Now that schools are back in session, an advocacy organization focussed on communication health is calling on the BC government to provide better funding and supports to kids who need it.
According to Speech and Hearing BC (SHBC), communication health refers to speech, language, literacy, hearing, voice, swallowing, fluency and social communication.
They say these issues can significantly stunt their developmental progress by impacting their ability to learn, interact with peers and maintain focus.
“The BC government must take action to ensure that students across the province can access communication health like speech-language and literacy supports,” said Chelsey Chichak, President of Speech and Hearing BC.
“The youth of this province deserve to thrive in their classrooms, and we must ensure that barriers regarding access to these services are addressed promptly amongst students, inside and outside of the classrooms.”
SHBC says the Province is lagging behind the rest of Canada in terms of ensuring access to consistent hearing health coverage.
They noted that there are significant barriers preventing kids from getting access to audiologists and hearing aids, among other forms of speech-language and hearing supports.
Victoria Buzz asked the Province for details of resources in place for the children impacted by these matters.
According to the Ministry of Education and Child Care (MECC), they provide annual funding to boards of education, in an amount determined by the number of students enrolled.
They say this funding includes funding to support inclusive education services such as learning assistance, speech language pathology services, occupational therapy and assessment services.
From there, the boards of education and school districts decide how to spend the money they’ve been given by the Province regarding services and resources for students. According to MECC, these allocations are based on the needs of the student population.
The Province noted that since 2017, funding to districts for inclusive supports and services has increased by more than 100%.
This year alone, MECC says over $950 million in funds have gone to supporting students with disabilities and diverse abilities.
Additionally, through BC, the Provincial School Outreach Team receives funding to work primarily with school districts, and sometimes will provide speech language pathology resources to eligible families.
For children affected by different setbacks in communication health, the Province says $30 million in funding is going towards evidence-based literacy screening for all students in kindergarten to Grade 3.
The aim of this is to help those with dyslexia and other learning disabilities get support in learning to read, according to MECC.
Despite all these funds going towards students, SHBC still wants more.
One thing they are pleading with the Province for is coverage on hearing aids, which can range from $1,000 to $4,000 on average in BC.
Another organization that is being supported by SHBC, Help BC Hear Better, has launched a petition to have the Province implement better access to hearing health care.
