Developing our new accessibility plan
Our vision
The Prairie Valley School Division believes in inclusive education. We want all students to take part in programs, services and activities alongside their peers as much as possible.
We know some students and community members experience barriers that stop or limit them from fully taking part in our schools. We will continue to identify and reduce barriers so everyone can participate in a way that works best for them.
Our approach
The Prairie Valley School Division is creating a three-year accessibility plan to show our commitment and guide our work under The Accessible Saskatchewan Act. This plan will guide our priorities, budgets and actions to make all our schools more accessible.
Have your say
Take the Prairie Valley School Division Accessibility Survey
Your voice matters. Help us make a real difference. The survey is open until Monday, Nov. 17 at 5 p.m.
Participate in a focus group
In addition to taking the survey, we encourage you to participate in a focus group and share your feedback so we can create spaces that reflect everyone’s needs.
Please register via EventBrite:
Staff living with disabilities
Staff supporting students with disabilities
If you require accommodations or assistance to access the survey or participate in the focus groups, please connect with us at [email protected] or 306-949-3366.
Community consultation process
We are asking people with disabilities and other school community members to make sure our accessibility plan reflects real experiences and needs. Key steps include:
Creating an Accessibility Advisory Group
- Working with Squarely Accessible, an accessibility consultancy, our division will create an Accessibility Advisory Group (which will include people with disabilities) and hold regular meetings to help make sure important voices are heard.
- Feedback from these meetings will shape the overall approach to our accessibility plan.
Engagement activities
- A survey to collect input about accessibility barriers and solutions
- Focus group sessions to gather in-depth feedback from families, students and staff
Accessibility plan development
- After these activities take place, we will develop a full draft report that summarizes key findings and next steps.
- The finalized report will be developed and posted on the Prairie Valley School Division website.
Project background
Why we are undertaking this work now
We have made a lot of progress in removing barriers and making our environment more inclusive and welcoming for everyone. But there is still work to do, and we will keep finding gaps and improving how we do things.
Our new accessibility plan will give a clear picture of accessibility in the Prairie Valley School Division. It will show what supports, policies and processes are already in place, point out any barriers and explain steps we will take to build on the work already happening.
The plan will also outline how we will continue to identify and address any remaining barriers. We will keep listening and learning so we can adapt to our community’s needs.
What is a disability?
The Accessible Saskatchewan Act defines disability as any impairment that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders an individual’s full and equal participation in society. It includes physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairments and functional limitations. These can be permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not.
The Act aims to remove all types of barriers that prevent or limit full participation for people with disabilities.
Please refer to the Province of Saskatchewan’s Accessible Saskatchewan Act website for additional definitions and other helpful information.
Why we launched a survey and focus groups
Your insights and feedback are helping us better understand the barriers people face and what real accessibility looks like in our schools.
Which barriers to accessibility are expected to be addressed as a result?
The information from the survey and focus groups is helping us identify key barriers, concerns and preferences. This data is playing a key role in shaping our accessibility plan by helping us identify themes, priorities and areas of improvement to inform strategic decision-making.
Are the survey and focus groups anonymous?
Yes, they are completely anonymous.
Your privacy and confidentiality are our top priorities. We have engaged a third-party specialist to collect and interpret the data, which means your responses will be kept anonymous.
Your feedback will be used only to improve our accessibility plan, and we will never share or misuse your personal information.
How will the findings be shared?
We will publicly share our accessibility plan on our website and social media in late 2025.
What happens after the plan is developed?
The plan will guide the first three years of activities, from December 3, 2025 to December 3, 2028. Updates on progress will be released according to the guidelines set out in The Accessible Saskatchewan Act.
If you have additional questions, please contact the Prairie Valley School Division office: [email protected] or 306-949-3366.