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THE VOICE OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN MANITOBA

The Voice of People with Disabilities: Making a Difference in Manitoba 1

was compiled by Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities Social Planning Council of Winnipeg Disabilities Issues Office of Manitoba Council of Canadians with Disabilities

with the generous support of the Allan Simpson Memorial Fund, managed by the Winnipeg Foundation. Note: An electronic copy of The Voice of People with Disabilities: Making a Difference in Manitoba can be found on the Manitoba League website: www.mlpd.mb.ca

1 Theviewsandopinionsexpressedinthispublicationarenotnecessarilythoseheldbythe organizationsthatcompiledit.Thearticlespresentpersonalreflectionsabouttheaccomplishments whichhavebeenachievedbytheManitobadisabilitycommunity.

THE VOICE OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN MANITOBA

2012

Table of Content

Ministers Message
The Honourable Jennifer Howard, 1 Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities

Foreword
Paula Keirstead 4 Co-chair, Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities

Foreword
Jess Turner 8 Co-chair, Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities

Allan Simpson Memorial Fund

Allan Simpson Memorial Fund Events 13

Creating Change
The Times, They Were Achanging
David Steen 19

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Women with Disabilities - Thirty Years

Emily A. Ternette 25

The Canadian Disability Rights Movement Goes International

Yutta Fricke 28

Still a Long Ways To Go!

Chris Summerville, D.Min., CPRP 32

Winnipeg Community Centre of the Deaf

Manitoba Deaf Association, Inc. 35

A Voice Like No Other: Ours

Diane Driedger 38

We All Have a Voice

Bonnie Heath (Dubienski) 41

Toward a Barrier-Free Province

Patrick Falconer 44

The Creation of the Disabilities Issues Office

Yutta Fricke 48

Looking Back....
Marsha Dozar 51

Building on the Foundation of Independent Living

John Young 54

RCMDB: A Unique Program in Canada

Jane Sayer 57

Winnipeg Citizen Advocacy: Promoting Independent, Trustworthy and Lasting Social Connections
Dean Richert 60

Changes to Manitoba Building Codes

Gail Finkel 63

Disability Access and Inclusion: Benefits for Others

Laurie Beachell 68

Manitoba Access Awareness Week (MAAW): Looking Back and Looking Forward into the Future
Colleen Watters 72

The Voice of Manitoba First Nations with Disabilities

Diane Scribe Niiganii, BGS, BA (4 year) 75

Inclusion
Personal Reflection
Emily A. Ternette 81

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A Seachange in the Attitude Towards Disability

Nicola Schaefer 84

A Reflection on 30 YearsThe Power of the Dream

Dale Kendel 87

Self and Family Managed Care

Terry McIntosh 92

Your Vote Please

Ross Eadie 95

The Emergence of Individualized Funding in Manitoba--In The Company of Friends

Clare Simpson 98

Long Journey to Citizenship

Janet Forbes 103
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For My Loving Mother and Father

Bonnie Heath (Dubienski)

My Personal Reflections on the Last 30 Years of Manitobans with Disabilities

Lori L. Ross 109

The Development of Self Managed Attendant Services in Manitoba

Dave Martin 113

Wolf Wolfensberger and His Impact in Manitoba

Zana Marie Lutfiyya 116

Transitioning into Adulthood in Manitoba A 30 Year Retrospective

Anne Kresta 120

Freedom of Choice Is Important

Leslee Gislason 125

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Celebrating Our Accomplishments

Antoinette Zloty, MSW, BSW, RSW 128

The Impact of the Social Development Partnerships Program on the Ethnocultural Disability Communities
Dr. Zephania Matanga 131

Access and Inclusion Are Good Public Policy

Valerie Wolbert 134

Records of a Living History

Sara Harms 137

Allan: A True Model of Humanity

Rick Zimmer 140

Recreation/Leisure Integration: The First Frontier?

Laurie Beachell 143

Janes Story
Jane Sayer 147

A R T: Art Renovates Thinking

Jane Burpee 150

Taking Our Rightful Place in the Community

Harry Wolbert 154

Personal Reflection on Accomplishments of the Disability Movement Over the Past Thirty Years
Don Fuchs 157

Just a Normal Life!

Zanna Joyce 160

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Housing
Ten Ten Sinclair Housing Take One: Reviewing the Experience
Ken Cassin 167

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Reflections on Universal Design in the City of Winnipeg

Judy Redmond 171

Visitability - Is It Too Much to Ask?

Olga Krassioukova-Enns 174

When No Other Approach Will Serve

Mel Graham 178

Mental Health Disability and Homelessness Current Thinking

Marcia Thomson 180

Ten Ten Sinclair Housing Take Two: Living the Experience

Debbie Van Ettinger 183

A Dream that Became a Success Story

Dave Martin 186

Education And Work

Opportunity Knocks
Brian Stewart 191

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Transitioning from School to Work in Manitoba

Anne Kresta 196

Reflections on the Supported Employment Movement in Manitoba

Oly Backstrom

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30 Years of the Disability Community Communicating with Labour to Increase Hiring

Daniel Halechko 204

Challenges in the Labour Market

Rob McInnes 207

Advocacy for Inclusive Education In the Beginning One Familys Story

Laura and Karen Schnellert 210

The Door That Opened A Crack When Opportunity Knocked

Mel Graham 213

Hard Facts and Soft Values: Teaching Medical Students about the Lived Experience of Disability
Rhonda Wiebe and Joseph Kaufert 216

Human Rights
Yvonne Peters 223

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A Missed Wedding, a Landmark Protest and a Legal Victory Inclusion of Disability Rights in the Equality Rights Section of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Jim Derksen 229

Systemic Settlements of Human Rights Complaints Have Removed Barriers

Dianna Scarth 233

Jordans Principle
Anne Levesque 237

Rights for Persons with Disabilities in Manitoba

Derek Legge 239

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Transportation

243

When Ross Eadie Held Up the Bus: For bus drivers, was it merely an inconvenience to call out stops?
Ross Eadie 245

Accessible Taxicab Services in Winnipeg

Jim Derksen 249

The Development of an Accessible Urban Transportation System

Dave Martin 253

Disability Studies
Disability Studies
Olga Krassioukova-Enns 261

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A Community Effort: Interdisciplinary Disability Studies at the University of Winnipeg

Michelle Owen 265

A View from the Academy

Nancy E. Hansen, Ph.D. 270

Disability Studies: A Transforming Space

Deborah Stienstra 273

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Ministers Message

the Honourable Jennifer Howard, Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities

On the occasion of the Allan Simpson Memorial Fund

Date: March 21, 2012 Place: The Rotunda, Legislative Building, 450 Broadway, Winnipeg MB Greetings,

As Manitobas Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities, I am inspired by the accomplishments made by, and for, people with disabilities over the past few decades.

Just a short time ago, it was widely believed that people with disabilities had little to offer society. Starting in the 1970s, however, the disability movement challenged this attitude by advocating that people with disabilities had the right to be included in all aspects of society.

This advocacy has had a profound effect on Manitoba. People with disabilities are now protected by Manitobas Human Rights Code and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Accessible transportation systems now exist in many communities. Programs supporting people with disabilities to live in the community have expanded. Improvements have been made to income and employment programs. Inclusive education is now the norm as children with disabilities are attending regular classrooms across the province. Community accessibility has improved. Accessible and supportive housing options are more widely available.

In 2000, the disability community worked with Manitobas government to see the establishment of a provincial Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities. This led to the release of Full Citizenship: A Manitoba Provincial Strategy on Disability (2001) and the creation of the Disabilities Issues Office. More recently, in June 2011, The Accessibility Advisory Council Act was passed by the provincial Legislative Assembly. The council created by this Act will identify barriers that people with disabilities face and find new ways to prevent and remove those barriers.

While government has been a partner in these developments, it is important to recognize that Manitobans with disabilities and their organizations have been instrumental in much of the progress that has occurred. Their powerful advocacy has educated all of us about the needs and concerns of people with disabilities. The disability movement has also led the way in finding solutions to remove the barriers preventing people with disabilities from enjoying full citizenship.

Although more work needs to take place to ensure people with disabilities are fully included in society, it is important to reflect on how far we have come. I congratulate the disability community for publishing this historical account of the successes that have been achieved.

Thank you.

Foreword

BY PAULA KEIRSTEAD1 Co-chair, Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities

Thirty-eight years ago I was a young idealistic woman who wanted to find my path to make some kind of positive contribution to this world. I stumbled upon a group of nice people living with various types of disabilities who were really working hard to have their views heard and

MsPaulaKeirsteadisanindividualandsystemicrightsadvocateprimarilyintheareasofdisability, women'sissuesandpovertyandhasaddressedtheseissuesatthelocal,provincial,nationaland internationallevels.PresentlysheworksatLegalAidManitobaasaCommunityAdvocatewiththe PovertyLawUnit.

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rights respected. I decided to lend a hand and do what I could to help these disadvantaged people out. My personal and professional education and awareness began then. Little did I know that my life would be permanently and irrevocably altered having joined my voice with other members of the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities Inc.!

The individuals I met like Allan Simpson, Henry Enns, Jim Derksen, Elizabeth Semkiw, Brian Stewart, Michael Rosner, Clare Simpson had such a clear sense of who they were; what they wanted; and how they wanted to contribute to society as valued citizens. I was awestruck, but I didn't see myself as one of them, only as someone on the edges who could help out when needed.

You see even though I acquired a significant visual disability within hours of my birth, I didn't define myself as a person with a disability and couldn't imagine society would either. After all, my eyes are only one part of my whole being and therefore I assumed I would be considered based on what I could do, not just on what I couldn't do. I was wrong and felt that rejection when I tried to pursue postsecondary education. Unrealistic and inaccurate visual challenges were placed before me and used as reasons to refuse accepting me into a profession I had wanted to be in since I was seven years old. I was devastated and

confused.

When I talked with my new colleagues at the MLPD Inc. about this during our many issue/strategy committee meetings they helped me see that there were attitudinal and social barriers to my participation as a person with disability, the result of which was not only devastating but also discriminatory. It was at that moment I embraced the rights, self-help philosophy of the MLPD Inc. and channelled my skills and abilities into letting society know what we all miss out on when we limit our view of which individuals can contribute to our world and share the rights and responsibilities of being full citizens.

While I ultimately obtained my Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Manitoba I always say that I learned how to be an effective social change agent as a member of the MLPD Inc.! It was, and still is, this school of disability activism that I continue to turn to and participate in and presently offer leadership and experience as Cochairperson. My experience is not unique in that there are numerous examples of where individuals, institutions, and I dare say governments have been educated about the realities of persons living with disabilities and what is needed to level the playing field so all can be full citizens.

Having an active organization such as the MLPD Inc. in our province has instigated and supported many positive changes in our society which are so eloquently shared in this booklet by the many contributors. A strong and vibrant MLPD Inc. has spawned many skilled and committed citizens with all types of disabilities who have enthusiastically participated in the shaping and enhancement of our society as a whole.

Welcoming the new energy and ideas of the youth with disabilities will ensure that the legacy of the disability rights movement in Manitoba is alive and well!

Foreword

BY JESS TURNER1 Co-chair, Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities

As recently elected Co-chair of MLPD, I have been involved in the organization for two years now. During my time at the University of Winnipeg, I actively participated in Students for Inclusion and helped raise awareness concerning the accessibility of the university. As a recent graduate, making the transition to MLPD seemed to be a very natural and timely move. In the two short years I have been involved with the organization, I have learned a great deal about

JessTurnerisarecentgraduateoftheUniversityofWinnipeg,withaBachelorofArtsinConflict ResolutionStudiesandPsychology.JesscurrentlyworksfortheUniversityasanAccessibilityAdvisor. AlthoughshegrewupinWinnipeg,Jesshasspentmanyyearslivingoverseas,andlovestotraveland experiencenewcultures.

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the various issues persons with disabilities still face in our community. I am constantly enlightened and invigorated by those who are involved with the League.

This booklet has been created to celebrate the 38 glorious years that MLPD has been around for, by highlighting accomplishments and sharing personal anecdotes, but also serves to underscore the value that MLPD and its members will continue to provide for decades to come. It is vital that disabled members of the community present a strong, united voice as this province seeks to enact and implement accessibility legislation. And as a younger member of the League, I strongly encourage, and will actively strive to get, more young people to become involved with the organization.

Those who have been involved with MLPD, pretty much since its inception, serve as positive mentors to me and other younger members, by sharing an endless supply of knowledge and experience. For this reason alone, more young people must become involved with the League to pass the torch and continue to fight the good fight! As Co-chair, it is my hope that not only will more young people become inspired by, and become active in, the League, but that these youth will represent the diverse population of our community, including LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender), Aboriginals, and

Newcomers especially. These members of our community present a unique set of challenges, as well as providing a fresh perspective on the issues we all face as persons living with disabilities and chronic illnesses.

Aside from the issues that persons with disabilities face on a day-to-day basis, I am particularly interested in, and have done research into, how people develop a healthy identity as a person with a disability. I believe that societal changes with regards to the perception of disability can only come about if we are able to present a healthy image of ourselves to others and exhibit an active voice within the community. My involvement with the League has helped shaped my identity as a person with a disability and will continue to have impact on the directions I take in the future. It is my hope that other young people with disabilities can have similar experiences through their involvement with MLPD.

Warm Regards.

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Allan Simpson Memorial Fund

Allan Simpson (1939-1998) believed everyone, including people with disabilities, has a place in their community and that people with disabilities should live, go to school, work, worship and enjoy leisure activities alongside others. To ensure that people with disabilities have a voice in community decision-making, Allan worked tirelessly to build the disability movement. Allans dream was that inclusion would become what all people with disabilities could expect from society. To make this a reality, he recruited teams of people to develop community organizations. The concrete results of Allans dedication can be seen in: Canadian Wheelchair

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Sports, the housing program at 1010 Sinclair, the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities, the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, the Winnipeg Independent Living Resource Centre and other Centres across Canada and CBCs show Moving On.

The Allan Simpson Memorial Fund, established to recognize Allans contribution to the disability movement, supports community development and team building among people with disabilities.

The Fund is used to: Support initiatives which contribute to the full and equal participation of people with disabilities in community life;

Develop new Independent Living initiatives of persons with disabilities;

Recognize the achievements of persons with disabilities.

Donations for the Allan Simpson Memorial Fund may be forwarded to: The Winnipeg Foundation 1350 One Lombard Place

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Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 0X3

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Allan Simpson Memorial Fund Events

2008

People with Disabilities from Holocaust to Human Rights Program: Lecture by Dr. Simi Linton, Ph.D. and showing of documentary film Liebe Perla

Partners: Arthur Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice, B'nai Brith Canada, Canadian Centre on Disability Studies, Community Legal Education Association, Community Living Manitoba, Council of Canadians with Disabilities, DisAbled Womens Network Manitoba, Independent Living Resource Centre of Winnipeg, Jewish Federation of Winnipeg Womens Campaign, LEAF Manitoba, Little People of Manitoba, Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties, Manitoba Interfaith Council, Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities, People First of Canada, People First of Manitoba, University of Manitoba Disability Studies Program, University of Winnipeg - Global College.

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2005

Access the World Program: Guest speakers shared their views on the various dimensions of access: David Northcott (Poverty), Diane Scribe-Niigani (First Nations), Rt. Hon. Edward Schreyer (Political Perspective) Jenny Gerbasi (City of Winnipeg), Ross Eadie (Building Code and the Political System), Lori Wiebe (Communications Technology), Joel Casselman (Visitable Design), Chris Summerville (Mental Health Issues).

Partners: Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities and the Council of Canadians with Disabilities.

2004

Abuse, Inquest, Concern, Awareness and Action...Have Things Improved Since the Death of Cory Moar? Program: Workshops about the Cory Moar Case, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Luncheon Speaker Hon. Steven Fletcher.

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Partners: Association for Community Living Manitoba, Council of Canadians with Disabilities.

2003 (December) Twenty Years of Litigating for Disability Equality Rights: Has It Made A Difference?

Program: Panel with Yvonne Peters, Jim Derksen, Sarah Lugtig, Dianna Scarth.

Partner: Council of Canadians with Disabilities.

2003 (June) Addressing Violence and Abuse Against Persons with Disabilities Program: Lecture by Cam Crawford, Roeher Institute.

Partners: Independent Living Resource Centre and Council of Canadians with Disabilities.

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Creating Change

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BY DAVID STEEN
1

The Times, They Were Achanging

It was a period of unrest, of change, an awakening. It spanned several years, and drove public consciousness and governments at the local, regional, national and international levels to new and different ways of perceiving and addressing issues of disability.

It included numerous milestone events, each of which added to the collective transformation of thinking about our society and the place of people with disabilities within it.

