Bill 82 & the Waterloo County Board of Education: A process consultation

The following thesis is a descriptive study of the perceived implementation of the Amendment to the Education Act 1974, more commonly known as ‘Bill 82.’ The context of this research was presented from the perspective of community psychology, more specifically, a process consultation approach utilizing the techniques of organizational development (O.D.). A cross-sectional sample of 434 voluntary participants were surveyed in this study. Respondents were selected across all levels of personnel within the Waterloo Country Board of Education and the sample consisted of: elected board trustees, upper administration, central office staff (consultants) and operations personnel (principals, vice-principals, teachers, and guidance counselors). Eleven survey instruments were designed and disseminated to each level of personnel and addressed the following areas: demographic information; general knowledge level of special education and in particular Bill 82; extent and awareness of utilization of special education materials and personnel available for consultation; general perceptions of objective and expectations of the implementation of Bill 82 with respect to current job role and overall system and lastly, if any, the salient needs as identified by the participants. The implications of knowledge and implementation are discussed