According to reports, a nine-year-old girl with Down syndrome was recently denied access to an art class, and her mother is now speaking out.
Katie Jameson had signed her daughter Kenzie up for a class with 4 Cats Art Studio, and said she would stay with Kenzie to act as her support person. She was hopeful that Kenzie would be participating in a class of children her own age.
“We are looking for an experience for her to be alongside peers, where she could feel happy and included and feel joy doing something that wasn’t in our house,” Jameson told CityNews Vancouver. “I offered to join my daughter and sit alongside her to facilitate an accessible support so that she could participate. The next day, I got an email back stating that because of her need for a support person, she was not allowed to attend class.”
Instead, the studio suggested that Kenzie join a weekend class designed for families, not specifically children her own age. The studio said it was not equipped to support children with specific needs, like Down syndrome, and that Jameson’s presence there would disrupt the class for the other children.
Jameson was disheartened.
“In all corners of our communities, kids with disabilities are being kept out, and if there aren’t kids with disabilities in programs, it’s not because they don’t want to be there; it’s because they aren’t allowed to come in,” said Jameson.
Inclusive education — in which children with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, or other health conditions are integrated into the ‘typical’ classroom — is beneficial for all students. The Princeton Review notes that inclusive education offers a positive learning environment and students’ development of empathy and understanding for others. It also helps build confidence and a sense of community and belonging.
In a statement to CityNews, 4 Cats Art Studio said, “If a child requires one-on-one adult support during a kids-only class, we are happy to accommodate a parent or caregiver, provided they complete a current criminal record check. This policy is in place to help maintain a safe and supportive environment for all children.”
It added that it will be reviewing and updating its inclusion policy.
“I know that if exclusion like this continues, Kenzie faces lifelong isolation and discrimination,” said Jameson, “and she will not be wrapped in a community, and she will feel alone and she will feel … neglected.”
