ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — More than two years of lobbying for better education for their son has not produced the results a Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s family has been fighting for.
Now the Churchills — parents Kimberly and Todd, and sons Hunter and Carter — are hoping that by raising their concerns during the election campaign it will open candidates’ eyes to the problems they say are plaguing the system — a lack of resources and specially trained teachers to meet the needs of deaf children like Carter.
Carter was born hearing deficient and also has cerebral palsy.
“We have been fighting this far too long now and even had to file a human rights complaint,’’ Todd Churchill said Thursday.
“Our lawyers have advised us not to talk about it as it is before the courts, but we can disclose the three questions we are seeking answers for.’’
Those questions are: do you want your child to have a friend he/she can communicate with? Do you want a qualified teacher trained to assess your child’s progress? And do you want your child to be in an environment where he/she can socialize and make friendships?
Todd said if more resources were available in the school system, more people would be trained and fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) and, in turn, there would be more qualified teachers in the system for children like Carter.
The Churchills hope that whichever party forms the next provincial government will make changes to provide the help children like Carter deserve and are entitled to.
At present, Todd said, there are more than 320 deaf children attending school in the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District (NLESD). He said there are not enough specially trained teachers in the system, and those teachers who are retiring are not being replaced fast enough.
“These are itinerant positions for these teachers. They travel from school to school to work with the students. This is not the same case for students with hearing,’’ Kimberly said.
“There is a shortage of teachers with ASL skills and the NLESD is not being proactive to replace those who are stepping away.’’
Carter was born in 2011 and spent four weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit at the Janeway Children’s Hospital due to numerous complications at birth.
In May 2011, he was diagnosed as deaf, and was given cochlear implants in December 2011. Just a month later, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
To support Carter, the Churchills have become active in fundraising efforts by local non-profit organizations.
They have spoken to the media, at public forums and at town hall sessions, and tried in many other ways to bring the issue to the public and government.
“This has been a frustrating process. (The government) has shown a blatant disregard for our child and children across the province as we try and get them the same rights they are entitled to by law,’’ Kimberly said.
“We have looked ahead to Carter’s future and were forced to think in immediate terms. Language is the key. To be educated, you need language. To make friends, you need language, and reading books and computer work all come from language.’’
“I want to see him develop some kind of friendships — peer-to-peer relationships — so he can develop those at school so Carter can sit and talk to his friends,’’ Todd added.
“We are looking at other people’s children, knowing that Carter (and others) are being left behind, lost in the shuffle.’’
It’s been a trying time for the Churchill family, both emotionally and financially. But they say they have no choice but to keep fighting for Carter and other children in a similar situation.
