To achieve our goals OAFCCD provides the following services:

Advocacy

OAFCCD advocates for adequate publicly funded speech and language services and responds to government consultations about speech and language services.  In addition to advocacy at the provincial level OAFCCD members advocate at the school board level through membership of school board Special Education Advisory Committees, and in community planning for changes to speech and language services.

Parent Resource Information:

All parents who contact OAFCCD are provided with:

  • Information about OAFCCD
  • Specific information resources related to their child’s disorder and needs
  • and/or information on services available in their local community.

Upon request, OAFCCD will also:

  • connect families with specific service providers or support groups in their local community
  • provide additional resource information about professional organizations, such as:
    • the Ontario Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (OSLA)
    • College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA)
    • Speech-Pathology and Audiology Canada (SAC)

All members of OAFCCD are provided with:

  • Regular Newsletters containing information on specific disorders, changes in publicly funded speech and language service provision, and upcoming workshops or conferences for families
  • An invitation to the OAFCCD Annual General Meeting
  • Contact information for OAFCCD volunteer who are involved in planning or advisory organizations in their community for example, school board Special Education Advisory Committee Members (SEAC)

Parent Support Activities:

Individual Parent Support:

  • Parents who call or e-mail are provided with answers to their questions and provided with information as requested.
  • Parents may be connected with other parents of children with the same communication disorder or need.

Website Parent Support:

  • OAFCCD website provides articles for families on a number of key topics including:
    • Specific Communication Disorders
    • Helping your child communicate
    • School Years
  • Videos of how parents can a partner with professionals to support their child’s communication development
  • Ideas for parents on:
  • OAFCCD history and many of the OAFCCD Position Papers and submissions used in provincial government consultations are posted on the web site
  • Helpful links to other disability organizations which provide information on communication disorders or support to families of children with special needs

Public Awareness and Advocacy Activities:

  • Provision of information to government and community organizations about communication disorders and the needs of children and their families
  • Participation in government consultations, and provincial groups and organizations that provide advice on speech and language services and the needs of families
  • Presentations at workshops and conferences for parents and professionals about the needs of children with communication disorders and effective parent engagement in speech and language services
  • Distribution of provincial Newsletter and other information resources to groups and organizations involved with speech and language services
  • Nomination of parent members to the Special Education Advisory Committees of District School Boards