need like a wheelchair) whereas a mental health need, often, is not truly seen as a disease that needs attention.
A respondent said, "We [OT's] need benefits as soon as possible. Although I have my husband's benefits, any additional coverage helps us since it will be years before we recover financially from my four years of university. We have significant health problems in my family that require extensive use of medications, specialty equipment, and professional care not covered by OHIP." The majority of the participants believe that the current state of the collective agreement discriminates against those who require the EBP to support their mental health! The respondents realize the stigma that is attached to needing the required services for one's health. Nearly 80% of the respondents said that it was unethical for the government to leave OT's without access to the EBP. In response, one respondent said, "Since it is the government who has MANDATED that we cannot be employed full time for a minimum of a year and a half, they should also MANDATE benefits coverage for both LTO's and Occassional Teachers [sic]." I would have to agree with this statement. If the government has made a change, they should be responsible for taking care of those they have, I would say abandoned. The current contract, s another respondent said, "...is basically an unfair treatment of people."
Another respondent raises an important point when saying that "A lot can happen in one year, if a new teacher gets sick or requires some expensive medicine they will not receive any help even though they are part of the teaching working force. It is not fair to deny them this privilege." In one year, a lot can happen, and if one requires medical assistance in that time, they will be unable to access the EBP. The results state that each of the stressors identified in the survey pose some concern for the students. A few students stated other stressors in the comments section that could be categorized in the stated topics: 85% of the students feel like balancing your