please complete the SEAC Association/Member Nomination online form(s) and submit it to the DDSB, attention Lisa Wry, Administrative Assistant for Inclusive Student Services, or lisa.wry@ddsb.ca Association/Member Nomination Form SEAC membership is subject to the approval of the DDSB Board of Trustees. For further information please contact:Eva Kyriakides, SEAC Chair bill.eva.k@rogers.com Tara Culley, SEAC Vice-Chair SEAC@ddsa.ca Lauren Bliss, Superintendent of Education 905-666-6371 |
| Meetings |
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All parents and interested members of the public can register to attend SEAC meetings. We meet at the DDSB Education Centre, 400 Taunton Rd. E., Whitby at 6:30 p.m., the 1st Thursday of the month. SEAC meetings follow this formal format:
Members of the public who wish to attend SEAC meetings in person are required to pre-register as space is limited. To pre-register, visit the SEAC Calendar - Agendas and Minutes and select the meeting date you wish to attend and complete the short registration form available in the event details. Once pre-registration capacity has been reached, the form will be closed, and public observation will be available through the livestream only.Following a review of all safety measures in place regarding public attendance at meetings, the DDSB recently resumed in person attendance at meetings for members of the public and community. The DDSB is committed to ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all meetings and has developed a Code of Conduct for Public Meetings that all participants are required to follow. |
| Committee members |
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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
SEAC Members as Advocates
- SEAC members are advocates for students with special needs around the table and within the community
- SEAC brochure contains contact information for SEAC members giving parents/caregivers access to connect as resource to them
- SEAC members are resources for schools and the community
- SEAC members can liaise with School Community Councils
- SEAC members are committed to building awareness and deepening connections
The committee is composed of member representatives from:
| Association for Bright Children (ABC) |
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Website: https://www.abcontario.ca/ SEAC Representative: Eva Kyriakides Email: bill.eva.k@rogers.com |
| Autism Ontario Durham Region |
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Website: https://www.autismontario.com/region/central-east SEAC Representative: sensaRAneb Burrell Email: Durham@autismontario.com |
| Durham Down Syndrome Association (DDSA) |
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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 |
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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. Website: https://www.easterseals.org/ SEAC Representative: Allyson Eamer E-mail: allyson.eamer@ontariotechu.ca |
| Grandview Kids’ Family Advisory Council |
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The Grandview Kids’ Family Advisory Council (FAC) is a group of parents and caregivers who volunteer to help improve the planning and delivery of services at Grandview Kids. They provide guidance on system-level issues that impact many families and contribute to program and service design at the Centre. Website: https://grandviewkids.ca/family-advisory-council/ SEAC Representative: Seana Haley Email: seanahaley@gmail.com |
| Learning Disabilities Association of Durham Region (LDADR) |
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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 |
| Sawubona Africentric Circle of Support |
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Website: https://www.sawubonaacs.org/ SEAC Representative: Jenny McLaughlin Email: info@sawubonaacs.org |
| Members at Large |
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SEAC Representative: Jessica Wells E-mail: jessica.carol.wells@gmail.com
SEAC Representative: Elizabeth Daniel Email: jason_liz@sympatico.ca |
| DDSB Trustees |
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Trustee Donna Edwards Trustee Kelly Miller Trustee Michelle Arseneault |
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 Durham Region 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.
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.
Trustees on SEAC
