Students with special needs caught up in Ontario’s college support staff strike

The mother of a woman with special needs is worried the ongoing strike by college support staff is putting her daughter behind. CTV’s Heather Senoran reports.

Students with special needs are worried about what their futures hold as a strike continues at Ontario’s 24 colleges.

On Sept. 11, approximately 10,000 unionized support staff walked off the job when negotiations with the College Employer Council (CEC) reached an impasse.

Some students now say they feel like their college careers have been put on hold.

Syndey Sadler started the Community Integration Through Co-operative Education (CICE) program earlier this month at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ont.

She chose Early Childhood Education as her area of specialization and her program included a work placement opportunity at the daycare on campus.

“Just to work with them and read little books,” Sadler said, adding that she is excited to work with younger kids.

“We were both really excited when she got into the Conestoga program, knowing that for two more years she would have daily structure and routine and also be learning new skills,” said her mother Erin Reibel.

Sadler has a diagnosed learning disability and she, and her mother, felt the program was a perfect fit.

It was an exciting time academically, but also socially.

“I was meeting new friends, having all these classes,” Sadler said.

However, the program that relies heavily on support staff. Conestoga College confirmed the CICE program cannot run without the specialized workers that are currently on strike.

“It’s also putting her behind, so she’ll just have to catch up. Who knows how many weeks? And it is going to put a significant amount of stress on her,” Reibel said.

Conestoga College told CTV News support staff, like those in the CICE program, are integral to the success of CICE students by providing individualized learning support tailored to each student’s unique needs.

“The college is actively exploring supports that can be offered to CICE students with available staffing resources. This includes drop-in sessions hosted earlier [Wednesday] and planning for delivery of core program courses beginning Monday, Sept. 22,” a spokesperson for the college said, in part, in a statement. “While these options may not fully replace the program’s comprehensive structure, we are committed to helping maintain connection and continuity for our students.”

The strike continues

Since the strike began, members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) expanded their efforts to four picketing locations in Kitchener, Waterloo, Stratford and Guelph.

“It’s not about wages,” Vikki Poirier, president of OPSEU Local 238, said. “It is about ensuring that jobs don’t get contracted out.”

She told CTV News that the union members feel for parents and students caught up in the job action.

“We’re frustrated for you as well. We want you to have the services that your students should have,” Poirier said. “We miss you. We want to be there for you.”

Sadler hopes the strike will not last too long.

“I hope it ends soon and not go for like months,” she said.