Creating School Spaces for Daily Living Skills, Independence, and Meaningful Participation

Creating School Spaces for Daily Living Skills, Independence, and Meaningful Participation
Supporting individualized programming and transition-focused learning for students with intellectual disabilities in Manitoba schools
Manitoba's Starting Point
In Manitoba, inclusion is a way of thinking and acting that allows every individual to feel accepted, valued, and safe.
Inclusive communities evolve to meet the changing needs of their members and provide meaningful involvement and equal access to the benefits of citizenship.
Appropriate Educational Programming
School boards are required to provide appropriate educational programming for all students.
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Provincial Curriculum
For most students, this is the provincial curriculum.
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Additional Supports
For some students, additional supports are needed to access the curriculum.
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Highly Individualized Outcomes
For a smaller number of students, highly individualized learning outcomes may be needed in addition to or instead of the provincial curriculum.
Why This Matters for Some Students
For some students with intellectual disabilities, appropriate educational programming includes individualized programming that focuses on functionally appropriate learning experiences related to building independence in domains outside the provincial curriculum.
This supports meaningful involvement in the school community and promotes student well-being.
A Manitoba-Aligned Vision for These Spaces
What These Spaces Are
Accessible, respectful environments
Places to develop independence
Spaces for meaningful participation
Settings for success in school and community-related routines
What These Spaces Are Not
Not about lowering expectations
Not about separating students from school life
Not intended to direct placement into specialized educational settings
Manitoba guidance stresses that these supports are not intended to direct placement into specialized educational settings.
What Individualized Programming Can Include
Individualized programming may include student-specific outcomes connected to:
Daily Living Skills
Personal Care & Self-Management
Communication & Self-Advocacy
Social Interaction & Leisure
Safety Skills
Community Participation
Money, Time & Routines
These outcomes are written in an IEP and developed through student-specific planning.
Daily Living Skills at School
Examples of functionally appropriate school-based learning experiences may include:
Following a visual schedule
Cleaning up personal or shared spaces
Putting away materials
Preparing a simple snack or drink
Organizing supplies
Practising hygiene and self-care routines
Asking for help or requesting a break
These kinds of routines fit Manitoba's emphasis on building independence through individualized programming.
Meaningful School Jobs
Schools can create purposeful opportunities for students to contribute through simple, valued jobs such as:
Delivering materials
Restocking supplies
Watering plants
Wiping tables
Recycling and tidying
Organizing classroom or library materials
Helping prepare materials for activities
These tasks support participation, responsibility, and belonging within the school community. That direction fits Manitoba's inclusion language around meaningful involvement and participation in the social life of schools.
Play, Leisure, and Peer Connection
Manitoba's inclusion framework supports student participation in both the academic and social life of schools. For this reason, individualized programming should also include opportunities for:
Play
Structured and unstructured play opportunities that build skills and joy
Leisure
Shared leisure routines that connect students to school life
Peer Interaction
Meaningful connection with peers through shared activities and routines
Fun, friendship, and belonging are not extras. They are part of quality educational programming.
Community and Transition-Focused Learning
Transition planning in Manitoba encourages schools and families to think about community experiences, adult options, volunteering, recreation, work/community placements, and living in the community with increasing independence.
Life-Long Learning
Employment & Career Development
Building Social Networks & Inclusion
Living in the Community with Independence
Money and Store Skills
Functional learning may include:
Skills Practised
Identifying money
Selecting an item
Checking a price
Making a purchase
Greeting others
Waiting and taking turns
Saying thank you
Why It Matters
This kind of learning fits a transition-oriented approach because Manitoba's protocol encourages assessment and practice in real-life settings such as worksites, homes, and retail stores.
Internet and Phone Safety
For some students, individualized programming may include explicit teaching in safety and self-protection, including:
Not sharing personal information
Checking with a trusted adult before responding online
Recognizing unsafe or suspicious messages
Using respectful and safe communication
Knowing what to do when something feels confusing or unsafe
These are appropriate student-specific outcomes when they are connected to independence and community safety.
Teaching About Scams Safely
Schools can teach simple, concrete safety lessons such as:
Fake Prize Messages
Messages claiming you've won something you didn't enter
Strangers Asking for Personal Info
Requests for an address or phone number from unknown contacts
Requests for Money or Passwords
Any message asking for financial or login information
Fake Online Friendships
People online who are not who they say they are
Urgent Pop-Ups
Messages telling someone to act right away
The goal is functional safety: stop, do not respond, and check with a trusted adult.
Student-Specific Planning Matters
Manitoba describes a student-specific plan as a planning, record-keeping, and communication tool developed and implemented by a team to address the unique learning needs of a student.
Family and Student Participation
Parents and students should have opportunities to participate in development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
Case Manager Designation
Principals designate a case manager to coordinate the student-specific plan.
From IEP to Daily Practice
Manitoba's guidance says the classroom teacher creates a daily plan that links the IEP to daily instruction, using the existing timetable and daily activities, along with specific supports, strategies, and materials.
This means daily living skills and independence goals should be embedded in real school routines, not treated as disconnected add-ons.
Transition Planning Begins Early
The provincial transition protocol says planning should begin in the school year when the student enters high school.
Students, families, schools, and community partners work together over time to support a coordinated transition from school to life in the community.
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High School Entry
Transition planning begins
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Planning Meetings
Students, families, schools, and community partners collaborate
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Community Experiences
Real-life practice in community settings
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Graduation & Adult Life
Coordinated transition to community living
A Person-Centred Approach
Person-centred transition planning in Manitoba focuses on the student's interests, strengths, needs, and circumstances.
Strengths
What the student does well and brings to every setting
Interests
What the student enjoys and is motivated by
Needs
Supports and accommodations that help the student thrive
Future Goals
Hopes and aspirations for adult life
Supports
People and resources that increase capacity for participation
The goal is optimum quality of life in adulthood, with supports that increase the student's capacity for meaningful participation in community life.
Key Message
For some students, meaningful education includes more than academic outcomes alone.
Building Independence
Learning to manage daily life with growing confidence and skill
Staying Safe
Learning to stay safe in school, online, and in the community
Participating in School & Community Life
Belonging and contributing in meaningful ways
Developing Social Networks
Building friendships and connections that last beyond school
Preparing for Adult Life
With dignity and support, ready for what comes next
That is fully consistent with Manitoba's approach to inclusion, appropriate educational programming, and transition planning.
Closing
When schools intentionally create spaces and routines for daily living skills, leisure, safety, and community participation, they are not stepping outside education.
They are delivering appropriate educational programming in ways that honour inclusion, support individualized planning, and prepare students for meaningful adult life.
Honour Inclusion
Grounded in Manitoba's vision of belonging and equal access
Support Individualized Planning
Connected to IEPs and student-specific goals
Prepare for Meaningful Adult Life
Building the skills, safety, and connections students need to thrive