Why Bridgeway Matters - A Concerned Parent

Why does Bridgeway matter?  Because it makes a difference in the lives of children.  Here is another story from a part of our school family.

Enjoy,

The Bridgeway Team

This is our story.....

When our son first started public school we knew there was an underlying condition. Eventually he was diagnosed with an SLD (Severe Learning Disability) and we were able to identify the areas of opportunity that would be essential to his overall learning ability.

We worked with the public schools and the LINKS program to help our son develop to the best of his ability. He attended the after school programs with LINKS, received resource support on a regular basis, received home help and followed IPP plans.  Even with all this help it was just not enough to bring him up to speed and to reach his maximum potential.  He is a hands-on learner who needs constant supervision, guidance and reminders for his everyday work. Our son also suffered from anxiety issues and showed physical symptoms of stress related problems which ultimately caused him to miss quite a bit of public school. At this point, to say we were desperate and frustrated beyond belief would be an understatement we did not know who to turn to or what to do next. Then we heard about Bridgeway Academy and everything they had to offer; ultimately Bridgeway Academy became our family’s salvation and a pivotal turning point in our lives. 

In September of 2010 our son started at Bridgeway Academy and the changes that we have seen have been simply remarkable. Not only is he actively engaged and participating in his classes, but he is gaining and developing the confidence he needs as well as much needed social and life skills. His anxiety issues are gone now and he is happy to go to school every day.....you cannot imagine what a relief it was for us all to have him happy once again and enjoying getting up and going to school every day.

With the results we have seen to date we are very confident that our son will continue to grow and develop at Bridgeway and they will help him gain the confidence and the strength that he will need to help him through his studies. There is no question that Bridgeway is the best choice for him as they will be able to provide him with the individualized attention that will cater to his needs and future development. It gives us great peace of mind to know that Bridgeway shares our views and concerns and will be our son's best advocate when it comes to helping children with learning disabilities. 

We would like nothing better than to integrate our son back into the public system, and we have asked ourselves this question over and over again and each time the answer is still no..... we will not jeopardize our child's future and everything he has learned at any cost, we simply cannot take that risk.  

The public school system just does not offer the support for our son that he requires, they simply are not equipped to handle children with special needs, we know we have done the research. He will not get the individualized attention that he needs and as a result he will be lost in the system as he once was before. We will not go back to how it was .....the tears, the frustration and lack of motivation we experienced on our son’s behalf as well as our own. At Bridgeway our children learn to deal with their disabilities, adapt and integrate their challenges into their everyday learning’s and the much needed life skills.

It is our hope that the TSP funding continues and does not stop short at the 3+1 year commitment. As for us and many other parents in the same situation, when the support funds run out we will do whatever it takes to keep our son at Bridgeway; unlike the TSP funding, SLD'S do not go away,

I share our story with you today in hopes that we can make a difference in the lives of these children, our story is only one of many and I appeal to you today to learn from our experience and help change the current support program and extend indefinitely to those in need. We desperately need more schools like Bridgeway in Atlantic Canada to give other children a fighting chance at life. Our children are our future and as a parent it is my responsibility to ensure my child, as well as others, get a fighting chance and every equal opportunity in life.  It's just the right thing to do.

Sincerely,  

A concerned and devoted parent.