Effective Practices

Across Canada, there are numerous examples of how governments, community agencies and private businesses are enhancing the accessibility, portability and individualized focus of disability supports.

Providing individualized funding and support

Manitoba Health Home Care Program
In 1991, Manitoba Health initiated a two-year self-managed care pilot program, which was successfully expanded in 1995 into a care option for adults with disabilities. A second option, launched in 1999, makes self-managed care available to the families of adults with disabilities. Both programs allow individuals to hire, train and manage their care requirements independently.

The Independent Living Resource Centre in Winnipeg was actively involved in establishing the program and now plays a program support role. Darlene Marcoux is the Independent Living Resource Centre's Self-Managed Care co-ordinator and she is self-managing her own disability supports arrangements. She works full-time, is raising an 18-year-old daughter, and attends night school two evenings a week to pursue studies in volunteer management. Darlene says: "This program has had a terrific impact on my life. Having the flexibility to hire my own staff means that I can make changes to my care schedule at a moment's notice. I also experience far less staff turnover, which means I spend less time orienting new people. Without this program, I'm not sure I would have made the decision to pursue studies in the evening."

Neil Squire Foundation
The Neil Squire Foundation, a national organization with headquarters in British Columbia, works to develop adaptive devices and alternative methods of computer access for persons with major physical challenges. Computer interfaces, mouth-operated computer joysticks, environmental control switches, audiovisual note-taking devices and brain-computer interfaces are examples of the devices they develop.

The foundation also offers programs that include literacy and math upgrading, computer training and Creative Employment Options. The latter is a comprehensive, customized pre-employment readiness program in which staff members design individual programs that allow clients to expand their skills and knowledge in computer applications, adaptive technology, and vocational preparation. The program is client-focused, rather than program-driven, and benefits from a strongly committed staff, many of whom have a disability themselves.

Alberta's Persons with Developmental Disabilities Initiative
Persons with Developmental Disabilities is a community-governed, province-wide organization in Alberta that is a leader in supporting adults with developmental disabilities to live in the community. Governed by provincial and community boards, the organization provides people with supports based on their individual needs, including community living supports, employment supports, community access supports and specialized supports.

Persons with Developmental Disabilities supports about 7,500 people, most of whom live in the community. About 3,000 of these people receive individual funding that allows them to purchase their own supports. These supports range from a few hours of assistance per week to 24-hour support. Persons with Developmental Disabilities has given Alberta a reputation for providing cutting-edge services to citizens with developmental disabilities.

Enhancing access to disability supports

Northwest Territories Study Grant
A new study grant, offered to students in the Northwest Territories, provides an example of how governments are offering direct grants to individuals to offset the cost of disability-related supports.

Beginning in July 2000, full- and part-time post secondary students with disabilities in the Northwest Territories were eligible to apply for study grants to cover direct costs associated with their disabilities. These could include fees for tutors, interpreters, note takers and attendant services, as well as transportation and equipment expenses. The program is designed to complement the Canada Study Grant.

British Columbia's Adult Services Program
The Adult Services Program is a joint project of British Columbia's Ministry of Social Development and Economic Security and the Vancouver School Board. Through this program, adults with disabilities who are post-secondary students and/or clients of Vocational Rehabilitation Services are eligible for one-stop special technology support.

Adaptive technology is managed in a 'loan bank.' The services provided by Adult Services Program include adaptive technology assessment and consultation, loans of adaptive technology and training on the use of technology equipment.

Ontario's Community AccessAbility Program
The Community AccessAbility program was established in March 1999, to encourage not-for-profit, non-government, community-based organizations in Ontario to enter into partnerships with local businesses, service organizations, and persons with disabilities, to make their community more accessible. As of March 1, 2000, the program had funded 46 projects involving 154 community partners and over 3,300 persons with disabilities, 34 events and delivery of 28 workshops. It resulted in the production of 24,500 pieces of information.

Nova Scotia's Community ACCESS-ability Program
The Community ACCESS-ability program funds the addition of wheelchair ramps, automatic doors and other improvements to community facilities all over Nova Scotia. It does this by providing grants to municipalities and non-profit organizations. By the summer of 2000, 28 projects had been approved.

The four-year, $1.2 million program was developed in consultation with community and advocacy groups. The government contributes two dollars for every dollar raised in the community.

Charlie MacDonald, executive director of the Disabled Persons Commission, said: "These 28 projects are a good first step. One in five Nova Scotians has a disability, and having equal access to public buildings and facilities is their fundamental right."