1981 International Year of Disabled Persons: International One such event in 1981, was the International Year of Disabled Persons (IYDP); a year-long event of international stature sandwiched
1 DavidSteen:
Experienceinthegovernanceofseveralconsumerorganizations Experienceinthegovernanceofaprofessionalrehaborganization Experienceinthemanagementofaprofessionalrehaborganization,currentlyservingastheCEO ofSMD Experienceinlivingwithadisabilityandseeingonadailybasisthestarkcontrastbetweenreality andthedream.

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between a consumer protest at the 1980 World Congress of Rehabilitation International, hosted by the Canadian Rehabilitation Council for the Disabled (CRCD) and Rehabilitation International (which ultimately led to the creation of Disabled Peoples International - DPI) and the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the latter part of 1981.

The theme of IYDP was full participation and equality, defined as the right of persons with disabilities to take part fully in the life and development of their societies, enjoy living conditions equal to those of other citizens, and have an equal share in improved conditions resulting from socio-economic development http://history.dircsa.org.au/19001999/international-year-of-disabled-persons/

1981 International Year of Disabled Persons: Canada In respect of the International Year, the Government of Canada appointed an all-party Special Committee on the Disabled and the Handicapped to undertake a comprehensive review of federal legislation pertaining to persons with disabilities. The Committee produced the Obstacles Report which put forward 130 recommendations on all aspects of public policy including human rights, income security,

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assistive devices, transportation and communications. The Obstacles Report was unique because it put forth policy recommendations that arose from the voices of people with disabilities. For the first time, the government was consulting people with disabilities about the types of policies and programs that would best help them achieve full citizenship.

Citizenship became an important goal for the disability community in Canada. People with disabilities were becoming vocal in expressing their desire to be considered full citizens rather than passive recipients of services. Most importantly, the rise of consumer-based organizations of and for people with disabilities helped people with disabilities lobby for policies and programs that expressed their needs and desires.

One of the most important advances for disability-related policy in Canada was the constitutional recognition of the rights of people with disabilities in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This achievement marked the first important step of the disability community in their lobbying efforts. The original version of the Charter, proposed by the federal government in October 1980, did not include any reference to mental and physical disability as specific grounds of discrimination. Due to strong

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and persistent lobbying of the organizations of the disability community in Canada, the phrase was added to the final version in April 1981 http://www.disabilitypolicy.ca/policy/overview/c ommunity.php

1981 International Year of Disabled Persons: Manitoba One of the most unwavering advocates for people with disabilities was Al Simpson. In fact, he was an icon because of his untiring efforts for the advancement of disability issues. He was extensively involved at the local level, playing leadership roles with the Manitoba League of the Physically Handicapped (MLPH), Ten Ten Sinclair, E-Quality Employment, and other consumerdriven organizations. He was a player on the national stage in 1980 as part of the consumer protest at the World Congress held in Winnipeg. Al was neither shy nor retiring and he was quick to take advantage of an opportunity. IYDP was just that, an opportunity, an occasion to raise the profile of disability issues and to do so under the mantle of the United Nations. It was too good to pass up.

As a result of a seemingly simple conversation with Al, I ended up helping draft a letter requesting Provincial involvement and support for IYDP. One thing led to another; a meeting

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here, a phone call there, a lot of encouragement from Al, and the Manitoba Organizing Committee (MOC) for IYDP was born.

A steering committee was created, with crossdisability representation. Al and several other leaders from within the Manitoba disability community served on the Committee and guided its work throughout the year.

Office space was secured in the Provincial Archives building and 3 staff were hired or seconded from the Province to assist the MOC in administering a fund in support of IYDP activities in Manitoba. Al had been successful in ensuring solid Provincial support for this consumer-driven IYDP initiative.

This fund supported a grant program which helped small communities become more accessible by removing the obvious barriers; stairs, narrow doorways and inaccessible washrooms. Numerous small self-help disability organizations received financial support for a variety of special projects.

But the impact of IYDP went well beyond the benefits and excitement of these grant recipients.

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IYDP successfully raised the profile of disability issues in Manitoba. IYDP was that moment in time when everyone saw the value of addressing the needs of persons with disabilities. There was energy and excitement about doing something new. Boy Scout and Girl Guide troops, service clubs, senior policy analysts in government and leaders in business were energized to find new ways of making Manitoba more accessible and inclusive. It was that moment in time when the stars aligned and we had an opportunity to make a difference.

IYDP helped maintain the energy, the enthusiasm, the momentum which had been generated by the protest at the Rehabilitation International Conference, the Obstacles Report and other events. IYDP and the momentum it created helped evolve our understanding of access and inclusion; it fed our growing awareness of human rights and the true meaning of citizenship; and it helped set the stage for the inclusion of section 15 into Canadas Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

IYDP heightened our expectations of what was possible and it made us hungry for more. It encouraged us to dream our dreams of a better, more inclusive and caring world.

IYDP bolstered our confidence in negotiations about the Charter. We knew we had the

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leadership to champion human rights and inclusive concepts of citizenship; leaders who believed that removing barriers was the right thing to do.

Al Simpson was one of those leaders; his life and his accomplishments stand as a testament to the fact that dreams can become reality, and that one person can make a difference.

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BY EMILY A. TERNETTE1

Women with Disabilities - Thirty Years

Thirty years ago, the disability rights movement had not identified women with disabilities as having any issues specific to that population. However, in June of 1985, a networking meeting was held in Montreal resulting in a Report: Women with Disabilities written by Jacqueline Pelletier. In this report, Pelletier indicated that violence against women with disabilities exists everywhere - in cities, rural areas, in hospitals, at home and on the streets. Women with disabilities are at greater risk of violence than

EmilyA.TernettehasdoneworkintheareaofdisabilityinWinnipegforthepastthirtyyears.Her associationsincludeemploymentwiththeManitobaLeagueofPersonswithDisabilities(MLPD)and contractworkwiththeIndependentLivingResourceCentre(ILRC).EmilyiscurrentlytheCochairof DisAbledWomensNetwork(DAWN)Manitoba.

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other women. It was at that networking meeting, with a handful of women listening to that Report, that DisAbled Womens Network (DAWN) Canada emerged.

Of course, prior to 1985, women with disabilities had been organizing, talking and writing about their lives. Resources for Feminist Research published an entire issue specifically on women with disabilities. In 1983, Voices From the Shadows: Women with Disabilities Speak Out by Gwyneth Matthews was published. What was and still is missing, though, is that women with disabilities are not being embraced by the mainstream womens movement - that is, there is a form of ableism occurring that excludes women with disabilities who want to create change for all women - both on a social and political level.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, DAWN Canada did groundbreaking work on shelters for women with disabilities with a project called Bridging the Gaps - Violence, Poverty and Housing: An Update on Non/Resources for Women with Disabilities. This project developed a tool called the National Accommodation Accessibility Survey (NAAS) which has provided important information for government to use in order to improve accessibility to womens shelters.

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Also in those early years, DAWN Canadas President, Carmela Hutchison went to Ottawa to present a Brief on Economic Security to the Parliamentary Committee on the Status of Women.

In 2006, DAWN Canada, along with other community partners, held a conference that would focus on an effective strategic development that would work towards ending the isolation and exclusion of women with disabilities and help these women develop their strengths and leadership potential. The goal was to allow women with disabilities to participate in policy and social program developments aimed at improving their social conditions.

In February of 2011, DAWN Manitoba held a Healthcare Forum to determine the gaps in the healthcare system for women with disabilities in the province. They found many, and took their findings to Womens Worlds 2011.

There have been some changes for women with disabilities over the past 30 years. Employment opportunities are somewhat better and access to healthcare is improving. What is most important is that women with disabilities are more visible in the wider womens community, and they are benefitting from us being there. However, we have a long way to go.

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BY YUTTA FRICKE1

The Canadian Disability Rights Movement Goes International

This is the way my former boss Henry Enns told the story: It was Monday evening, June 23, 1980, Winnipeg, Canada. The atmosphere was pregnant with excitement Never before in the history of humanity had disabled people from all over the world had an opportunity to come together to share their experiences One after another they

YuttaFrickewastheDevelopmentProgramDirectoratDPIfrom19881999.

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began to tell their stories of oppression, exclusion and rejection.

Henry was referring to the 1980 Rehabilitation International (RI) Congress held at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. Back then, RI was one of few international organizations speaking for persons with disabilities. Among the 4,000 healthcare professionals, government officials, rehabilitation counsellors and administrators were some 250 disabled people from over 40 different countries.

The overseas guests with disabilities were greeted by Canadians promoting a common purpose: equal representation of people with disabilities in RI. Because the United Nations had designated 1981 as the International Year of Disabled Persons, it was especially important to revolutionize RIs medical model focussing on individual diagnoses and lifelong rehabilitation. Instead, disability advocates wanted to eliminate social and environmental barriers; their vision was full participation and equality of persons with disabilities.

Despite intense lobbying and creative pressure tactics (like Dinosaur Awards for backward thinkers), the professionals concluded that individuals with disabilities did not have the required expertise. They rejected the resolution

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to have at least 50% of all members of RI governing bodies be people with disabilities.

Enter Plan B:

In preparation for the RI Congress, the Coalition of Provincial Organizations of the Handicapped (now the Council of Canadians with Disabilities) had organized a number of meetings for the participants with disabilities, including a barbeque following the RI General Assembly. With the resolution defeated hours before, and with fire in their hungry bellies, the barbeque served up much more than burgers.

As individuals from all over the world told their stories of oppression, it became clear that people with disabilities needed more than a voice at the RI table. And so, when Henry Enns, with the support of allies like Allan Simpson and Jim Derksen, called out Do I hear that you want to create an organization of your own? the response was resounding. By the end of the evening, 14 people were elected to form the steering committee of the new international organization.

And so the idea of Disabled Peoples' International was born.

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Winnipeg was the right place at the right time. People with disabilities around the world were gaining a sense of their own identity; together they caught sight of their liberation. By the 1980s, the United Nations and increasing numbers of governments were socially prepared for this last civil rights movement. Furthermore, the Mennonite Central Committee offered the fledgling organization financial support early on. Within a year, the Canadian disability advocates convinced their government to fund international organizing and training of people with disabilities. So, with additional support, particularly from Sweden, future meetings could be planned and in 1981 a National Assembly in Singapore elected the first Council of Disabled Peoples' International (DPI).

While this story, and the continued presence of DPI headquarters in Canada decades later, features prominent roles for Canadians, it is a story we share with our worldwide community of persons with disabilities. In 2008, the history of the international disability rights movement reached its most significant milestone: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities became international law.

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BY CHRIS SUMMERVILLE, D.MIN., CPRP1

Still a Long Ways To Go!

Historically, and in general, it has been difficult to help the public understand mental illness from a disability perspective. While most people understand that the presence of severe mental

Asafamilymemberandarecipientofmentalhealthservices,ChrishasbeentheExecutiveDirectorof theManitobaSchizophreniaSocietysince1995andisalsotheCEOoftheSchizophreniaSocietyof Canada.In2007PrimeMinisterHarperappointedChristotheBoardofDirectorsoftheMentalHealth CommissionofCanada.Asaprovincialandnationalleaderandadvocateforatransformed,recovery orientedmentalhealthsystem,hehasservedonnumerousprovincialandnationalboards.Chrisis committedtoaddressingthesocialprejudiceandaccompanyingdiscriminationassociatedwithmental illness.HeisaCertifiedPsychosocialRehabilitationPractitioner(CPRP)andalsocertifiedwithLiving WorksasanASISTSuicideInterventionMasterTrainer.

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illness can and does interfere with a persons ability to live, love and learn, the reason for this has not been appropriately understood. Too often mental illness has been categorized merely as a character or spiritual or bad emotional problem. Now we know that mental illnesses are just as much physical involving the bodys chemistry. This is not to say that environmental factors do not influence the onset, treatment and recovery from mental illness. Whatever is happening to a persons brain chemistry-wise, the presence of stress triggers the symptoms of mental illness: anxiety, depression, psychosis, etc. Thus, a holistic or person-centred approach is needed in helping people live beyond the limitations of the mental illness. Whether called a bio-psychosocial-spiritual perspective, it is an emphasis on body, mind and spirit in the context of community supports.

Such a holistic treatment model has not always been characteristic of mental health services. Here in Manitoba, as well as across all of Canada, a diagnosis of a mental illness 30 years ago was a kiss of death diagnosis. A person was told to go home, take his/her medication and forget about a life of hopes and dreams. For those with severe and persistent mental illness going home was being placed involuntarily in insane asylums in Brandon or Selkirk. No one talked about recovery or even the possibility of a quality of life. However with the advent of psychiatric or psychosocial rehabilitation model in the 70s,

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more attention was given to people living in the community as long as there were the appropriate supports and services. Deinstitutionalization, as it was called, was a good thing. It only failed in that the money saved by closing hospital beds was never transferred into the community for the needed housing and mental health supports.

Many have noted that what is most disabling about mental illness are not the symptoms in themselves, but how society has reacted towards those with mental illness. Whether called social prejudice or stigma, the resulting actions have led to discrimination: inadequate housing, lack of meaningful employment and income, loss of liberty and movement. NMBY has been the mantra of society towards those with severe mental illness: not in my backyard. Mental health spending in healthcare has always been at the bottom of healthcare spending even though 1 in 5 people will be diagnosed with a mental illness in their lifetime.

While today we have more effective treatments and there is more emphasis on rehabilitation and recovery, we still lag behind in enough housing and supportive community services. Stigma is still a major problem preventing people from seeking help. Workplace accommodation is virtually nonexistent. But the mental health community is more visible, organized and persistent in its advocacy. This has been

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primarily due to the provincial governments funding of mental health self-help organizations and increase, however modest, in mental healthcare funding.

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BY MANITOBA DEAF ASSOCIATION, INC.

Winnipeg Community Centre of the Deaf

The decade from 1985 to 1995 was an important one for the Winnipeg Community Centre of the Deaf (WCCD). This was a time when Deaf people were establishing themselves as members of a cultural and linguistic minority in Canada and throughout the world. In 1985, WCCD, with the Childrens Home of Winnipeg, co-sponsored a Deaf Culture and Pride workshop that played a major role in determining the organizations activities for the next decade. The workshop focused on developing the pride, identity, and confidence of Deaf individuals; promoting awareness of American Sign Language (ASL) and the Deaf experience; and providing recommendations to assist in Deaf community development.

The Deaf Human Service Worker Training Program was a direct result of two issues that were identified: a) that Deaf individuals were often the recipients of services that were not culturally and linguistically sensitive, and b) that

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traditional postsecondary education programs were unable to satisfactorily meet the needs of Deaf adults for whom English functioned as a second language. The Deaf Human Service Worker Training Program followed a cooperative learning model where participants would alternate between two weeks of classroom learning and six weeks of on-the-job learning. Both the classroom and field training was individualized and geared specifically to the needs of the Deaf participants. Through this program Deaf people successfully took on the roles of counsellors, early childhood educators, recreation directors, group home workers, and community developers.

Other programs established at this time included the Deaf Literacy Program (DLP) and Sign Talk Childrens Centre. Both these programs addressed the unique educational and family needs of Deaf people by focusing on their abilities and incorporating a bilingual (ASL and English) and bicultural (Deaf and hearing) approach.

By actively involving the Deaf community with the identification of an issue, gathering information, and developing action plans, WCCD helped to remove the stigma of Deaf people as recipients of services. Administrators were recognizing that the people who know what is

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best for the Deaf community are Deaf people themselves. Todays Context: In consideration of the important programs and services that were established in the early 1990s, some of them have changed or no longer exist, but they continue to have an influence on the Winnipeg Deaf Community today. In some ways the success of these programs has resulted in diminishing the advocacy role of the Deaf Community. For example, professional services and accessible technology (text messages, internet, video phones) reduce the need for personal care and face-to-face meetings and interaction. The influence of inclusion and technology are changing the function of Deaf community organizations, and it will be interesting to see how Deaf people will respond to these new challenges.

