was mainstreamed in the public education system, supported with a Frequency Modu- lation system and priority seating and relies on lip reading for further support. She cur- rently works for the Upper Canada District School Board as an occasional teacher. For Kim, ETFO has been a critical place
to develop her leadership and advocacy skills. As a deaf person, phone calls from the board (“call outs”) for occasional teacher work were, not surprisingly, difficult and stressful. From 2002 to 2020, instead of teaching, she held various data entry positions and continued to struggle. Despite being a strong advocate for herself in the rest of her life, Kim was unaware of the accommodations that were available to her in the workplace. When she returned to teaching in the fall
of 2020, the SmartFind app allowed her to receive call outs in an accessible way. With other accommodations in her workplace and support from her local union, her principal and an audiologist, Kim has been able to suc- cessfully return to the classroom. Inspired by these experiences, Kim is
considering developing a local committee for people with disabilities, which would serve to support members becoming stron- ger advocates for themselves and others. She sees the value of advocacy and the benefits of working with other educators who need different supports and accommodations to do their jobs. A local committee could also bring atten-
“ BE RELENTLESS AND FIND YOUR ALLIES. THE NEED EXISTS AND WHILE IT’S ABOUT US, IT IS ALSO ABOUT OUR STUDENTS. DON’T FORGET TO HAVE FUN AND ENJOY HOW ACTIVISM CAN BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.”
and distribute queer-themed books to li- braries and teachers. Tere continues to be a need for the committee as “homophobia, transphobia, biphobia and lesbophobia are alive and well,” says Rico. He notes that CO- VID was challenging and queer teachers were isolated. Te culture wars of the past few years have been difficult as educators have encountered anti-2SLGBTQ+ protests and online hate, creating a chilling effect on queer activists. Rico offers this advice for starting a com-
mittee that is important not only to you but to our public schools: “Be relentless and find your allies. Te need exists and while it’s about us, it is also about our students. Don’t forget to have fun and enjoy how activism can bring people together.”
ADDRESSING DISABILITY ISSUES
Kim Brown is a deaf educator who sees the value of committees and how they can be a place for educators to discuss issues and ad- vocate for themselves. Born deaf, Kim had to adapt as a child to a hearing world. She
38 ETFO VOICE | SPRING 2025
tion to the various disability awareness days, weeks and months (for example, the last week of September is the International Week of the Deaf). Tere is also the potential to organize workshops with the permanent teacher local on advocacy and disability rights. Advocacy, conversation and organizing help build rela- tionships and create networks of support and solidarity within ETFO.
CLIMATE JUSTICE AND SUSTAINABILITY
I have always been interested in and aware of environmental issues, and once I became a teacher I regularly incorporated outdoor education into my program. It is not surpris- ing that when I became involved with the ETFO Halton Teacher Local, climate change was the issue that I embraced. Part of my journey as both an environ-
mental and a union activist has been to con- nect the issue of climate change to the union movement. I see the power of community and solidarity and have a deep apprecia- tion for what unions have accomplished. In
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