Parents fighting to save Algonquin College's special needs program

Eric Burgin had planned to send his daughter Angie to Algonquin College in Ottawa, where he'd hoped a program for adults with developmental disabilities could help put her on equal footing with her friends.

"The biggest thing for her is the college experience," Burgin told CBC. "It's just sort of that next step after high school. She doesn't see herself as different than others, even though, you know, society tends to see her differently."

Burgin said there's no other program in Ottawa like it. But his plan hit a snag in May when the school announced it plans to end the program by April 2026.

Now, Bergin hopes to organize other concerned parents in an attempt to change the college's decision. He's organized a town hall hosted by Ottawa West-Nepean NDP MPP Chandra Pasma, scheduled for later this month, and is planning to hold a protest later this fall.

"Ultimately, what we would like is for the college to reverse the decision and continue to offer the program," he said.

College points to financial challenges

Algonquin College's website says the academic assistance for adults with developmental disabilities program offers students the opportunity to further develop their academic skills, as well as build social skills within a college environment. 

In a statement to CBC, the college said it's winding down the program, which was first launched in 1997, to "focus on ministry-approved, credentialed programs that align with its core mandate." It also pointed to its recent financial challenges, which the college blames on a shift in immigration policy and a lack of funding support from the provincial government. 

In April, the college approved its budget with a $34.8-million deficit. In February, its board decided to suspend or cancel 37 programs and four dormant ones, and to close its Perth campus. 

'It keeps parents up at night'

Kate Dudley-Logue, vice-president of community outreach with the Ontario Autism Coalition, said the news of the program's cancellation has parents worried.

"It keeps parents up at night," she told CBC. "It's giving those young adults with developmental disabilities a foundation ... to be able to maybe get a job, to be able to live independently."

Dudley-Logue added that community day programs are another education option for adults with disabilities, but those lack the academic component available at the college.

"It really puts up a wall for what young adults with developmental disabilities might be able to achieve moving forward, not having access to a program like this," she said.

In a letter posted to social media, Pasma, who is her party's education critic, called on the Ontario government to step in and fund the program.

"The net cost of the program after tuition is $80,000 a year. This would be more than offset by cost savings to the province based on graduates' ability to participate in the workforce and to live with greater independence," she wrote.