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BY DIANE DRIEDGER1

A Voice Like No Other: Ours

In 1981, the United Nations International Year of Disabled Persons, there existed a voice of people with disabilities. It had been increasing its volume since the early 1970s. At that time, two organizations arose in the Prairies: Manitoba League of the Physically Handicapped (now Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities) and the Saskatchewan Voice of the Handicapped. People with all kinds of disabilities, mobility and sensory saw that they had a lot in common as a people. Society wasnt set up for them. The problem wasnt what the rehab providers said it was. It wasnt in them, in their bodies, waiting to be fixed by professionals. No, society had been built without their participation and society did

DianeDriedgerisProvincialCoordinatoroftheManitobaLeagueofPersonswithDisabilities(MLPD).Her latestbookisLivingtheEdges:ADisabledWomensReader(Inanna,2010).
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not seem interested in hearing how that had happened. In 1981, the Coalition of Provincial Organizations of the Handicapped (COPOH) which the Manitoba League helped found, had been around for 6 years and it had spread its membership across Canada. One reporter in Ottawa even called COPOH KAPOW on the Hill, as COPOH representatives talked to Government about access to Canadian society and insisted on participation in an International Year that was their namesake. Indeed, over the next decade, COPOHs representatives were involved in government delegations to the United Nations to draft a World Plan of Action for Disabled Persons that included the very heart of the disabled peoples movement: we need to be involved in all levels of planning about our own lives as people with disabilities. This World Plan of Action evolved over the years with input from COPOH and its international counterpart, Disabled Peoples International (DPI), and eventually became the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by Canada in March 2010. The Convention boldly states: Promote actively an environment in which persons with disabilities can effectively and fully participate in the conduct of public affairs, without discrimination and on an equal basis with others, and encourage their participation in public affairs, including: . . .

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ii.

Forming and joining organizations of persons with disabilities to represent persons with disabilities at international, national, regional and local levels (Article 29).

In 1981, I was present as a Manitoba League staffperson when COPOH was a catalyst in the founding of Disabled Peoples International (DPI), a world voice of people with disabilities. In 1980, the idea for DPI was born in Winnipeg at the Rehabilitation International (RI) Congress. The Manitoba League of the Physically Handicapped and COPOH had planned ahead. They had a Secretariat at the Congress to enable people with disabilities to meet several times. There, RI denied people with disabilities the right to have a majority voice in the running of an international organization concerned with fixing their lives. Incensed, the two hundred and fifty disabled persons present from 40 countries and all regions of the world, decided to found its own voice with the motto, A Voice of Our Own. Manitobans were very involved in the founding of DPI as the Secretariat was in Winnipeg and Henry Enns of the Manitoba League was the Chair of the international Steering Committee. Canadians have continued to be involved in the running of DPI through the Development Office and the World Secretariat in Winnipeg and then in St. Johns, Newfoundland.

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Indeed, 30 years later, our voice endures. The Manitoba League and COPOH, now the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) have been fortified by strengthening the representation of people with all types of disabilities in their structure, and are world leaders in confronting the barriers that face persons with disabilities.

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BY BONNIE HEATH (DUBIENSKI)1

We All Have a Voice

Established on March 15, 1982, with a grant for job creation from the federal government, the Independent Interpreter Referral Service (IIRS) began providing sign language interpretation services to Deaf and hearing Manitobans.

There were no formal postsecondary training programs at the time to train interpreters and so in the fall of 1982, Red River Community College (RRCC) offered its first ten month program. The

BonnieHeath(Dubienski)istheExecutiveDirectorforboththeEQualityCommunicationCentreof Excellence(ECCOE)andtheResourceCentreforManitobanswhoareDeafBlind(RCMDB);Interpreter Educator;CertifiedInterpreterbytheAssociationofVisualLanguageInterpretersofCanada(AVLIC)(Past President)andcurrentlyPresidentofCriticalLinkInternational(CLI).

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program now is a four-year undergraduate degree program jointly offered by Red River College (RRC) and the University of Manitoba.

The core philosophy of IIRS stemmed from a belief that children of Deaf parents should not be called upon to interpret and that individuals requiring ASL/English interpretation are entitled to independent and professional service.

The federal government funding diminished by one-third each year and in the final year, IIRS was able to secure provincial government funding. This was achieved by demonstrating through careful, statistical reporting that the need was real and that IIRS had the confidence of both government and the community. We are forever grateful to the then Minister of Family Services, the Honourable Muriel Smith, for her confidence in us and for her guidance over 30 years.

IIRS also received very welcomed guidance from some of Winnipegs greatest advocates. To name a few: Allan Simpson, Allen Simms, Rick Zimmer, Frank Rogodinski, Bruce Koskie, Bruce Jack, Jim Derksen, Jocelyn Dubienski and Keith Cooper. Their input resulted in the strong structure we have today 30 years to the date, March 15th, 2012.

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IIRS was created as a not-for-profit agency with registered charity status governed by a community-based board of directors 51% of whom are Deaf.

In 1996, another significant turn of events occurred when the Deaf-Blind community asked IIRS to offer the same communication services to their community. This resulted in the establishment of the Resource Centre for Manitobans who are Deaf-Blind (RCMDB) under the E-Quality Communication Centre of Excellence (ECCOE). The name change to ECCOE occurred to acknowledge the inclusion of Deaf-Blind persons.

As a community agency partner to all three levels of government, the private sector, and countless other nongovernment organizations, it is our daily mission to facilitate the ongoing communication between Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and hearing Manitobans. We are grateful to all the interpreters, intervenors, and notetakers both past and present for their professionalism and hard work. We are proud of our work in medical, legal, public service, recreation and all other settings where communication takes place.

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BY PATRICK FALCONER1

Toward a Barrier-Free Province

Beyond a common humanity, barriers are the one feature of daily life that is shared by all persons with disabilities. This is a simple fact, not conjecture - it's the barriers faced by persons with disabilities that prevent or limit their full and equitable participation in activities and opportunities that most others take for granted.

PatrickFalconerisaWinnipegbasedsocialpolicyconsultantwhohashadthehonourofservingasthe consultanttotheBarrierFreeManitobaSteeringCommitteesincethebeginningoftheinitiativein2008.
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Impressive progress has been achieved through the efforts of many over the last 38 years in securing the legal and human rights of persons with disabilities, in enhancing public attitudes toward disability issues, and in the removal of many of these barriers.

These advances were hard-won and remain essential. What they do not offer, however, is a reasonable prospect for the timely and systematic removal of the pervasive barriers that still remain in the public realm. Nor do these advances offer the powerful tools needed to prevent new barriers that are being created every day.

Building on the shoulders of giants, Barrier-Free Manitoba began work in 2008 as a cross-ability, nonprofit and nonpartisan initiative to secure systemic reform to take these incredibly important next steps - strong and effective provincial accessibility-rights legislation.

We believe that that:

Enacting such legislation is a basic matter of human rights.

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The removal of barriers is an entirely realistic and attainable duty.

The removal of barriers is good basic public policy that will benefit everyone.

Enacting such legislation is about doing what is right and reasonable.

Over three short years, thousands of groups and individuals within and beyond the disability community have endorsed our call for legislation based on nine key principles - that the legislation:

1. Cover all disabilities.

2. Reflect a principled approach to equality.

3. Move beyond the complaints-driven system to comprehensively address discrimination and barriers.

4. Establish a definite target date to achieve a barrier-free Manitoba.

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5. Require the development of clear, progressive, mandatory and date-specific standards in all areas related to accessibility that will apply to the public and private sectors.

6. Establish a timely and effective process for monitoring and enforcement of the standards.

7. Incorporate ongoing leadership opportunities for the disability community.

8. Supersede all other provincial legislation, regulations or policies which provide lesser protections.

9. Not diminish other legal and human rights protections. The provincial government has listened. It has committed to making Manitoba a leader in promoting and protecting the human rights of persons with disabilities. It has established a new Council in law with the responsibility to provide recommendations for legislative reform by midJune 2012.

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We have high expectations that the Council will table the type of recommendations that set the stage for transformative change. We have even higher expectations that the provincial government will table the strong and effective accessibility-rights legislation that is required by the spring of 2013.

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BY YUTTA FRICKE1

The Creation of the Disabilities Issues Office

Manitobas Disabilities Issues Office (DIO) owes its existence to the disability advocates who inspired Full Citizenship: A Manitoba Provincial Strategy on Disability (2001), and to the Province that gave the office its mandate, including to: Act as a centre of responsibility for the coordination of disability policy Support and monitor the use of the Disability Access and Inclusion Lens in all provincial programs and new initiatives

YuttaFrickeistheActingExecutiveDirectoroftheDisabilitiesIssuesOffice.SheisgratefultoTimSale andJimDerksenforsharingtheirmemoriesaboutthecreationoftheDIO,andforhiringherbackin2003.
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Ensure regular, effective and meaningful consultation with representatives of the disabilities community

Within government, two individuals deserve special acknowledgement for their leadership: former Minister Tim Sale (Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities, 1999-2003) and the DIOs first Executive Director, Jim Derksen (200204).

Mr. Sale recently reflected that his main role as the first Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities was developing the Full Citizenship policy paper and establishing the DIO with a clear purpose: The most important function of the DIO is to permeate all government decisionmaking with a disability lens... He noted that changing technology, healthcare and evolving jurisprudence around disability rights all affect public policy and, likewise, the role of the DIO. While he stressed the ongoing challenge of poverty, particularly among Aboriginal Manitobans with disabilities, he believes: We were well ahead of most jurisdictions back then, and we still are.

Mr. Sale sees his contribution as removing roadblocks that prevented the fulfillment of the communitys goals. In terms of conceptualizing

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the DIO, he credits Jim Derksen, whose rationale was as follows: With a Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities and a provincial plan, it was obvious that a new policy office was needed. Full Citizenship called for new attention to accessible communication, information and coordination across government. Who was going to do it?

Mr. Derksen recalls the priority given to distinguishing the portfolio of the new minister and office from the mandates of the departments of Health and Family Services. All departments were called upon to do things differently.

Another individual who was critical to the DIOs creation is former Premier Gary Doer. Contrary to Mr. Doers association with the creation of the MTS Centre and the return of the Jets, Mr. Sale believes his most important legacy is the establishment of the disability portfolio (and Healthy Child Manitoba).

The DIO is a legacy shared by many Manitobans, who advocated then and continue now to engage with the DIO and ministries across government to act on our vision of full citizenship for Manitobans with disabilities.

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BY MARSHA DOZAR1

Looking Back....
It was a late afternoon in the mid 1980s when I arrived at my office that was located in a basement of one of the group homes run by a midsized agency in Winnipeg. I had just been hired as Executive Director and came into the position armed with management skills but little or no experience, history or knowledge of mentally handicapped people. I knew that this organization provided services to individuals that were considered very challenging and that the

MarshaDozarhasworkedincommunity/supportedlivingsince1984.Shehasworkedindirectservice delivery,beenanadvocate,staffandBoardtrainer,eventorganizer,resourcedeveloper,RedRiver Collegeinstructor,andfacilitator.Marshahasworkedcloselywithindividualswithdisabilities,families, staffandgovernmentinherquesttohelpmakelifebetter.Aftermorethan25yearsofworkingin communitydevelopment,shecontinuestobeinspiredandamazedattheresilienceofpeopleandthe possibilities....

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practices of the agency were deemed progressive and cutting edge. Eight people lived in the home that housed my office and the same eight people spent their days in a neighbouring church basement day program. We were proud at how innovative we were and we worked tirelessly to make life good. Welcome Home (the provinces attempt to reduce the number of residents living at MDC) was moving into full force and we were busy building group homes for the next 20 people that would be moving in shortly. We developed policies that would protect the residents; we established their daily routines, hired their staff, fed, clothed, bathed and spent time with them. I must admit they were good years - learning years and for the most part, fulfilling years - at least for me.

In late 2007, I accepted a contract position as Executive Director of Living in Friendship Everyday (LIFE). I made a commitment, promising to uphold the mission and integrity of a unique funding model in Manitoba called In the Company of Friends (ICOF). Sixty-two men and women with intellectual disabilities were receiving ICOF funding and living a self-managed lifestyle with the help and support of friends and family. They hired their own staff, chose where they wanted to live, who they lived with, who they spent time with and what rules and policies would, or would not, be written to help structure their days. I sit here today, amazed by what we continue to learn

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- as I move into my fifth year with the organization.

Im reminded of countless accomplishments that occurred in the years in-between my introduction to the field and today things in which I was able to play a part and see firsthand; the family that quietly said "no" and became the catalyst for the Vulnerable Persons Act, people working in real jobs (with support if needed), developing competencies, relationships, getting married, having babies, trying new things, failing, succeeding, learning, living.

In the 1980s, we did what we knew how to do. We had our visions of how life could be for people and didnt consider how narrow our dreams may have been. We believed that our job as professionals was to protect, control and direct people each day. It took us several decades to realize that individuals, their families and friends needed to share or even manage their own power and create their own dreams. Our task was to assist, empower, and help facilitate. We went from directing clients to supporting citizens in 25 short years.

So often I face the dilemmas of each day and get lost in the frustration of things not changing. Looking back is a celebration of accomplishment and movement and a reminder of how far we

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have come a moment to pause and celebrate before we move on.

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BY JOHN YOUNG1

Building on the Foundation of Independent Living

One of the greatest achievements of the disability community has been the founding and delivery of the Independent Living philosophy in Manitoba, one that couples the concept of independence with integration. When the IL philosophy was brought to Manitoba some 30 years past, it was a relatively new and unexplored concept but one that had a propensity for success within the disability community. Recognition and practice of the IL

JohnYoungistheExecutiveDirectoroftheIndependentLivingResourceCentreWinnipeg.

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philosophy resulted in greater levels of inclusion in socio-economic and political participation for a population once viewed as marginalized and unrealized. In the middle 80s, the Independent Living Resource Centre (ILRC-Winnipeg) was led by Allan Simpson. At that time, Allan worked with an annual budget of approximately $750,000, the majority of which was government sourced. Realizing the limitation of depending on a single source of income, Allan was a key proponent and believer that a new era would be realized only when persons with disabilities are seen as valuable participants in service delivery; for within this dynamic population there is an enormous amount of expertise and merit. And so the foundation was laid but much work had to be done.

ILRC-Winnipeg today is at the forefront of this new era. A leading agency in service delivery, ILRC promotes integration in livelihood, full participation in the community and the impact of cutting edge, community-directed programming wherein government and private sectors approach the disability community to purchase goods, services and expertise. The ILRC has come a long way since the founding years of the 80s. Now passing an operating budget of $3.6 million, ILRC has propelled its programming to the frontlines in consumer support and independence: Personal Attendant Community Education (PACE), a curriculum derived from persons with disabilities input and direction; Self

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and Family Managed Care (SFMC) and Brokerage, both leading programs in community living that, through the support of a proactive Provincial government, are becoming mainstream examples of a 21st century spectrum of supports.

We can state with confidence that the legacy in todays disability landscape is one forged from responsibility, participation, direction and integration through a holistic, community-owned model, the very facets that form the basis of Independent Living. Persons with disabilities have more control today over their own destinies through self-direction than ever before. This is the legacy being created by the disability community in Manitoba we are moving away from marginalization and into a new era of expertise and equality.

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BY JANE SAYER1

RCMDB: A Unique Program in Canada

Under the leadership of Bonnie Heath and with the assistance of the Manitoba Government: Department of Family Services and the Manitoba Deaf-Blind Association (MDBA), E-Quality Communication Centre of Excellence (ECCOE) established the Resource Centre for Manitobans who are Deaf-Blind (RCMDB) in 1996.

The RCMDB is one product of MDBA's advocacy. Due to differences in philosophies between the MDBA - the consumer/advocacy group - and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), Manitoba Division, the Manitoba Provincial Government offered to work with

JaneSayerRCMDBCoordinatorandCurtis HainsworthServiceSupportProvider(SSP) demonstratingtactilehandoverhand communicationatatrainingworkshop.

JaneSayerwasafoundingmemberandthefirstChairpersonoftheManitobaDeafBlindAssociation (MDBA).SheservedontheCanadianNationalSocietyoftheDeafBlind(CNSDB)fortenyears(20002010) andisstillinvolvedastheCNSDBTransportationrepresentative.JanehasbeenemployedattheRCMDB forthelast14years.

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MDBA to find a new agency to provide services to the acquired Deaf-Blind population.

ECCOE promotes their belief that independence and full access to the world is fundamental and should be made possible for consumers by access to communication services. Many of the philosophies of ECCOE were exactly what the Deaf-Blind community had been searching for. A steering committee was set up to ensure DeafBlind Manitobans could have a say in their program. This is a unique program in Canada and it is now celebrating its 15th Anniversary.

Jane Sayer, a person who is Deaf-Blind, was hired as the RCMDB Coordinator of Services in 1997. Intervenor services are provided to adults who are Deaf-Blind as a result of accidents, trauma, disease or conditions.

Intervenor services are overseen by ECCOE. This means the organization has the services of highly skilled intervenors who have been trained in all forms of communication. It is interesting to note that it was only after ECCOE took over this program that government ministers noted that this was the first time they had ever met DeafBlind people. They were amazed at the many different communication needs. It has been acknowledged across Canada and internationally

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that Manitoba has some of the best intervenors and they serve as role models for others.

