In the Media

Ellie Featured on Radio-Canada

Our family’s journey was recently shared by Radio-Canada, helping raise awareness about the realities of raising a blind child in Northern Ontario and the need for better support for families like ours.

Ellie présentée par Radio-Canada

Le parcours de notre famille a récemment été presenter, par Radio-Canada, mettant en lumière la réalité de vivre avec un enfant aveugle dans le Nord de l’Ontario ainsi que le besoin d’un meilleur accès aux services, aux ressources et au soutien pour des familles comme la nôtre.

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In addition to the written article, this story was broadcast on television — watch the YouTube

report below.

Ce reportage a également été diffusé à la télévision — vous pouvez le visionner sur YouTube ci-dessous.

Click to Watch the Radio-Canada Televised Report

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Radio-Canada Article 2026

English Translation:

For accessibility and to reach more families, an English translation of the article is provided below.

Does Ontario Have a Plan to Support Blind Children in Rural Areas?

Appropriate support allows children who are blind or have low vision to thrive and achieve academic outcomes comparable to their sighted peers, even in remote regions.

Ellie, 3, was born completely blind due to Septo-Optic Dysplasia, a rare condition affecting her vision and development. Living in Chelmsford, she must travel to Toronto or Ottawa for most of her medical appointments.

Her mother, Kristina Cox, explains:

“All the specialists are outside the city… it makes things very difficult for her. It’s a long drive, a hotel stay, and many unfamiliar places.”

Ellie’s story reveals a broader issue: does Ontario have a coherent plan to support blind children? In Northern Ontario, the lack of adapted services makes everyday life especially difficult, as the Cox family experiences daily.

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The Invisible Daily Reality

Kristina describes how Ellie’s blindness turns nights into ongoing challenges. Without visual cues, Ellie does not have a circadian rhythm and her melatonin does not regulate naturally. Her sleep cycles break every two hours and have done so for three years, leaving the family exhausted.

“It’s hard for her, for me, and for my partner. My partner works six days a week, so I handle most nights… the lack of sleep is starting to affect me.”

Since Ellie was four months old, her parents have been waiting for in-home respite services.

“By the time I get the respite I need, she’ll already be in school,” Kristina says, pointing out the absurdity of the waitlists.

She also criticizes insufficient financial support and Canadian eligibility criteria that minimize the developmental impact of blindness. In Sudbury, there is no specialized school, which she says creates another barrier for families living in remote regions.

To raise awareness, Kristina Cox launched a blog about their daily life and challenges, while recognizing that awareness alone is not enough. Families in rural regions need an official plan with concrete resources.

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An Expert Raises Concerns

David Lepofsky, president of the Ontario Parents of Visually Impaired Children Association, calls the state of support for blind children in Ontario “shameful.”

“The Ontario government is terribly behind several other provinces,” he says.

He highlights a systemic crisis caused by a shortage of specialized teachers and orientation-and-mobility instructors. Unlike other governments, he explains, Ontario has limited training standards and no training centre since the Mohawk College program closed.

“The province does not require school boards to hire specialized teachers for students with visual impairments… there is no provincial standard for how many hours of support a blind child must receive,” he adds.

Lepofsky, himself blind and a parent, criticizes the inaction of Doug Ford’s government and Minister Paul Calandra for ignoring expert recommendations submitted in 2022 and failing to meet accessibility obligations.

He also notes the absence of official data on childhood blindness, forcing organizations to estimate the number of children like Ellie affected. Statistics Canada data begins at age 15, leaving a major gap in early childhood information.

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A Charter for Blind Children

Sarah Rouleau, a manager at CNIB, works to promote inclusion through innovative programs.

She explains that not all blind or low-vision children have equal opportunities to reach their full potential.

For this reason, CNIB launched the Blind Children’s Charter to guarantee early screening and equitable access to adapted school materials.

“We hope to reach 10,000 signatures for our Charter so we can have leverage with the government. We want national standards,” Rouleau explains.

Access to resources should not depend on chance, but should be an official process starting at registration or diagnosis.

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Government Response

Ontario’s Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services states by email that $110 million is allocated to early-intervention programs for blind and low-vision children.

This includes “preschool speech therapy, infant hearing screening, infant and child development services, and blindness and low-vision support.”

“The program provides family support and in-home intervention services, including in Sudbury,” the ministry adds.

The Ministry of Education says it provides specialized support to school boards.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health reports investing an additional $4 million into the Northern Health Travel Grant.

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Opposition Voices

France Gélinas, MPP for Nickel Belt and health critic, denounces a fragmented system that leaves families behind.

She says parents are forced to become “care coordinators” without proper training and points to underfunded agencies whose budgets have stagnated for 12 years.

“Being on a waitlist for respite since you were three months old is not acceptable.”

She also criticizes the separation between children’s services and the adult system, and calls for direct funding to centres so they can hire case coordinators.

Each day spent waiting, she says, is a missed opportunity for a child’s development.

Earlier Media Coverage: Ellie Featured on CTV News (2024)

Before Ellie turned two, our family had already begun speaking publicly about the challenges of raising a blind child in Northern Ontario. In May 2024, CTV News Northern Ontario shared our story, highlighting the long waitlists for services and the limited financial supports available to families like ours. At the time, the only financial support we qualified for was the Disability Tax Credit.

Today, with Ellie now three years old, many of those same challenges remain. This earlier coverage shows that these barriers are not temporary — they are part of an ongoing gap in services for children with visual impairments. You can read the article below here.

Couverture médiatique antérieure : Ellie présentée à CTV News (2024)

Avant même qu’Ellie ait deux ans, notre famille avait déjà commencé à parler publiquement des défis liés au fait d’élever un enfant aveugle dans le Nord de l’Ontario. En mai 2024, CTV News Northern Ontario a partagé notre histoire, mettant en lumière les longues listes d’attente pour les services ainsi que le soutien financier limité offert aux familles comme la nôtre. À ce moment-là, le seul soutien financier auquel nous étions admissibles était le Crédit d’impôt pour personnes handicapées.

Aujourd’hui, alors qu’Ellie a maintenant trois ans, plusieurs de ces mêmes défis persistent. Cette couverture antérieure démontre que ces obstacles ne sont pas temporaires — ils font partie d’un manque structurel et continu de services pour les enfants ayant une déficience visuelle.

Vous pouvez lire l’article ici :