The Nova Scotia government has finally released the long awaited Continuing Care/Services for Persons with Disabilities discussion paper. It's entitled "Putting People First - Working Together to Support Independence and Dignity".
A series of community meetings have been set up by Department of Community Services and parents and self-advocates are encouraged to attend. Not only does NSACL strongly encourage you to review the document and attend a local community meeting, but so do I.
Please. As family members, if they can't make their voices heard on their own, it is up to us to do so for them. Whether that means attending and speaking on their behalf or attending with your family member, speaking yourself and encouraging them to say what they can, we can't miss this opportunity.
And if your family member is relatively high-functioning, you might just want to give the latter a try. I was amazed at how well my daughter did at one of the housing consultations earlier this year. Sitting at a table without me but where she fortuitously knew one other person, she was helped to put together what SHE needed to say and she did a great job. Not only was it incredibly empowering for her but it seemed to make a real impact on the room.
The Discussion Paper : "Putting People First - Working Together to Support Independence and Dignity"
Schedule of Community Meetings
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