RCMDB came to realize that this high level of training was not always needed for assignments with individuals in the Deaf-Blind community. A Service Support Providers (SSP) program was established in 2007. The purpose of this program was to train people, both employees and volunteers, to assist Deaf-Blind people with quality of life issues. This assistance can be given in regards to such daily events as shopping, bill paying, recreation and exercise, reading mail, or to getting out of the home to participate more actively in the community.

It has been a joy to have witnessed people undergoing positive personality changes: from being isolated and not feeling capable, to becoming leaders in the Deaf-Blind community. People are healthier and happier and are more involved in living and enjoying the world around

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them.
JosieVituccianECCOEIntervenor,YuttaFrickeand JaneSayerattheDeafResourceCentre CommunicationDevicesLaunch

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BY DEAN RICHERT1

Winnipeg Citizen Advocacy: Promoting Independent, Trustworthy and Lasting Social Connections
Many of us can feel alone and isolated. We all need others to take our hopes, dreams, and basic needs seriously. Citizen Advocacy, an international movement created by Dr. Wolf Wolfensberger, recognizes how important it is for everyone to feel included, heard, respected, supported and encouraged.

DeanRichertisaWinnipegbasedattorneywithastronginterestindisabilityrightslaw.Hiseducation includesstudiesintheology,environmentalsciences,religiousstudiesandlaw.DeanisCochairoftheEnd ofLifeEthicsCommittee,andservesontheHumanRightsCommitteeoftheCouncilofCanadianswith Disabilities.HeisalongtimeboardmemberforWinnipegCitizenAdvocacy.

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Some people with disabilities who have been marginalized socially find it very hard to make friends and maintain trusting relationships. Visiting, doing things and going places with others isnt always easy. Citizen Advocacy sets up matches between advocates and protgs (people with disabilities) so they can work together to face challenges and participate in community life.

Winnipeg Citizen Advocacy (WCA) began recruiting and supporting trustworthy, caring, one-on-one relationships between advocates and protgs in 1973. These independent, lasting connections promote community connection and mutual learning. Citizen advocates support protgs as they seek everything from obtaining safe and suitable housing, to speaking up for their rights. They share social and leisure time together, and offer companionship in times of sickness and difficulties. As one protg put it, I was bored of everything. I didnt go anywhere and I didnt know what to do with my life. Now, [my advocate] and I have a lot of fun together, theres always something to look forward to. In turn, an advocate has said, Being a citizen advocate constantly reminds me of our common humanity. Love, trust and relationships are what are really important in everyones life.

Winnipeg Citizen Advocacy seeks out individuals needing support through various community

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connections. In this way, a wide range of people can be reached regardless of ability or situation. After WCA gets to know a potential protg, a matching citizen advocate is sought through personal networks. Becoming a citizen advocate is a significant commitment, so it often takes months to find the right individual. Several meetings are facilitated by WCA, and after both parties are comfortable with each other, they plan their own visits and activities. Frequency of contact is a decision made between the two people matched. WCA maintains contact with both individuals for the duration of the match and provides them with ongoing support and learning opportunities. Advocates are independent of the human service system.

Four or five citizen advocacy matches are made each year in Winnipeg, and many matches have been ongoing some have lasted more than 30 years and have been, or are likely to be, lifelong. WCA is partially funded by the provincial government, and relies on support from donors and fundraising efforts to continue its work. The beauty of citizen advocacy is that it involves people from many different walks of life who learn, grow and become stronger through these relationships.

You can learn more about Winnipeg Citizen Advocacy at http://winnipegcitizenadvocacy.org/wca/

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BY GAIL FINKEL1

Changes to Manitoba Building Codes

What has been achieved?

On January 1, 2012 over 50 progressive changes to the Manitoba Building Code became law. They will effect the design of new construction for most building types with the exception of residential construction.

What existed 30 years ago?

The purpose of building codes is to ensure occupants a safe environment. Initially accessibility was not included, based on the belief that accessibility is a social issue, not one of life safety. Though the Barrier-Free Section of the code now exists, there is a catch-22. Through all these years the code only required creating

GailFinkel,B.A.Psychology,M.Arch.,hasworkedasaconsultant,researcher,andadvocateattempting tocreatepositiveinteractionsbetweenpeopleandtheenvironmentsthatsurroundthem.Thisledto specializinginuniversaldesigninthelocal,national,andinternationalarenas,whichhasbeenrecognized throughpublicationsanddesignandresearchawards.

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some accessible entrances, while the crux of life safety, fire exits, were not mentioned.

What exists now? What has changed?

A committee of the Manitoba Building Standards Board, comprised of people with disabilities, professional designers, and enforcers of the code, reviewed the Barrier-Free Design Section of the Manitoba Building Code from a universal design perspective. The amendments they proposed were approved by the board and went to the Minister in charge of Codes, Jennifer Howard, who made them a reality. Examples of these changes include:

All pedestrian entrances, rather than 50%, will be barrier-free. Also, the term pedestrian is now defined in the Code as any person who walks or uses a mobility device. Every public doorway has been widened from a minimum 800 mm to not less than 850 mm. Exterior entrance doors, as well as doors into washrooms with multiple stalls, now require power door openers.

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A barrier-free path of travel shall be provided throughout the building and to all of the building exits. All exterior emergency exits on the ground level will be at grade, or have a ramp leading to grade. Previously, emergency exits were not mentioned at all in the Barrier-Free Section of the Code. Fire alarms will now have both visual and audible signal devices. Before this change, visual alarms were only required in buildings "intended to be used primarily by people with hearing impairments." Classrooms, auditoriums, meeting rooms, and theatres 100 m2 or larger must have an assistive listening system that covers the entire seating area. The assistive listening devices must be hearing aid and cochlear implant compatible. Detectable warning surfaces, with colour, texture, resiliency and sound cues, are now required to inform changes in elevation greater than 225 mm. Stairways and ramps require handrails on both sides, while previously only one was needed.

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The path of travel has been widened from 920 mm to 1100 mm. Theatres and arenas will have more accessible spaces for people using wheelchairs or scooters. Space between 2 doors in a vestibule has changed from 1200 mm to 1500 mm plus the distance of the door swing. Ramp landing size has been increased. The areas that do not require barrier-free washrooms have been reduced and the locations and numbers of family washrooms increased. Washroom stall size has increased from 1500 mm deep to 1600 mm and the stall door has been made wider from 800 mm to 850 mm.

How has the disability community/the wider community benefitted from the achievement?

Using a universal design approach to improving codes creates a new perspective to how we view the occupant and her/his needs. Differing sizes,

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shapes, strengths, and abilities are inherent in our humanness. Design requirements must be set in such a way that all may benefit. For example a fire alarm must be both visual and audible. A doorway must be wide enough for a baby carriage, a wheelchair, a walker, a person with their dog guide, a trolley, or someone using crutches. The new amendments have moved the codes toward this goal and the good news is that the process is not done. The Universal Design Committee is starting the next phase, to look at the Codes addressing residential environments.

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BY LAURIE BEACHELL1

Disability Access and Inclusion: Benefits for Others

The disability rights community here in Manitoba has struggled for years to remove barriers to full participation and inclusion. That struggle has created a much more accessible and inclusive society than what existed in the early 70s when groups like the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities were formed. These accomplishments not only removed barriers for Manitobans with disabilities but made life easier for a broad range of other Manitobans. Some of the major components of todays more accessible communities are a legacy from the Leagues pioneers. They did the heavy lifting and many today are benefitting from the improved access achieved by the disability community. The work that is being done today to eliminate new emerging barriers will also have future beneficiaries who are not part of todays struggles.

LaurieBeachellistheNationalCoordinatoroftheCouncilofCanadianswithDisabilities(CCD).

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Take transportation for example. Handi-Transit, low floor buses, accessible taxicabs, lift equipped intercity buses, rural Handi Van services, all were created because of the advocacy of the disability rights community. Thousands of hours of advocacy, research, policy proposals, complaints and political meetings went into their creation. Who are the beneficiaries of these services beyond persons with disabilities? They are moms and dads with kids in strollers, small children with short legs who have difficulty negotiating the high bus steps, professionals who use briefcases with wheels, travellers with luggage taking public transit to the airport or bus station, seniors who can no longer climb the bus stairs. It is equally true that simple things like curb cuts demanded by the disability community have great benefit for others.

The Deaf and hard of hearing communities worked tirelessly for years to ensure captioning of broadcast services and to ensure that phones were hearing aid compatible. Many older persons, who probably would not identify as having a disability, enjoy the outcomes of that work. Captioning is now an option for all who have a hearing impairment. Frequently I use captioning. My hearing has diminished as I age and soon I will probably identify as having a disability but for now use of captioning keeps the TV volume at a reasonable level and our household happier. You only need to think of people in airports keeping up with the news via

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captioning on large screen TVs or people in a bar following the commentary of a hockey game by reading the captioned commentary, to understand that the Deaf community has done all of us a great favour by creating new ways of making information accessible. Captioning is also of huge assistance to new Canadians learning English or French.

Many of the components that champions of AgeFriendly Communities now point to as successes really were begun by, or developed, because people with disabilities spoke out about their needs. Some examples are automatic door openers, visitable housing, bathrooms with grab bars, larger elevators, large print books in libraries or talking books, personal assistance getting from the ticket agent to the aircraft doors, parks with asphalt walking trails, menus in large print, etc. The impetus for all these things came from people with disabilities bringing their concerns to key decision makers.

On the service side, many of the innovative independent living or community living options that were created by persons with disabilities have a benefit beyond what was originally envisioned: new housing options have been created, homecare is being delivered in more innovative ways, access to a whole range of technical aids has been developed scooters, devices for reaching and picking up, furniture

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that helps you stand up, etc. Much of the impetus for the development of these devices came from addressing the needs of people with disabilities and removing barriers for persons with disabilities.

Truly making Manitoba more inclusive and accessible has improved the lives of persons with disabilities but many others share in that benefit. Access and inclusion is not simply about disability but about making our society more barrier-free for all. Everyone benefits. Investment in access and inclusion will be paying dividends to Manitobans long into the future.

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BY

COLLEEN WATTERS

Manitoba Access Awareness Week (MAAW): Looking Back and Looking Forward into the Future
Manitoba Access Awareness Week (MAAW) began as National Access Awareness Week (NAAW) in 1988 following Rick Hansens Man in Motion

ColleenWattersisaPolicyAnalystwiththeDisabilitiesIssuesOffice(DIO)ManitobaGovernment.Sheis amemberoftheMLPDProvincialCouncilandchairstheEthicsCommittee.Inthe1990s,sheservedas ProvincialCoordinatorofManitobaAccessAwarenessWeek.

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World Tour. NAAW was intended to ensure the full participation of persons with disabilities in community life and worked to remove physical and attitudinal barriers to accessibility in five areas: transportation, employment, education, housing and recreation. In 1994, communications was added as a sixth theme, and the focus changed from awareness-raising to concrete action.

With financial support from the Secretary of State and Human Resources Development Canada (now Human Resources and Skills Development Canada), NAAW was a partnership between the federal, provincial and municipal governments, businesses, volunteers and major corporate sponsors, including: Air Canada, McDonalds, Canadian National Railway (CN), CTV, Royal Bank, Bell Canada and Canada Post. Local communities sprang up in provinces and territories across Canada to coordinate events.

In Manitoba, the first MAAW Committee included representatives from disability organizations and businesses such as the North West Company and Manitoba Hydro. Events were organized in Winnipeg and communities such as Brandon, Thompson, the Pas, Stonewall and Steinbach. Promotional materials included a newsletter and a t-shirt with a logo and Manitoba Access Awareness Week in print and Braille.

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A highlight each year was the annual awards celebration to profile the contributions of people with disabilities, disability organizations and businesses to improve accessibility in the six theme areas.

In 1997, federal funding was discontinued but the Manitoba committee continued until 1998. Between 1999-2003 (with provincial support), MLPD organized the awards celebrations. From 2004-2008, there were no MAAW activities.

In 2009, Barrier-Free Manitoba, a cross-disability coalition created to promote accessibility legislation, revived the MAAW tradition in Manitoba. Disability associations, Winnipeg Transit and media became involved in a weeklong public awareness campaign that focused on specific barriers and solutions to improve access for Manitobans with disabilities. Since 2010, a steering committee of Manitoba disability organizations and the provincial Disabilities Issues Office have led the crossdisability public awareness events each spring, including a kickoff with entertainment, noon hour information and training events, and an awards celebration.

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As we look to the future, efforts are being made to reach new organizations, businesses and communities, including in rural Manitoba, with an emphasis on partnership building among stakeholders. The goal is to ensure MAAW continues to thrive and grow in the future.

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BY DIANE SCRIBE NIIGANII, BGS, BA (4 year)1

The Voice of Manitoba First Nations with Disabilities

First Nation people with disabilities in Manitoba face many health and social challenges that include, but are not limited to, residential schools issues, jurisdictional issues, homelessness and poverty. Yet despite all these challenges, First

DianeScribeNiiganiihasbeeninvolvedinFirstNationsdisabilityissuessince1998anddescribesherself asanAnkylosingSpondylitisSurvivor.Amonghermanyinterests,Dianeisforemostawriterandhas recentlyselfpublishedarticlesentitledDisabilityCurseorGiftandDisabilityandtheSacredTeachings onherownblog.DianewasappointedtotheAccessibilityAdvisoryCouncilfortheProvinceofManitoba inthefallof2011.

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Nation people with disabilities in Manitoba continue to have a strong voice and we continue to speak out about the issues that affect us directly.

Approximately one in four First Nation people on reserves in Manitoba live with some form of disability. Most of us live in urban centres because we cannot access services we need in our home communities and for many of us, we can never go home. Many First Nation parents have had to give up their children with severe disabilities because of water issues and lack of services in their home communities. Many children with disabilities on reserves cannot access the many services that a child with a disability living off reserve can access. These are realities that have not changed much in the last 30 years.

The First Nations disability movement began in Manitoba in the 1980s when First Nations people with disabilities in Winnipeg began to participate in the mainstream disability movement. From the beginning, it was evident that our issues were unique. During the 1990s the First Nations disability movement gained momentum with the Aboriginal Disabled Self-Help Group, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Working Group, and the First Nations disABILITY Association of Manitoba. Efforts were made by many First Nations people with disabilities to educate not

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only mainstream organizations, but also First Nations leadership and frontline workers. Through peer support, referral services, advocacy, research, and training, First Nations people became increasingly aware of their rights and the issues that affect them directly. We began to participate by being involved with committees and working groups in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organizations.

Even with the introduction of Jordans Principle in 2007, very little has changed in terms of access to services on First Nations. Because of this, there continues to be many First Nations people with disabilities and parents of First Nation children with disabilities who continue to speak out about our issues. We are continuing to demand that federal and provincial jurisdictional issues be resolved effectively and with our input. The First Nations disability movement will never diminish and will only get stronger as long as the issues that affect us are not addressed. In the fall of 2011, the Government of Manitoba made an important and positive step forward by appointing an Aboriginal representative to the Accessibility Advisory Council.

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Inclusion

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BY EMILY A. TERNETTE1

Personal Reflection
I was in my late 20s thirty years ago, and just beginning my journey with the disability movement. I had been brought up to ignore my physical limitations. That is, if there was an obstacle in my way, Id find a way through it, or, if I couldnt, then I wouldnt address it at all. Putting my head in the sand was my solution to everything. I was the same as everyone else!

At that time, I drove my car everywhere and there were few parking spaces close to buildings (a

EmilyA.TernettehasworkedintheareaofdisabilityinWinnipegforthepastthirtyyears.Her associationsincludeemploymentwiththeManitobaLeagueofPersonswithDisabilities(MLPD)and contractworkwiththeIndependentLivingResourceCentre(ILRC).EmilyiscurrentlytheCochairof DisAbledWomen=sNetwork(DAWN)Manitoba,awomen=sgroupthatworkstowardseliminatingthe barriersinsocietythatexistforwomenwithdisabilitiesinManitoba.

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priority for me as walking long distances was difficult) that were allocated to drivers with disabilities. If there were, there was always a bureaucratic maze to go through to get one!

I had recently finished a project at the University of Manitoba identifying physical barriers that needed addressing for students with disabilities and there were many - stairs with no railings, elevators that you couldnt use without getting a key, low lighting which obstructed sight lines for people with low vision, doorways and washroom stalls that werent wide enough for wheelchairs, ...and the list went on!

The Obstacles Report also came out 30 years ago - a groundbreaking document written by people with disabilities that outlined what the federal government needed to do to remove obstacles that existed in society for people with disabilities. I felt that we were finally going in a positive direction!

Thirty years later, legislation exists in the area of accessibility at all three levels of government that affect all new and renovated buildings. Handicapped parking spaces are now in all parking lots. These spaces are located close to buildings doorways and you require a placard placed in your cars window which can be

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purchased from the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities.