Task Force on Access to Information for Print-Disabled Canadians
In June 2000, Mr. Roch Carrier, National Librarian of Canada, and Dr. Euclid Herie, President and CEO of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, formed a Task Force on Access to Information for Print-disabled Canadians, to address the need for inclusive public policy and a plan to ensure accessible information.

The Task Force, through six open consultations and written submissions from consumers, consumer groups, service producers and service providers, has recognized the importance of disability supports to ensure the principle of full citizenship and access to employment, learning and social programs. Submissions have endorsed the need for Canadian alternate format materials, accessible Web standards, a network of production and service centres, and have recommended a central repository for electronic texts.

Improving access to supports for people living in under-serviced areas

Inclusive Transportation Initiative
In Nova Scotia, a pilot inclusive transportation initiative is helping to provide transportation services to persons with disabilities who live in under-serviced areas.

Dial-A-Ride Nova Scotia allows people to pre-book an "inclusive ride" to anywhere in the province as long as a service provider is available. The pilot project is providing transportation services to all members of the community, whether they are people with disabilities or not. The pilot project is now operating 10 to12 vehicles in four counties. Partnerships between provincial, federal, municipal and community agencies are a key feature of this initiative.

Building networks at regional and national levels

Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network
In 1989, a group of British Columbia families established the Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network, a non-profit charity created by, and for, families that have a relative with a disability. It helps families to investigate alternatives for guardianship, explore contribution opportunities, find ways to reduce isolation and loneliness, and consider avenues that will ensure their children have adequate assets.

Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network has also developed partnerships with organizations that are open to finding new ways of doing business, including working with organizations that are open to social entrepreneurial opportunities. For example, it established a partnership with VanCity Credit Union to develop services that were more responsive to persons with disabilities and their families.

Al Etmanski, one of the group's co-founder says, "It was a win-win situation. VanCity saw the chance to increase its business by tailoring services for this population, and we saw an opportunity to raise funds working with their Employee Assistance Program and members. Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network continues to reap benefits from this alliance. We're now looking for other alliances that allow us to develop this type of leveraging strategy."

National Educational Association of Disabled Students
Information on financial assistance for students with disabilities is a critical resource that contributes to accessibility. The National Education Association of Disabled Students maintains a national directory of financial assistance programs on-line, including scholarships and bursaries from voluntary organizations. EdLink allows people to connect to disability service centres or special needs offices at 120 campuses nationwide.

The National Educational Association of Disabled Students also provides a variety of other assistance to students with disabilities, ranging from leadership development projects to conferences, a widely used web site and advocacy on post-secondary campuses.

Effective practices by and for Aboriginal people

National Aboriginal Clearing/Connecting House on Disability Issues
This organization provides information to Aboriginal people with disabilities to support their efforts to achieve labour market attachment and full citizenship in their communities and larger society. It does this by developing, maintaining and making available a database of information on programs, services and organizations that can assist Aboriginal people with disabilities. Staff members are active in providing community workshops on Aboriginal disability issues, and the organization disseminates information on a national level to Aboriginal people with disabilities, as well as to practitioners in the disability field. It also conducts research on disability issues of common interest to Aboriginal communities.

Métis National Council Reference Group on Ability Issues
The Métis National Council recognizes the issues that Métis people with a disability face in Canadian society and in November 1995, issued a decree that a national strategy be developed in which Métis people with a disability receive culturally-specific, community-based services.

Following this decision, the Métis National Council and the Canadian Paraplegic Association established a partnership agreement to develop a pilot project that would provide for the transfer of vocational and rehabilitative counselling skills to Méétis people with a disability to act as peer counsellors to their communities. This resulted in the initial formation of the Métis National Council Reference Group on Ability Issues. The Canadian Paraplegic Association furthered this partnership with the intention to provide culturally appropriate services to Métis people with a disability and the devolution of some services to the Aboriginal organizations. Notwithstanding this agreement, the parties agree there is a need to increase the capacity of Métis communities to deliver these services by, for and to Métis people with disabilities.

In January 1999, Human Resources Development Canada provided funding to the Métis National Council for the project entitled, "Empowerment: The Key to Better Living for Métis People with Disabilities." The focus of the project was the developmental processes for the formulation of a national strategy for Métis people with disabilities. A direct result of this project was the formation of the Métis National Council Reference Group on Ability Issues. Its membership comprises individuals who are appointed by the President of the provincial governing member associations of the Métis National Council. This forum provides a Métis grassroots perspective on programming and services for Métis people with a disability.

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