fbpx
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

HipHopCanadaHipHopCanada

Community

2019 JUNO nominees to march in protest of changes to Ontario Autism Program

2019 JUNO nominees to march in protest of changes to Ontario Autism Program
Protesting changes to the Ontario Autism Program (Photo: Twitter)

We received this press release earlier from our friends at Webster Media Consulting. Obviously nothing to do with Canadian hip-hop, but an issue impacting a lot of people in the Canadian hip-hop community.

Splash’N Boots are popular children’s entertainers based in Ontario who are nominated for Children’s Album of the Year at the 2019 JUNO Awards. They’ll be marching alongside kids and parents to protest recent changes to the Ontario Autism Program.

The protest will take place Thursday, March 7, 2019 at 11 a.m. at Queen’s Park in Toronto. There’s still plenty of time for members of the hip-hop community to get involved. Here’s the press release that was issued.

2019 JUNO nominees to march in protest of changes to Ontario Autism Program

2019 JUNO nominees Splash’N Boots


Splash’N Boots to march with children and families at Queen’s Park in protest of surprise one-size-fits-all changes to the Ontario Autism Program

#YellowAndBlueUnited

Popular Ontario children’s entertainers and 2019 JUNO nominees Splash’N Boots (Nick Adams and Taes Leavitt, respectively) have formally announced they intend to march alongside children and families on Thursday, March 7, 2019 at 11 a.m. at Queen’s Park in Toronto in protest of the recent changes to the Ontario Autism Program. [Facebook event here: http://bit.ly/2H5CSx9]

“We support the children and families affected by the Ontario government’s cuts to autism funding in Ontario. The recent announcement of changes to the Ontario Autism Program leaves families on the hook for more money for costly treatment for their children beginning April 1, in less than two months time. The one-size-fits-all approach of the new program that allocates the same amount of standard funding to children whose autism is mild to those who are in need of intense Applied Behavior Analysis therapy is ineffective and will put direct financial strain on families and education providers in Ontario. We ask that the government unfreeze the waitlist and resume services as before while consultation for a more effective solution for autism funding in Ontario can be defined.”

Currently, the state of support for children with autism who require therapy services is largely unregulated. The government needs to look at building a strong regulated foundation for these services, including drafting codes of conduct, standardized rates, and professional standards of practice. Using the U.S. insurance industry as a model (who have already begun to standardize costs for autism therapies), these standard rates could help streamline the fluctuating fees in Ontario. Creating secure funding opportunities for those working in education who are working with autistic children to have Applied Behavior Analysis as part of their core competencies should also be considered and implemented.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Families affected by autism are often faced with changing their entire lives to be able to afford care and therapy for their children and therefore need a full picture solution for the infrastructure of care for their children. This includes help from the government to subsidize and fund therapy as well as regulating the care industry directly working with those in need.

Splash’N Boots’ Yellow and Blue Crew (the name given to the families and fans of the music group) includes many children on the autistic spectrum. The group sets up personalized meet and greets for all children on the spectrum and their families. In 2016, they launched and supported a penpal club for kids with autism called Lucas’ Letters, imagined by one of their forever fans called Lucas. They work with families to create special visits for autistic children who may not be able to come to participate in the live show environment. This week they performed for kids at the St. Ursula Elementary school in Brampton, Ontario. The classroom of six autistic kids reacted enthusiastically to the time spent with them.

Autism cannot simply be an item to be dealt with on a budget line. These are real people that we meet every week. Each of these children deserves the right to specialized treatment. We have seen firsthand what happens when they are given the support that they need to reach their full potential.”

EXPLORE HIPHOPCANADA

Advertisement
Advertisement
Button with the words Canadian Music Industry Resources

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

Canadian Fresh Artwork

RESOURCES

An image generated by AI depicting a rapper and DJ performing.

Articles & Reviews

Storytelling is as foundational to rap as the beat itself, so testing AI’s ability to capture the genre’s essence presents an intriguing challenge. AI,...

More Stories

News

On March 24, the 2024 JUNO Awards are set to ignite the Canadian music scene with a stellar lineup of nominees and performers. The...

Articles & Reviews

Drake and Justin Bieber are among the biggest popular music stars in the world. Part of their appeal has been blurring pop, hip-hop and...

Articles & Reviews

Some historians say hip-hop culture all started at a party one hot August night in the South Bronx in 1973. DJ Kool Herc plugged...

Articles & Reviews

As we celebrate another year of Canadian music at the Juno Awards, let’s consider the broader music ecosystem that facilitates a vibrant component of...

News

Since its release, “edamame” by Vancouver’s bbno$ and Indonesian rapper and singer Rich Brian has been one of the most viewed music videos on...

News

Whether you’re a fan or not, there’s no denying that Toronto recording artist Pressa has become of the most talked about Canadian hip-hop rappers...

News

The 2022 JUNO Awards nominations have officially been revealed. You can check out the full list below, and head to JUNOAwards.ca for more information...

Videos

Earlier today, Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe (The Block, CBC Music) hosted the highly anticipated live 2022 JUNO Nominee Announcement. The upcoming 2022 JUNO Awards, hosted by...