There is no one experience that demonstrates the significance that accessibility legislation has had in my life. Prior to breaking my ankle in 1998, I certainly appreciated curb cuts, ramps alongside stairs, handrails and handicapped parking spaces. Now that I spend more time in a wheelchair, ramps and curb cuts are still important, as well as low floor buses and attitudes of the public towards people in wheelchairs. What Ive found most important is to be able to go to a public place and access a washroom stall that is wide enough for me to turn around in and to do what I need to do with ease.

Weve come along way in 30 years, but weve got a long way to go yet!

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BY NICOLA SCHAEFER1

A Seachange in the Attitude Towards Disability

In the early 1980s it was becoming accepted across North America that individuals with the most complex physical and mental disabilities could - and should! - have real homes, real friends and real lives in their own communities. At that

NicolaistheauthorofDoesSheKnowShe'sThere?,(FitzhenryandWhiteside,1999),thebiographyof herdaughterCatherine.Nicolahas,forthelastfourdecades,beenhappilyinvolvedasavolunteerinthe disabilitycommunityandalsointheproductionofchambermusicinManitoba.

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time in Manitoba, however, there were no government funded community agencies prepared to serve individuals with such disabilities.

Consequently, a group of parents and advocates, together with the Association for Community Living - Winnipeg formed a cooperative, the central idea of which was to give the members (all with the most complex needs) the authority to define the nature of the services they required and control over available resources. Individuals who needed assistance in expressing their opinions had joint membership with a relative or advocate.

In 1983 LAvenir (our cooperative) was approved as a provider agency. Three years later, Arnold moved from the Manitoba Developmental Centre (MDC) into his own home in Winnipeg and my daughter Catherine moved from her parental home to the ground floor of a house owned by Prairie Housing Cooperative - another entity created by ACL - Winnipeg. Fast forward to January 2012 and a lovely dinner party for LAvenirs 22 members (weve always been intentionally small), including founding members Arnold and Catherine, and dozens of family members, friends and support staff.

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In Manitoba, since 1980, particularly in Winnipeg, there have been tremendous advances in the disability field, among them: earlier diagnosis of disability, followed by intervention and - so important - support to families; increased inclusive education - from childcare to university; hundreds more people with disabilities living in ordinary settings (thank you, Manitoba Marathon); a heightened profile of People First; vastly improved accessibility everywhere, including in public transportation (Catherine can now go downtown by bus!); the availability of adapted wheelchairs, communication devices and other technical supports.

All these advances have resulted in one overriding achievement: a seachange in the attitude towards disability. Children and adults who have obvious inconveniences with which to contend are now so much part of our society as to be oddly unremarkable. Huge gratitude is due to all the visionaries, advocates and activists paid and unpaid - who have helped make this happen.

[One black mark must be noted: the NDPs wretchedly regressive decision in 2004 to earmark 40 million dollars to redevelop the Manitoba Developmental Centre (MDC) - thus perpetuating its existence rather than using the money to help its inhabitants have a life in the community.]

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BY DALE KENDEL1

A Reflection on 30 YearsThe Power of the Dream

This is a story of people who have inspired others by their resilience and their desire to live with dignity in the community. This is the story of three decades in the evolution of a system,

DaleKendelwastheExecutiveDirectorofCommunityLivingManitobafrom1976to2009.Dalewasone ofthe5cofoundersoftheManitobaMarathonin1979.DalelivesinWinnipeg,Manitoba.
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and how this system provided services to meet individual needs of people who have been, at some time in our history, rejected and misunderstood. This is a story of people who live with an intellectual disability, named Bob, Sam, Kathy, Amanda, Ralph, and Francis. This is a story about Community Living.

Our development of services and supports, over this three decade period, is characterized by dramatic contrasts. From: a Medical model to community development and support model occupy and observe to enable and support care for to rights and responsibility segregation to being welcomed in communities

When James arrived on the doorstep of his new group home, after 21 years at the provincial institution, he came with a garbage bag of clothes. Many didnt fit him. Most were very old and had probably been shared with others. The clothes on his back were the best he owned.

A garbage bag of personal possessions is a symbol of our past failure. We must ensure that

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people living with an intellectual disability can live in our community with dignity and respect. We can, and must do everything possible to change this outrageous circumstance. (Kendel speaking at a CACL conference in Saskatoon, 1986)

The progress story, over 30 years, is extraordinary.

We must occasionally stop and reflect on things that were once considered impossible, but are now commonplace. Things like: Attending a neighbourhood school Having your own apartment Working for a company and being paid for the work you do Participating in community recreation Making decisions about your own life

Our history is immersed with key words that have influenced the values and vision of this evolving system. Words like: Normalization, integration, dignity of risk, rights and responsibility, fair and equal justice, independence and interdependence, personcentred planning and inclusion. These stand in

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sharp contrast to stereotypical words that label and show misconception and disdain.

The slogan of the People First campaign was Label jars not people. The R word slowly disappears.

Our history is immersed with high profile situations that shocked our complacency. We learn from Stephen Dawson, the Eve case, Cory Moar, Tracy Latimer and many Human Rights Commission stories.

We have three decades of policy change by both the Federal and Provincial Governments. We have the Vulnerable Persons Act (replacing part 2 of the Mental Health Act), the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We have Full Citizenship, Opening Doors, and the 1986 Report to the Premier that guided our development.

Over 30 years, we have seen substantial growth in the dollars being spent by Governments. The number of service/support agencies in Manitoba has increased from 32 to 109. Supports to families have expanded. Early childhood and day care options are provided. Inclusive education began in our schools. Planning for transition to adult life has been implemented. Options for

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living in the community, including group homes, apartments, supported employment, and work incentives, have greatly expanded. Most recently, we have seen the introduction of the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP).

When Bob moved out of the Pelican Lake Training Centre and began a new life in his shared apartment with his friend Jason, the most important possession was not the television, not the new bed, or even the new clothes he purchased. It was the keys to the front door of the apartment, because it was my place and my keys. I never had keys before.

This has been a story about the collective accomplishment of individuals who live with an intellectual disability, who have persevered, and survived with minimal support. This has been about the work conducted through the Community Living movement and the Manitoba Marathon. This has been about staff and volunteers of many organizations that enabled and created new options. This has been about individuals and families who dreamed of the possible and were willing to try.

We celebrate this progress, but continue to be challenged by the distance still to go. We continue to learn from our history and we

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continue to dream about the future. We arent finished yet.

Theres a place for people living with an intellectual disability - Its called Society.

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BY TERRY MCINTOSH1

Self and Family Managed Care

Well, 30 years ago I was a young punk, and didnt think about the barriers that would be in my way as I became an independent woman. I was like most young adults; I wanted to move out and be independent. At that time there were not many options for people with disabilities to live independently. The option I chose was a transition housing project. The other option was to stay at home with my parents and use the Manitoba Home Care Program that provides

TerryMcIntoshwasbornandraisedinWinnipeg.Shewastheonlyoneinherfamilywithadisability, butthatwasnoreasonforspecialtreatment.Terrywasalwaystreatedjustlikehertwobrothersbyher mother.AndduetothatTerryneversawbarriers;shelookedatthemasstumblingblocksandadvocated tobreakdowntheblocks.So,in1985,itwasanaturalfitforhertostartworkattheIndependentLiving ResourceCentre(ILRC)Winnipeg.SincethenshehasbeenChairoftheManitobaLeagueofPersonswith DisabilitiesandisnowontheCouncilasPastChair.

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home support to individuals who require health services or assistance with activities of daily living. The Home Care Program provides its services based on need to individuals 18+ years old. It was established in September 1974. The only problem with the transition housing was an individual could only stay for a period of time, at which time you could either move back home or move to a Fokus Housing Unit, which is a shared attendant care model. For that reason, I moved to a Fokus Unit. The model was great, however with my work schedule and my busy social life, it was hard sharing staff, being scheduled for everything. I was continuously trying to juggle my scheduled calls, or missing calls.

It was around this time there were a group of people who were also having similar concerns. This group came from members of the Independent Living Resource Centre (Allan Simpson) and Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities (Mike Rosner) and some other individuals such as Elizabeth Semkiw. After many years of negotiations with government, in 1991 the Manitoba Government, through its Home Care Program, initiated a two-year pilot project (Self Managed Attendant Care) that was based in Winnipeg. Twenty-nine persons were given the funds and full responsibility to demonstrate their ability to meet their own personal care and household maintenance needs, through hiring/firing, directing and managing their own staff. In 1994 the program spread throughout

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Manitoba and became Self and Family Managed Care (SFMC). Family Managed Care was made available in response to family members wanting to keep their loved ones at home for as long as possible. I thought, wow, what a great opportunity to buy my own home, renovate it to my needs and then have the opportunity to have my own staff.

Well, it took me a few years to save up and reach my goals, but in 2000 I bought my house and went on the Self and Family Managed Care program. This is the ultimate definition of Independent Living to me. I have total control of everything in my life at this point. And since the beginning of the SFMC program there has been approximately 400 self and family managers in Winnipeg.

I wont go into all the benefits of being on the program for they are endless. I will mention only that the individuals/leaders who advocated those many years ago also had a dream and proved that it only takes a few individuals to change the way things are. They set a new trend for others to follow. I took a chance then, due to these individuals, and it was a good thing.

Our community has a long way to go there is much work to be done!

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BY ROSS EADIE1

Your Vote Please

Four days in April, 1992 sent me on a path leading to a successful election to Winnipeg City Council in October, 2010. During an Independence 92 plenary session that included Henry Enns and Allan Simpson, people from around the world heard about great success in Independent Living advocacy efforts in the industrial world, but the following words rang

At51yearsold,RossEadielivesinWinnipegwithhiswifeandtwoteenageboys.CurrentlyRossworks astheelectedcitycouncillorfortheMynarskiWard(NorthEndandWestKildonan).Withastrongsense ofcitizenship,RossEadiehasadvocatedformanyimprovementsthathaveaddedtothewellbeingof manypeople.Rosssactivityandexperiencecanbefoundatwww.rosseadie.ca.

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out to me: We have yet to elect persons with disabilities into governments at all levels where we can influence decisions from within. Imagine if people with disabilities had been sitting in cabinet while a new Charter of Rights and Freedoms was discussed in the context of what it should cover. Including the rights of persons with disabilities in the Charter would have started at the beginning, instead of requiring a huge effort to include them near the end of the process.

Advocacy efforts drove me to become a politician at the municipal level. The city comes into ones life more often than the other levels. But, I have campaigned at the federal, provincial and school board levels, which involve education, health, housing and income. All four of these issues are at the top of the list to improve life for persons with disabilities and those without disabilities.

We have had some success in electing persons with disabilities in Canada. At least two persons who are blind have been school board trustees in the prairies. A woman with a disability has been the mayor of a small city, and a man using a wheelchair became the mayor of Vancouver. A person who is deaf became a member of the Ontario government, and a woman with a disability has become the Minister of Labour in Manitoba. A man who experiences quadriplegia and a woman who experiences paraplegia have

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become Members of Parliament. I am sure there are more examples, but there needs to be many more to be representative of our society.

One interesting point must be made in terms of electoral progress in Canada. None of these people ran on the issues of people with disabilities. We were part of campaigns about issues everyone in society is concerned about. Each of us has political ideals from our political parties. We are women and men; fathers and mothers; single and married; gay and lesbian; and of many ethnic backgrounds. It can be difficult to hear from voters who want to make your disability an issue, but I truly believe the huge effort in educating the public over the past 30 years has made this a very small number of voters.

It is my belief that much more success will come in electing persons with disabilities in the next decade. I am not sure about where my political career will culminate before retirement, but I do know nobody will be asking me to wait at the door while they get money to donate to the blind guy. They know it is your vote please.

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BY CLARESIMPSON1

The Emergence of Individualized Funding in Manitoba--In The Company of Friends

Thirty years ago I had recently ended employment with the Manitoba Association for Community Living (30 years ago the organization was called the Canadian Association for the

ClareSimpsoniscurrentlyanemployeeoftheCouncilofCanadianswithDisabilities.Shehasbeen activeinthedisabilityrightscommunitysincethemidseventiesandinvolvedwiththeprogramInThe CompanyofFriendsfor18years.

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Mentally Retarded, Manitoba!) the name change alone is a significant accomplishment!!

At the Board of Directors level in the organization there was considerable discussion about moving people out of the institutions in Manitoba; small community residences were springing up in urban and rural areas. The idea was that people living in small groups within a community would be a step closer to community inclusion, and that each would enjoy more private space and could better participate in and contribute to community life. This was true, however there was still one major hurdle individualized funding!! People living in community residences or small group settings are still confined to the common good of the group, confined to the budget of the residence, confined to staff whom they may or may not get along with, to eating as a group, to recreating as a group, to sharing space with others. Individual aspirations, dreams, and goals often were not realized due to the limited time, energy, skill and motivation of residential staff.

In the late summer of 1993, my husband Allan and I were invited to meet a young adult man who had lived most of his life in an institution in Winnipeg. Ron had lived at St. Amant Centre since the age of 2. He was non-verbal, disabled due to spastic cerebral palsy and also had an intellectual disability. He required the use of a wheelchair for mobility and needed assistance

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with most aspects of his personal care AND he wanted to move out of the institution. On meeting this personable, handsome and determined man, I was amazed to witness his forward thinking and determination to make a change in his life. So began a new adventure for my family as Ron invited us to join his Support Network and help him plan for his move into the community.

At the same time I was aware that the Manitoba Government, together with a group of determined individuals from the community, had come together as a Steering Committee and were about to launch a demonstration project to promote deinstitutionalization In The Company Of Friends (ICOF). This project was to demonstrate that an individual with an intellectual disability could live in the community with the guidance and advice of a Support Network (a group of friends, family and associates) who would voluntarily support a person to make life decisions. Participants in the ICOF project would receive dollars directly to live their life hire staff, rent an apartment, purchase goods and services, make decisions on how to spend their time.

In 2011, Manitoba now funds the program, In The Company of Friends, to over 60 individuals. ICOF is one option of supported living within the Department of Family Services. It is a program

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which has moved well past the demonstration phase. It is an example of Individualized Funding, independent of the provincial Income Assistance program. The one criteria is that a Support Network of friends and family must be in place and active with each participant.

An organization called Living in Friendship Every Day (LIFE) was formed in 2000 to provide a resource to the participants of ICOF, to monitor and assist with the maintenance of Support Networks and to ensure the integrity of the ICOF model is upheld.

Other provinces in Canada now have programs similar to ICOF. Manitoba is unique in that participants budget and receive funds for all aspects of their life (housing, food, transportation, staffing, leisure, etc.).

For Ron, having access to his own funds to determine his own lifestyle, has been life changing. He lives where he chooses, he hires staff of his choosing, he plans volunteer/leisure time of his choosing, he is making the same difficult decisions about money management that most people face. His life has been challenging, full of decisions and new experiences. I have been involved on Rons support network for 18 years. At times it is very hard work, but having watched Ron develop and grow in character,

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convinces me with no doubts that Individualized Funding gives to an individual personal freedom, personal determination and allows a person to develop a lifestyle of their choosing. While traditional caregiving services still exist in all provinces across Canada for individuals with an intellectual disability, the concept of Individualized Funding has been demonstrated as a positive step forward.

Life has changed dramatically for people who are a part of the ICOF supported living program over the past 30 years.

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BY JANET FORBES1

Long Journey to Citizenship

A decade after the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons in 1971, the Manitoba Task Force on Mental Retardation presented the Challenges for Today Opportunities for Tomorrow to the Honourable Len Evans, Minister of Community Services and Corrections.

JanetForbesisthecurrentExecutiveDirectorofCommunityLivingWinnipeg.Shehasworkedformore than30yearsinvariouscapacitieswithCommunityLivinginManitobaandOntario,withBrandon CommunityOptionsandtheformerChildrensPsychiatricResearchCentreinLondon,Ontario.Sheis activewithseveralprovincialandnationalcommitteesworkingtopromotehumanrightsandinclusionfor allpeople.

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The report reflected the understanding of needs of people with intellectual disabilities at the time. Its focus was on prevention, assessment and service standards. Now, guided by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities we focus on building communities that include everyone.

Since 1958, Community Living Winnipegs work has been to ensure people have support to live as fully participating citizens. Over the past 30 years we have witnessed important milestones including the 1980s Welcome Home initiative; the proclamation of the Vulnerable Persons Act in 1996; the closure of Pelican Lake Centre in the early 2000s. The Vulnerable Persons Act changed the status of people to be one of presumed capacity.

Sharing a persons experience moving from an institution back to community has been a privilege. During the closure of Pelican Lake, when I met individuals and their families, I heard excitement and hope but also fear and anxiety. Thinking of those emotions in the context of new experiences for anyone revealed the same message; we all need to push forward. If we surround ourselves with people who care deeply about us, we will find support. It is not always an easy path but it is the right journey.

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We have a new way of thinking about people influenced greatly by the rise of the self-advocacy movement in the 1980s. People First pushed us to change our language, but also to deepen our understanding of what citizenship means. Human rights take precedent over prevention. Outcomes and quality of life prevail over standards. The obligation to make our communities accessible and welcoming rests with all of us.

Sadly, people are still living in large congregate settings. In spite of efforts to make it different, life in an institution is merely an imitation of real life, which is possible only when people enjoy equal status to that of other citizens. Much work still lies ahead.

In a time when things seem to move so slowly, there is steady progress. We honour the pioneers of the community living movement. With each person who remains a member of community we learn, and we reflect. Always, when we learn better we do better.

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BY BONNIE HEATH (DUBIENSKI)1

For My Loving Mother and Father

Having been asked to submit a 400-word essay I struggle to describe an almost 60 year journey. Having Deaf parents means, almost without exception, you will be asked to interpret at some point during your day.

Imagine, I am in Grade 4 and the Winnipeg Police come and take me from school to interpret for them at the Hartford Police Station. It appears that a young Deaf man has escaped from Selkirk by riding the train into Winnipeg. Despite my

BonnieHeath(Dubienski)hasgrownupintheDeafCommunity.SheistheExecutiveDirectorforboth theEQualityCommunicationCentreofExcellence(ECCOE)andtheResourceCentreforManitobanswho areDeafBlind(RCMDB);InterpreterEducator;CertifiedInterpreterbytheAssociationofVisualLanguage InterpretersofCanada(AVLIC)(PastPresident)andcurrentlyPresidentofCriticalLinkInternational(CLI).

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being nine years old, I remember how pleased he was that I knew sign language.

Fast forward to Grade 8: same thing, same man, same police station.

The story has a happy ending on many levels. In 1975 I walked into the then Kiwanis Centre of the Deaf and there he was, the man I had met in Grade 4. It is now January 2012 and he still lives there.

At age 17, I was interpreting at Red River Community College (RRCC) and shortly thereafter for the Canadian Team at the Deaf Olympics, 1981, in Cologne, Germany. There I met many young Deaf Canadians. I think it was at this point that the seed was planted for my career although my Mother would tell you I decided my fate at age 7. Apparently I had gestured to her that when I grew up (noting very clearly with my hand over my head indicating taller and taller) I would be an interpreter.

After applying for a Canada Community Service Project grant via Jim August (whom I had worked with at the North YMCA), the Independent Interpreter Referral Service (IIRS) opened in March, 1982. The need to educate interpreters soon became apparent and I started teaching at

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RRCC in September of 1982. My son was born in September that year as well and so I went back to work after six weeks of maternity leave to not one job, but two. Mornings were spent at RRCC and afternoons at IIRS. We are the only Canada Community Services Project still in existence in Canada.

IIRS (now the E-Quality Communication Centre of Excellence, ECCOE), is a not-for-profit organization operating under the supervision of a board of directors voted for by the community it serves.

Celebrating thirty years based on the concept that Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and hearing folks have the right to talk to one another!

We all have a voice and to the many interpreters and intervenors my heartfelt thanks for your commitment and professionalism!

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BY LORI L. ROSS1

My Personal Reflections on the Last 30 Years of Manitobans with Disabilities

Thirty years ago is when the Independent Living disability movement really had momentum, from accessible housing, transportation, attendant
1 Forthelast40yearsLorihasbeenandcontinuestobeanactiveparticipantandadvocateforthe
IndependentLivingmovementinManitoba.Loricontinuestoplayavitalroleinthedevelopmentof disabilityawarenessforthecommunitiesofWinnipegandManitoba;aswellasbeinginstrumentalinthe creationofprogrammingthatwillpropeltheILmovementintothe21stCenturyandbeyond.Sheloves music,animals,friendsandfamilyandtheallelusivejoiedevivre.Alwayslookingforward,ratherthan backward,Loriisproudtosaythatsheislivingahappyandfulfillingindependentlifestyle.

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care, education, employment, you name it, it was happening. People with disabilities took the bull by the horns and demanded to be heard. As well, they proved they were more than capable of taking control of their lives regardless of the type or level of disability they had. To most people with disabilities in Manitoba the leaders, to name a few, were: Allan Simpson, Henry Enns, Jim Derksen, John Lane, Dave Martin, Elizabeth Semkiw, Veronika Demereckas, Theresa Ducharme, Grant McDonald, Larry Crouse, Don Ament and many, many more. Sadly, most of these great people have passed away and with their loss the movement has slowly fallen along the wayside.

Ive often wondered why the younger generations of consumers dont see the direction all of our hard work is going. Dont get me wrong, the youth of our day are individually succeeding and the services that were created generally still exist however this is where my frustration kicks in.

As a longtime staff of the Independent Living Resource Centre I had the opportunity to see the growth and changes to a variety of services. Ill touch on just a few such services which enable consumers to more equally participate in the community. Lets start with our attendant care services which have gone from government run to consumer controlled with such programs as Fokus Housing, Self and Family Managed Care,

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and Brokerage where consumers are in control and hire their own staff and direct them to do everything that needs being done the ultimate in personal care. These types of supports enable consumers to live in the community rather than institutions or in care facilities. For whatever reason, the tenants living in Fokuss shared care model are not as interested or dedicated to its operation as in the beginning and are finding they are losing control of their personal care because decisions need to be made and bureaucracies such as management and unions take over above the IL philosophy and consumer control which is the very foundation this model was created from.

Our public transportation has implemented the use of accessible transit buses improving access to consumers to participate in any and all their endeavours. An unfortunate result for Winnipeggers however is our winter weather makes it practically useless for the whole winter season due to the snow and the cold. While the HandiTransit service which was created as a parallel transit service now financially penalizes passengers for No Shows and is contemplating the same penalties for cancellations, this is a money grab on a sector already seen as a vulnerable population.

Our youth with disabilities can access the education they want with accommodations when

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necessary but, as we know, employment is challenging for everyone. Even though there are a few incentive programs for employers to hire people with disabilities, there is an even greater struggle for youth with disabilities to be hired because they have no previous work experience, such as delivering papers, babysitting, working at McDonalds or Tims, etc., which gives them the lessons of responsibilities and their financial benefits. Even volunteer experiences for consumers are challenging because society believes people with disabilities are the individuals who need the support from volunteers, not the other way around.

In conclusion, my friends and I personally keep advocating and educating the community that as people with disabilities we can and do have positive contributions to make in our community and we will be heard whether they want to hear us or not. My concern is where are the new leaders, the movers and shakers? Who will continue to represent and follow the true course of consumer control and the Independent Living philosophy in the years to come?

Im not Allan Simpson or any of those movers and shakers of the past, but I truly support and believe that what they accomplished over the last thirty years needs to be nurtured, supported and fought for, not just for me but for everyone who has a disability and for those who will become

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disabled. Independent Living is for everyone, and we all must keep the movement and ideology alive.

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BY DAVE MARTIN1

The Development of Self Managed Attendant Services in Manitoba

In 1986, as Provincial Coordinator of the Manitoba League of the Physically Handicapped (now Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities), I was invited to attend a community consultation on how to make provincial Home Care attendant services work better for Manitobans with disabilities. The meeting was organized by the Department of Health which was providing Home Care service to Manitobans. The Department had been receiving many complaints from users of attendant services, and sincerely wanted to explore ways of making improvements.

About 50 people attended the consultation and discussed options including changes to the Departments delivery of services or contracting them out to a private company. One idea captured the imagination of many people in the room however. A participant spoke about a concept being used in a couple of American

DaveMartinistheSeniorAdvisoronDisabilityIssueswiththeProvinceofManitoba.From1983to 2000,hewastheProvincialCoordinatoroftheManitobaLeagueofPersonswithDisabilities.
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states where Home Care users were given money from government so they could purchase their own service. For me this was a revolutionary idea that made so much sense, because it would give people more control over the supports they receive. At the end of the consultation, a vote was held and the majority of participants decided to ask the Department to study this selfmanagement model.

After considering the consultation report for a couple of months, the Minister of Health at the time, the Honourable Larry Desjardins, agreed to explore this new concept. He formed a committee, chaired by John Lane from the Canadian Paraplegic Association, and asked it to prepare a proposal on how a self managed attendant system might work in Manitoba. I was appointed to sit on the committee to represent the MLPH, along with representatives from the Independent Living Resource Centre, Ten Ten Sinclair Housing, the Home Care office, and some individual community members.

The committee met regularly for about a year discussing issues ranging from how much government monitoring should occur on the expenditure of funds, liability if something goes wrong, taxation of the funds people would receive, and the effect a self-managed attendant option might have on employees working for the governments service. Committee meetings were

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gruelling, but exciting as we slowly crafted a proposal to be submitted to the minister. I believe we all felt we were doing something that would make a difference in the lives of many people with disabilities.

After a long wait, in 1991 the government hesitantly proceeded with a three year pilot project of self managed attendant services in Winnipeg. Three years later, the pilot was deemed a success and it was announced the option would become a permanent part of the provincial Home Care Program. By working together, government and the disability community had created something special.

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BY ZANA MARIE LUTFIYYA1

Wolf Wolfensberger and His Impact in Manitoba

Wolf Wolfensberger was born in Mannheim, Germany in 1934. Sheltered by a family in Alsace during WWII, the war left an indelible impression on him and his view of the world. He came to appreciate the importance of an individual reaching out to help someone else because it was the right thing to do. Migrating to the USA in 1950, he earned a Ph.D. in Psychology and Mental Retardation from what is now Vanderbilt University. From 1971-73, Wolfensberger was a visiting scholar at the National Institute on Mental Retardation (NIMR) in Toronto. A prolific author, Wolfensberger wrote several significant works during that time, including The Principle of Normalization, Citizen Advocacy, Program Analysis of Service Systems and a series of monographs on changing the human service

ZanaLutfiyyacompletedhergraduatetrainingandpostdoctoralworkattheCenteronHumanPolicy, SyracuseUniversity.ShejoinedtheUniversityofManitobain1992.Herlongstandingresearchinteresthas beenidentifyingandexaminingthefactorsthathelporhinderthevaluedsocialparticipationof individualswithintellectualdisabilitiesincommunitylife.Inrecentyearsthishasincludedfacilitatingthe participationofindividualswithintellectualdisabilitiesintheresearchprocess,asparticipantsandin helpingdetermineresearchgoalsandquestions.

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system. He initiated a series of workshops that brought people to NIMR and took him across Canada. These workshops continued after he moved to Syracuse in the fall of 1973, and where he lived until his death on February 27, 2011. The Wolfshops covered a range of topics related to the improvement of services for people with an intellectual disability, the primary focus in his work. He began to identify wider patterns and implications for other socially devalued groups in the early 1980s, and this changing perspective was reflected in his writings and workshops.

Wolfensberger (often referred to as WW) had a significant impact on how many of us in Manitoba came to understand human services and the lives of people with an intellectual disability. He was the first to coherently argue that the segregation, congregation, and social isolation of individuals with disabilities and the dominance of professionals were unacceptable and harmful service design principles. His work on normalization (and later, Social Role Valorization) promoted the importance of meaningful social integration and a valued role in community life, along with the individualization of supports to enable each person to grow in competence. No other scholar provided such an incisive description of the importance of perceptions and social imagery. WW thought that every service system needed a set of checks and balances and proposed an innovative schema of protective and advocacy services, including

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Citizen Advocacy, an individual and relational form of advocacy.

Hundreds of Manitobans attended a variety of Wolfshops (some stretching to eight days) in the 1970s 1990s. While some are still offered, Wolfensbergers impact can be more clearly seen in the work of those who studied with him. Agencies offering daytime and residential supports were established, schools welcomed students with disabilities and recreation programs were created. A training program for human service professionals was opened at Red River College. Winnipeg Citizen Advocacy, founded in November 1973, is still in existence today.

In some ways, we have moved past those initial goals that Wolfensberger encouraged us to work for. We now have a greater appreciation of, and respect for, the competence and perspectives of individuals with an intellectual disability. This recognition is found in the Vulnerable Persons Living with a Mental Disability Act. But we still have work to do. Even after 40 years of effort, not all Manitobans have the opportunity to live in the community. About 400 citizens still live in institutions in this province. Wolfensbergers lessons are still applicable today. As John VanWalleghem (2012, personal communication) noted, Wolfensberger was

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the key person in providing direction out of an historical mess. When one is used to thinking the way everyone else thinks because its the social norm, it often seems like there is no other way. Not only do you need to hear that its wrong, but you need a concrete picture of an alternate reality. I think that WW articulated the beginning of that concrete reality which motivated a lot of others to add details and work in the same direction.

Thanks to the alternate reality that WW introduced to us, much has changed for Manitobans with an intellectual disability. We can best honour him by holding strong to the future that he envisioned and continuing the work with which he charged us.

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BY ANNE KRESTA1

Transitioning into Adulthood in Manitoba A 30 Year Retrospective

If we look back 30 years agoinstitutions, segregated classrooms, work in sheltered workshops, these were all common expectations and occurrences for those with disabilities in Manitoba.

Things began to change in the 1980s with the advent of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and with the recognition of the disability rights movement.

The Welcome Home Project, which took place in the late 1980s in Manitoba, saw the return of many individuals with intellectual disabilities to their original communities.

AnneKrestaistheInclusiveEducationandCommunityDevelopmentSpecialistwithCommunityLiving Manitoba.SheisalsothePresidentofAspergerManitobaInc.(AMI).Anneisthemotherofthreegifted children,twoofwhosegiftsincludeAspergerSyndrome,AttentionDeficitDisorder,TouretteSyndrome andAnxietyDisorder.BotharenowadultsandstudyingatUniversityandCollegeinWinnipeg.

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In the 1980s we also had the advent of supported employment with individuals with intellectual disabilities able to find work and be supported in their endeavours in the community.

With all of these changes, there was increasing pressure to make public education inclusive of all children whatever their needs and gifts and finally in the 1990s the original interdepartmental protocol for planning the transition of students from high school to the community took shape.

In 1996 the Vulnerable Persons Living with a Mental Disability Act was enacted in exchange for the dropping of a lawsuit against the provincial government regarding the assumption of capacity among adults with intellectual disabilities and this led to changes in how planning for individuals with disabilities was done: No longer was it okay to plan about them without them, and without them as key decisionmakers.

In 2004, our Public Schools Act was amended to include appropriate educational programming for all students in Manitoba public schools. This was ratified in 2005 with key components that addressed assessment, individual education plans, parent involvement, and transitioning into and out of the school system. The Bridging to

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Adulthood protocol, an interdepartmental planning document that guides all those involved in planning for life in the community after high school, really extolled principles of personcentred collaborative practice. In 2008 this revised transition protocol became a working document for schools and other involved in services and supports to plan together with the student and their support network.

The rollout of this protocol included visits to 19 communities with both a representative from Manitoba Education and Community Living Manitoba, a nongovernmental association that promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities in the community. Each meeting brought together parents, teachers, service providers, representatives from Community Living disAbility Services, marketAbilities and Childrens disAbility Services and discussed how to use the protocol to more effectively work together for the transitioning students benefit.

The public profile of disability and inclusive communities continues to grow, from a strong presence within the early child care sector, to growing strength in elementary, middle and high school settings. The government, along with many nongovernmental organizations, both within Manitoba and across Canada, have been instrumental in raising the bar in postsecondary education and employment settings. We are

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seeing an increasingly diverse labour force in our neighbourhood businesses. There is an expectation among many parents, self-advocates and their supporters that going to school will lead to further opportunities, not only for employment, but also for study at university and colleges with the help of disability support services, located on campus at Manitoban colleges, universities and vocational training centres.

Students with disabilities, like my two sons, can explore subject areas, knowing that there are people around them who can help them with organizational skills, alternate testing environments, tutoring, scribing and so many other details that might otherwise overwhelm them. They are free to set goals and change them as they discover that what they thought they wanted to pursue as a career may not be what they really want after all. This is a long way from the days when students with disabilities had a very finite array of options after high school that may or may not have corresponded to where their interests and talents lay.

When my sons were young and we despaired at their future prospects, a very wise woman, also the mother of two sons with similar challenges, pointed out, Just wait, in the next five years things can change so much. And she was right. Every five years or so we would look back and

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marvel at the changes not only within our sons, but within ourselves as a family, and our capacity to advocate for the supports and services that our sons needed to succeed in their lives. We were also increasingly gratified to see change within government policy when it came to the education of our children in inclusive schools and classrooms and the holistic approach that was being developed and promoted that involved multiple government departments in the preparation of students for transitioning into community life after high school. Most of all, we take comfort in seeing the changes in our society; from places where people with disabilities were hidden away from sight and sound, to places that can celebrate the rich diversity that being differently abled can bring.

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BY LESLEE GISLASON1

Freedom of Choice Is Important

Total independence can never be achieved if you are disabled. There will always be a need for the assistance of others. This being said, I feel Self and Family Managed Care (SFMC) has enabled the disabled community to experience the choice and opportunity available within this program.

As a client of Home Care, I was always stressed due to the change of workers running in and out of my door. Constant training of staff and having

InJuly2011afterworkingforalmost25years,IretiredfrommyjobasanAdultDayProgram Coordinator.Myinterestsare:internet,music,anythingfromtheclassicstoLadyGaga,cooking,dogsand longwalks.Ihavelivedaloneinmyownhomesince1987.

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as many as four people in my home a day was difficult. The restriction on what they could do was a problem for me. I spent hours on the phone complaining to anyone who would listen, including the Minister of Health.

As one of the first rural clients of SFMC, it has been for the most part a wonderful experience. In the beginning, I was overwhelmed finding my way. Over the years, staff management and bookwork has become easier. Of course there are occasional problems. I try to be a good employer by making schedules flexible. It is difficult to hire staff in a small town. Not many people are willing to tackle such a personal job unless they are a Health Care Aid. I have had untrained workers and find they are efficient and easy to train as they do not have a preconceived way of dong things. Short hours and split shifts can cause workers to leave for more time in another job. I would like this issue addressed.

The big plus with SFMC is that people apply for a job because they want to work here and I hire them because I want them. Freedom of choice and compatibility is important. I can have a shower even if it isnt bath day. My attendant and I can go grocery shopping, and she can come with me to medical appointments or social events. My attendant can assist me in countless daily tasks most people take for granted. I was able to work, I can get up, go to the bathroom or

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go to bed at a time of my choosing, not when someone miles away from me schedules.

Because of SFMC I have been able to stay in my home, make choices that improve my lifestyle and make me happy.

Hopefully the program will continue and evolve to be even better.

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BY ANTOINETTE ZLOTY, MSW, BSW, RSW

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Celebrating Our Accomplishments

Here I am, many years after working with Allan Simpson, writing a personal reflection. Allan, if you were present as I write these words, you would only feel the great respect and appreciation I felt and still feel for you. The ease at which you worked, the natural flow of your thoughts and the support you gave to any effort

1 AntoinetteZlotyisaConsultantwithManitobaHealth,GovernmentofManitoba,withmanyyearsof experienceinservicedelivery,policyandprogramdevelopmentandevaluation.

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which would strengthen people, will remain with me always.

Over the past thirty years, I have seen a lot of improvements in the attitudes of Manitobans, in the environments in which we live and in the plans being made for our future. Our future and those who will arrive long after us will be determined by what we do today. A major change which happened to me early on in my social work career was the realization that our abilities and our focus on what is real and important can change in a heartbeat. Policy analysts, program planners and decision makers, in their respective roles, need to acknowledge that people are not static, there are no guarantees of ability or continuing ability, and their decisions will affect generations to come.

Thirty years ago, as a still able person I would hear comments about people with disabilities from other still able people. Some of these comments demonstrated negative attitudes towards people with disabilities. Today, I do not hear these comments. Is it because the people I now associate with are different or have attitudes changed? I would like to think that it is the latter.

Thirty years ago, I lived in an apartment building where a number of people with disabilities lived. I already had a positive attitude toward people

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with disabilities. My summer work experiences and my upbringing must have contributed to my outlook. Was I more positive because of who I was then personally, or were there changes happening back then? Back then I would like to think that attitudes were changing for the better and opportunities for people with disabilities were improving. People like Allan Simpson had already laid a lot of groundwork for those changes.

Over the years, Home Care, 1010 Sinclair Housing, the Independent Living Resource Centre, and other organizations, programs and services have made significant improvements for people with disabilities. Flexibility, inclusiveness, and respect for each other, are some of the values we continue to embrace.

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BY DR. ZEPHANIA MATANGA1

The Impact of the Social Development Partnerships Program on the Ethnocultural Disability Communities
As you are undoubtedly aware, the disabled ethnocultural community is one of the most marginalized segments of our population. As a consequence, the empowerment of such communities requires a coordinated national intervention. It was through the Social Development Partnerships Program that opportunities for community participation for persons with disabilities from the ethnocultural disability were being created. Such creations of opportunities for these marginalized communities were enabled through the funding of projects specifically targeted to persons with disabilities from ethnocultural communities by the Social Development Partnerships Program. Case in point, in 2004 CMDCI had an opportunity to undertake the project: National Policies and

Dr.ZephaniaMatangaistheExecutiveDirectorofTheCanadianMulticulturalDisabilityCentreInc. (CMDCI).Currently,heteachesattheUniversityofManitobaasaninstructorintheFacultyofEducation; DepartmentofPsychologyandadministration.HecamefromZimbabwein1992withawealthof experienceandfirsthandknowledgeaboutthedebilitatingeffectsofdisabilityonprofessionalsinhis homelandandthroughoutAfrica.

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Legal Rights: From the Disability and Multicultural Perspectives.

Through this project, experts and persons with disabilities from ethnocultural disability communities were invited from all over Canada to discuss barriers and opportunities which prevented and enabled this marginalized community to participate fully in Canadian life. One of the major outcomes of this project was putting in place initiatives that set out a strong Canadian disability strategy based on a vision of people with disabilities from ethnocultural communities as full citizens. However, CMDCI believes that these initiatives will be further strengthened by allowing the Social Development Partnerships Program to continue. This is particularly important considering that Canada is home to some 5 million visible minorities (Statistics Canada, 2009), which translates to about 600,000 of them with disabilities assuming the 12% rate used for the general population by Statistics Canada. It is important to note that this number is likely higher because most visible minorities are engaged in employment activities that increase their likelihood of acquiring disabling conditions and that this segment of the Canadian population can only be expected to grow as Canada continues to welcome new immigrants.

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I would like to conclude by introducing our organization: The Canadian Multicultural Disability Centre (Inc), formerly known as The African Canadian Disability Community Association (Inc), is a national community-based organization founded in 1996. It was first incorporated in Ontario in 1996 and later incorporated in Manitoba in 2002 where it is headquartered. As it relates to services, The Canadian Multicultural Disability Centre (Inc) is a community-based organization whose purpose is: (1) To identify solutions and opportunities that enable persons with disabilities to participate fully in Canadian life; (2) To provide education on the role of cultural diversity in developing opportunities for persons with disabilities, particularly persons with disabilities from ethnoracial backgrounds; and (3) To enhance the skills of persons with disabilities through training programs such as health education, computer literacy and job networking.

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BY VALERIE WOLBERT1

Access and Inclusion Are Good Public Policy

Since the Manitoba disability rights movement was first established back in 1974, a lot has changed for Manitobans living with an intellectual disability. We are finally taking our rightful place in the community! And Im proud to have played a part in bringing about some of that change.

Persons living with intellectual disabilities have a lot more options available today than they did 38

ValerieWolbertisPresidentofPeopleFirst(Manitoba).ShealsoservesontheDisAbledWomens Network(Manitoba)ExecutiveCommittee.ValerieliveswithherhusbandandtheirtwocatsinWinnipeg.
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years ago. And our movement has matured. We have gone from the principle of normalization of the early 1970s to the currently held concept of inclusion.

Up until the mid 1980s group homes and sheltered workshops for persons with intellectual disabilities were still considered to be the norm. That is no longer the case. Weve learned that one size does not fit all. Consumers are all different. Today, programs and services are tailored to fit the individual and not the other way around.

Whether I am speaking or writing, my message is that everyone, regardless of their ability or disability, has something to contribute to our community.

Since December 2004, I have been a part of Canadas deinstitutionalization movement. In 2007, I and four other self-advocates helped to co-produce a documentary called The Freedom Tour. It was the first documentary in Canada produced by persons with an intellectual disability. Its goal: to raise awareness about the continuing institutionalization of individuals who have been labeled with an intellectual disability. The film provides viewers with a glimpse of what life was like in institutions through archival photographs, video footage, and powerful firsthand accounts from survivors and their families.

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Since 1986, more than 90% of Canadas institutions for people labelled with intellectual disabilities have closed. Four large facilities remain in operation in western Canada. And two of those institutions are located in the province of Manitoba. Advocacy groups like People First (Manitoba) will continue to call for their closure.

As an advocate and leader in Manitobas disability community Ive worked tirelessly at creating a more inclusive and accessible Manitoba for all of its citizens. In 2011, I was asked by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to serve as an advisor on its Inclusive Design Advisory Council. I strongly believe that access and inclusion are good public policy that benefits us all.

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BY SARA HARMS1

Records of a Living History

I was born just over 30 years ago, so many of the achievements made by the disability community in Manitoba happened while I was growing up. Id like to highlight three that have affected me most.

I became active in the disability movement when I turned 19 and moved in with my cousin Catherine Schaefer who, along with her mother,

SaraHarmsisamemberofLAvenirCooperativeandPrairieHousingCooperativeandapastboard memberofWinnipegCitizenAdvocacy.ShecompletedtheUniversityofManitobasInterdisciplinary MastersPrograminDisabilityStudiesin2009.

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Nicola Schaefer, is a founding member of LAvenir Cooperative and a pioneer of the community living movement in Manitoba. One of the earliest great achievements by the disability community in Manitoba is the publication of Nicola and Catherines memoir, Does She Know Shes There? (Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1979). The memoir, rereleased with an update in 1999, chronicles Catherines life as a person with complex disabilities who finds creative and innovative ways to live in the community, not in an institution, as her doctor originally recommended. Does She Know Shes There? documents an invaluable living history of the disability rights and community living movement in Manitoba, at a time when organizations such as People First, Community Living Associations, Continuity Care, Winnipeg Citizen Advocacy, and LAvenir Cooperative, to name a few, formed as a result of tireless activism by community members.

The fight for deinstitutionalization continues in Manitoba, in particular the fight to release the residents of the Manitoba Developmental Centre from their institutional setting to a community living setting. The Freedom Tour (2008), a documentary made by People First members in partnership with the National Film Board, documents in part this ongoing struggle. The Freedom Tour is a second great achievement over the last 30 years and includes footage of

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Catherines 45th birthday celebration at her home in Winnipeg.

Manitoba is home to one of the first Disability Studies programs in Canada. Thanks to the lobbying by the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies, the University of Manitoba created the Interdisciplinary Masters Program in Disability Studies in 2003. I enrolled as a student the following year. The program assumes that people with disabilities, rather than medical professionals, are the experts about disability, and students are encouraged to examine all disciplines, including literature, architecture, medicine, and history, from the perspective of people with disabilities. Universities are powerful institutions that influence assumptions and attitudes in society. It is important to have the perspective of people with disabilities present in academic research settings, which is why I consider this program a third great achievement.

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BY RICK ZIMMER1

Allan: A True Model of Humanity

I cant remember exactly where I first met Allan Simpson or why, but what has remained in my memory was how genuine and humble he was. He was truly interested in getting to know me as a person, not as someone who is Deaf. He wasnt thrown by having to use an interpreter to communicate with me and he did not look down on me for my being Deaf; he simply accepted me for who I was: a person.

When I started on the International Year of Disabled Persons committee, it was Allan who took me under his wing and took the time to educate me on the history of the organization and how things operated. Allan was a pioneer in advocating for the rights for people with disabilities. It was through his work that I became involved in Deaf persons rights. I remember sharing some of my struggles and concerns with Allan oppression, language barriers, etc. and it was with Allans

RickZimmeristheCoordinatoroftheDeafStudiesProgramandtheASLEnglishInterpretationProgram atRedRiverCollegeandwasagoodfriendofAllan's.
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encouragement and guidance that I started advocating for and with the Deaf community.

With Allans encouragement, we held an Awareness workshop entitled Deaf Culture and Pride. This was to inform not only the Deaf community but also the general public, educators, and government officials about the validity of American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf culture. Allan empowered us to take a stand.

This workshop was the catalyst for many positive changes for the Deaf community. ASL was finally recognized as a language, which in turn meant that ASL would be the primary teaching language in Deaf schools across Canada. It was with Allans encouragement and expertise that this change was so successful. He knew how the political system worked and how to make these changes happen. He fought for inclusion, not by complaining and criticizing, but by planning, strategizing, and thoughtfully explaining the issues at hand.

The Deaf community has changed immensely over the years from being a very excluded, marginalized group to being a more included, and even influential, part of society. Through Allans work, the general public is much more accepting of people of all abilities. People seem to be less concerned or focused on anothers

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disability and more concerned with the person. Barriers for people with disabilities, such as language barriers specifically for the Deaf seem to be diminishing as well.

When I think of Allan, I think of a man who had big dreams of change and inclusion and over his lifetime he succeeded in making those changes happen. He never judged or looked down on another person for being differently abled. He was the most accepting, humble, and supportive person: a true model of humanity.

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BY LAURIE BEACHELL1

Recreation/Leisure Integration: The First Frontier?

Before I began working for CCD and the consumer disability rights movement, my focus had been recreation and leisure of persons with disabilities. In the early 70s, the only recreation/leisure opportunities for children and adults with disabilities were segregated programs run by social agencies or by segregated schools. My involvement in the area of disability and recreation began by pure happenstance. While at university a friend told

LaurieBeachellistheNationalCoordinatoroftheCouncilofCanadianswithDisabilities.

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me she needed my help with something Tuesday night. So off I went and ended up playing games for an evening with about twenty 12 year olds with a variety of mobility impairments. This was my introduction to what was then called the Society for Crippled Children and Adults (now the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities (SMD)). Little did I know that for the next 6 years I would be a volunteer for social/recreational programs at SMD and ultimately hired by them to be the director of their camp at Gimli (Lakeside Camp) and to run a broad range of social/recreational programs at SMD in what was then called the Group Program. At that time the Societys blue buses picked up participants and brought them to the programs being offered. These blue buses had no lifts, but they were the only system of transportation available to many. Truly, this was my training ground. My attitude was corrected, my understanding of barriers was broadened and I was taught by the clients to understand the inequality and isolation many people with disabilities faced on a daily basis. It was a lifechanging experience.

The work here in Manitoba to create more integrated recreation opportunities began in the 70s and that work was connected to a national network. Following my work at SMD, I was employed by the Manitoba Advisory Council on Recreation for the Handicapped. Here I met Euclid Herie, Allan Simpson, Liz Semkiw, Helmut Epp, and Phyllis Hall, all community leaders and board

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members who created the Advisory Council and who were involved in other community organizations that promoted equality. Annitta Stenning (then Arpin) was the first coordinator of the Advisory Council and I followed her capable leadership. Truly, at that time the creation of integrated recreational programs was seen as breaking new ground. Leading this transformation were a number of champions at the City of Winnipeg Parks and Recreation Department. Some, like Sharron Gould, went on to become a pivotal force in the City of Winnipeg, making the city and its workforce more inclusive. In fairly short order, as curbs were being cut and Handi-Transit was being created, the City created recreation leadership positions in each district. They were responsible for finding ways of making community recreation programs more inclusive and accessible for persons with disabilities. The Province of Manitobas Department of Sport, Recreation and Fitness took over the responsibilities of the Advisory Council on Recreation for the Handicapped and I was hired as their Recreation Consultant on Special Populations. In the mid 60s wheelchair sports and other sport associations for other disability groups were being formed and their existence also created the impetus for change.

It is interesting to reflect on why some of the first integration initiatives happened in the area of recreation and leisure. Was it because integration in this milieu was less threatening?

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Were recreation leaders more open and knowledgeable about community development? Or was it simply that the timing was right? It was probably all of the above but for me, recreation leaders have always been open and have had a holistic approach. They have worked with a broad and diverse cross section of the population and they have worked in an environment where community volunteers were the true creators of change. From rather simple beginnings in the field of recreation, the move to create more inclusive and accessible communities took root and spread. I like to think that the work of those early leaders in recreation integration set the stage for other substantive changes.

Today our recreation, culture and social facilities and programs are much more accessible. There is an expectation that community programs will be open to all and that all can participate. In fact, access and inclusion are seen as a right and the obligation of service providers. Working in the field of recreation and leisure with a focus on persons with disabilities truly was life-changing for me. The changes in this field set the stage and created the expectation for substantive change in other important areas. Was recreation integration the first frontier? That can be debated but there is no question that it was one of the critical building blocks for creation of a more inclusive and accessible society.

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BY JANE SAYER1

Janes Story
It has been close to 30 years since I found out I had Ushers Syndrome; a hereditary condition that leads to deaf-blindness. Thirty years ago this seemed like a hopeless situation. Everything I

JaneSayerwasafoundingmemberandthefirstChairpersonoftheManitobaDeafBlindAssociation (MDBA).SheservedontheCanadianNationalSocietyoftheDeafBlind(CNSDB)fortenyears(20002010) andisstillinvolvedastheCNSDBTransportationrepresentative.JanehasbeenemployedattheResource CentreforManitobanswhoareDeafBlindforthelast14years.

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read about it said "Deaf-blindness is the most isolating condition there is". How frightening!

Many years ago I attended an information session at CNIB regarding the services they had available. I was told if I had been born Deaf-Blind I would have been sent to Ontario to go to school. There, I would have learned many skills while young. Unfortunately, since I was acquired Deaf-Blind there would be nothing available to me. With this message in mind I did my best on my own and carried on my life. I did not know anyone else with this condition or any other condition that lead to deaf-blindness. Reality bites when you have a progressive condition. It does not go away.

In 1993 I became one of the founding members of the Manitoba Deaf-Blind Association (MDBA). CNIB had asked us to form a consumer group to advocate for services and I became the first Chairperson of the MDBA. Despite being Chairperson, I was never front and centre, and if public events were held my name was never mentioned. There was a purpose behind this omission.

The Human Resources department at my previous employment did not know that I was a Deaf-Blind person. I had already worked there for 10 years when I found out I had Ushers

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Syndrome. Despite me being a department supervisor, my manager felt that if they were told, it was likely I would be released from my job. I was constantly concerned about how much longer I could hide this progressing condition. I quit my job one month short of being there 25 years to become the RCMDB Coordinator. After I began my position with RCMDB I was finally given the freedom to be open about my dual disability.

I continue to see a great deal of isolation of persons who are acquired Deaf-Blind. I have been told many times that we are still 20 years behind other disabled groups. We are such a small community that getting our needs heard can be difficult. I am very proud that the Manitoba government heard us 15 years ago. I am proud of the RCMDB and the fact we are known as leaders across Canada. Yet I know we still have a long way to go!

In my life and in my job, computers, cell phones for text messages, and other technological advancements have enabled me tremendously. Most importantly I utilize intervenors to facilitate communication.

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BY JANE BURPEE1

A R T: Art Renovates Thinking

(A reflection on how art can be used as a medium for public education on disability issues connected with mental illness.)

JaneBurpeetrainedasanOccupationalTherapistinEngland.ShecametoCanadain1967toworkat thenewRehabilitationHospitalinWinnipeg.Janespent20yearsworkingatSelkirkMentalHealth Centre,andhasbeenwiththeManitobaSchizophreniaSocietyforthepast12yearsinthepositionof PublicEducationCoordinator.Janehasabackgroundintheartsandseesthegreatimportanceofitsuse inhealingandhelpingpeoplestriveforthequalityoflifetheychoose.

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One cannot see a mental illness, but inside the person, the senses have become disabled. Now the command centre for all that we think, feel and do has become disorganized. What is there to help mend this centre? There is Hope, Resiliency, Courage and a deep yearning to be understood.

Art can be a great teacher.

One in five Canadians will experience symptoms of mental illness and yet the misunderstandings endure.

Art does not acknowledge stigma or discrimination.

In my opinion, fifty years ago there was more effort to engage people living with mental illness in art painting, writing, music, gardening, etc., but the public never knew - it was behind closed doors.

Art was seen as trivial by some. There was less tolerance and more emphasis on rising costs of mental illness.

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However, in Manitoba, during the last decade, many accomplishments have opened peoples eyes and heightened awareness. Some examples are as follows:

In 2001 the play Starry Starry Night was performed in 26 schools and two public performances. This story of a young man living with schizophrenia gave young people the honest and true facts.

In 2003, I created the one-woman show 1 in 5 exposing the resiliency of three women living with mental illness and stress. I created this specifically as an educational tool, and continue performances in 2012.

In 2005, ArtBeat Studio was born. It was the dream of Nigel Bart to have a place where people with mental illness could engage in artistic expression that assists recovery. In 2011, ArtBeat partnered with the Winnipeg Art Gallery presenting the symposium Out of Mind Into Creativity with over 300 in attendance and national/international speakers.

In 2006, The Company was formed through the Manitoba Schizophrenia Society. This is a drama troupe that explores all aspects of acting and performance.

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In 2011, the Manitoba film Passionflower was released and is currently on the Film Festival Circuit. Written and directed by Winnipegger Shelagh Carter, the story is her story that of growing up with a mother who lives with a mental illness. It is a huge contribution to awareness and understanding for families in similar situations and for the community at large.

As you can see, Manitoba has stepped forward in the last decade with some remarkable achievements in the use of Art in Public Education. The motivation comes from the people themselves who want to be heard and understood, so they can truly live a quality of life that is respected.

I believe these accomplishments have had a positive impact on both the disability community and the community at large.

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BY HARRY WOLBERT1

Taking Our Rightful Place in the Community

For 38 years, Manitoba has been home to a number of provincial, national and international disability organizations. Disability rights have had a rich history in our province. Its an honour and a privilege for me to follow in the footsteps of great leaders like Allan Simpson, considered by many to be the godfather of Manitobas disability rights movement. He paved the way for the rest of us.

HarryWolbertisViceChairpersonoftheManitobaLeagueofPersonswithDisabilitiesMLPD.Hesalso activeinManitobasantipovertymovement.
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Many of the supports and services which we rely on, such as Handi-Transit, were nonexistent when our movement was first established back in 1974.

Manitoba has been the birthplace for many of the innovations and ideas of Canadas disability community. We were the first Canadian province to appoint a Minister Responsible for Persons with Disabilities. And, in 2002, we created the Manitoba Disabilities Issues Office.

Some innovations have even gone on to be transplanted in other Canadian provinces. I am proud to say that we have been in the forefront of devising transformational approaches to dealing with some of the barriers faced by persons with disabilities.

The Self and Family Managed Care and In the Company of Friends programs were both considered innovative approaches when first introduced. These programs provided persons living with a disability the opportunity to take on greater responsibility over their lives by hiring, directing and managing their staff.

Our movement has evolved. The principle of normalization was all the rage in the 1970s. The concept of Social Role Valorization eventually superseded it. And who can remember

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mainstreaming? Manitoba went on to become a pioneer in what came to be known as inclusive education. In the mid-1980s we saw the birth of the Independent Living movement with its emphasis on risk taking, choice, responsibility, promotion of integration and consumer control.

Today, persons living with disabilities are taking their rightful place in our community. However, theres still much work which needs to be done. The poverty and social exclusion faced by people with disabilities remains our greatest challenge.

Personally, I am proudest of my work in Manitobas deinstitutionalization movement. I believe that all persons with a disability, regardless of type or severity, can live in the community when they receive all of the necessary supports and services. Continuing to isolate and congregate persons with disabilities in institutions simply because they were born with a condition is not only inhumane, its morally wrong! Incarcerating individuals with a disability is shameful. And this has been my message for the last 8 years.

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BY DON FUCHS1

Personal Reflection on Accomplishments of the Disability Movement Over the Past Thirty Years
In reflecting on the past thirty years it is important to note that much has been accomplished, however there is much left to do and there is still a long way to go. The United Nations adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with 152 signatories and 110 countries ratifying the Convention has provided an important tool to assist in the development and monitoring of the implementation of policy aimed at fostering the social inclusion of persons with disabilities. Many

DonFuchsisafullprofessorattheFacultyofSocialWorkattheUniversityofManitoba.Hehasdone extensiveinternationaldevelopmentworkinRussiaondisabilityissues.
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countries throughout the world are developing, or have developed, initiatives aimed at fostering the social inclusion of persons with disability in all aspects of their society. However, in many parts of the world persons with disabilities still remain the poorest of the poor and the most marginalized. Many are denied the most basic of human rights. Children with disabilities are still killed or institutionalized or sold because of superstitions or negative stereotypes.

Some significant policy changes have included: Americans with Disability Act, 1990 Amended 2008, Ontarians with Disability Act, 2001, Manitoba has Standards for Educational Inclusion, disability tax exemptions. All of these policy initiatives have been approved by various legislative bodies to address structural inequalities. Unfortunately, for many reasons, much of the policy has fallen far short of its initial intent.

In my experience I had the honour and privilege of working with both Allan Simpson and Henry Enns. Both were visionary and provided leadership for the disability movement. Many of the organizations that have been trailblazers locally, nationally and internationally have had their genesis here in Winnipeg because of the leadership of these two men. Organizations such as the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities, Council of Canadians with

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Disabilities, Disabled Peoples International and the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies have contributed to the advancement of the rights of persons with disabilities.

The past thirty years have seen several cycles when disability issues brought forward have been prominent in the public discourse, then the issues seem to have often disappeared or become dormant for extended periods of time. There are many accomplishments in the area of employment, income security, housing and assisted living, transportation, education by increased accessibility, inclusion and participation. Still many attitudinal and structural barriers to the social inclusion of persons with disability remain to undermine the progress of the disability movement. New technology developments provide unprecedented opportunities for persons with disabilities for education, employment, transportation and housing. However, persons with disabilities are still excluded from many of the opportunities of full citizenship. There is a great need for innovative leadership and new forms of advocacy in these times of neoliberalism and conservativism. Many of the gains of the disability movement from the last thirty years are fragile and can be easily retrenched in these conservative times.

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BY ZANNA JOYCE1

Just a Normal Life!

In 1973, I had the fun but questionable experience of being an Easter Tammy, a friendly smiling face encouraging people to send donations to the Easter Seals Campaign. As an 11 year old, I loved that year! Planes, trains and automobiles, as they say, then handsome soldiers at CFB Shilo, which had taken on Easter Seals as their charity, and even sitting in the chair of

ZannaJoyceisanorganizationaldevelopmentcoach,foundinghercompanyDuckwranglersin2001.She workswithartsandcommunityorganizationsandsmallbusinessestogetnewprojectsoffthegroundand tomanagetransitions.Sheistheproudmomof25yearoldMarcandliveswithherpartnerandtwo ratherindifferentcats.

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Manitobas Lieutenant Governor. Could it get any better?

Well, fast forward a couple of years. I met Henry Enns and Jim Derksen, who would change my future! They had come out to Brandon to study, and, by way of recreation, to see if there was interest in developing a branch of the Manitoba League of the Physically Handicapped, as it was called then (now, of course, the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities). I was already an activist, founding the Clean Up Committee at 10, and a vocal supporter of the International Womens Year of 1975. So I was ripe to jump in with both feet to try and address accessibility questions in Brandon. At 14, I ended up as Chair of the local branch, leading people who were all at least double my age. Talk about trial by fire.

By 1976, I was old enough for my first job (though I think I needed permission). The MLPD had set up an office at Assiniboine Community College and I was hired on a summer grant, along with Laurie Snell and a fellow who was perhaps named Andrew. We worked hard on accessibility surveys of the small towns around Brandon, on bringing people together to discuss their concerns, and, the biggest thing, working on Brandons City Council to bring in a Handi-Transit System modelled on what was coming into place in Winnipeg. I remember meetings with councillors, presentations to Council, and a lot of

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community gatherings. We worked hard that summer and the next, and finally we were successful in helping Brandon to obtain and operationalize a small fleet of accessible buses. What a proud time that was!

Now, through this entire time, I was still trying to be an ordinary kid, the desire to help out but not have to be fixated on disability issues being constant for my entire life. Plus, my family was a little uncomfortable with disrupting the status quo, though my mom fought very hard for me to be included at our neighbourhood school when I was really young. In high school, I was just that teen who didnt talk much about what she did outside of school.

So I jumped between ordinary teen things and MLPD leadership in those years. I remember the staff that the Winnipeg office helped us to hire in the year I was 17, that I had to supervise! Luckily they were diligent and did not need too much direction in their job of outreach to people with disabilities throughout the area.

Ive often wondered at what happened to everyone in Brandon after I left at 17. I moved in and out of the disability community over the years, being a founding staffer at the Independent Living Resource Centre, and a Program Coordinator at what was then Sturgeon

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Creek Enterprises (now SCE Lifeworks). I was very proud to be able to help in the rebirth of an effective and powerful Manitoba League of Persons With Disabilities in 2008, bringing thirty years of organizational development and communication skills to the fore.

I have great hopes for what I am hearing from those who are now young. Maybe for awhile there was complacence, a feeling that all the problems had been solved, but in the past few years I have met many young people who are ready and willing to pick up the mantle, if those of us who have been carrying it for all these years are just willing to stop hanging on to it in the misguided belief that we know best what must be done.

Congratulations to all who have devoted so many years to ensuring that people with all sorts of disabilities are able to participate in society as they choose, rather than living a life proscribed by a sense of obligation, lack of opportunity, or thwarted dreams.

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Housing

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BY KEN CASSIN1

Ten Ten Sinclair Housing Take One: Reviewing the Experience

Thirty years ago, Ten Ten was a seven year old bursting with the Independent Living philosophy beginning to make a difference with and for people with physical disabilities. The apartment at 1010 Sinclair Street was developing into a focal point for experiential learning for independent living. As we celebrate our 37th year, there are achievements of value.

Where previously people with physical disabilities had severely limited options for services and housing mostly institutional and often with the elderly the founders of Ten Ten recognized that learning the skills to manage activities of daily living was an important step in independence. Equally important was having an accessible place to live. Evidently those founders had the crazy idea that people with disabilities

KenCassinistheManagingDirectorofTenTenSinclairHousingInc.Hehasworkedextensivelyin housingpolicy,planning,anddelivery,andforthepastfifteenyearshasbeeninvolvedincommunity basedserviceplanninganddelivery.

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wanted to and could live independently in the community!

Since then, almost one thousand people with disabilities have been through the Learning Through Living transitional program at the 1010 Sinclair Street site. The overwhelming majority transitioned to independent living in the community at large.

So, 37 years into it, Ten Ten still believes that there are two basic elements that give people with disabilities the opportunity to succeed in community a welcoming built environment and a service package that meets individual needs. So, how have those things changed?

Well, on both the services and the housing front there wasnt much out there thirty years ago when you were ready to leave the transitional housing at 1010 Sinclair Street. Living independently in the community was largely a theory rather than a practice for most people with disabilities.

Ten Ten in concert with the creativity and drive of tenants with disabilities was instrumental in supporting and growing the shared care service models that became Fokus and Cluster housing in Winnipeg. The service model where in effect

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tenants are pooling their Home Care service hours to create both flexibility and a 24 hour support service remains a relevant piece of community living. Arguably, there have been huge changes in the Home Care service area for activities of daily living. They include the Brokerage option as well as Self and Family Managed Care. That is not to say that the progress in this area has not been without challenges. However, Home Care services for people with disabilities are a well established insured service in Manitoba today. And, there is no question that many of these improvements have been driven by people with disabilities.

Improvements in the built environment specifically accessible housing have been a bit more hit and miss. There have been improvements, most notably in the public sector, or where public funding brought with it a condition to have some mobility units included in new or renovated developments. The private sector seems to have been noticeably absent from innovation in accessibility. Even simple concepts like visitable housing are a struggle for the market. It would be hard to make the case that the same pace of success in community Home Care services has been achieved in the housing area.

Progress may well lie in more inclusive approaches to housing development. Recently,

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Ten Ten has demonstrated universal design in building twenty attached bungalow units in its Place Bertrand development in Saint Boniface. Currently, it is developing an apartment in Saint Norbert that also attempts to demonstrate that accessible design actually works for a lot more people than those with disabilities. Both projects have public sector support. Practically speaking, both shout inclusion.

The idea of moving from a segregated approach that says something like lets make five of these new apartments or houses for those people with disabilities - to a more inclusive approach that designs housing that works for all seems to have eluded much of the industry. Maybe its just another one of those crazy ideas that people with disabilities value inclusion. So, somebody has to try it - Ten Ten Sinclair - evidently, still crazy after all these years.

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BY JUDY REDMOND1

Reflections on Universal Design in the City of Winnipeg

Thirty years ago, society was not as inclusive or welcoming to diverse populations in Canada as it is today. In 1982 the Federal Charter of Rights and Freedoms began to change all of that by

JudyRedmondiscommittedto,andenjoysthechallengesof,searchingfornewandinnovativewaysto developmoreinclusivefacilitiesandservicesforeveryone.Forthepastfifteenyears,asboththe CoordinatoroftheAccessAdvisoryCommittee(AAC)followedbytheUniversalDesignofficefortheCity ofWinnipeg,JudyRedmondhassupportedcommunityeffortstomaketheCityofWinnipegmoreaware ofdisability,accessibilityanduniversaldesignissues.Sheisresponsibleforadministeringthe implementationoftheCityofWinnipegsUniversalDesignPolicy,adoptedbycitycouncilinDecember 2001.

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giving people of diverse backgrounds the right to be full partners without barriers in Canadian society. Those barriers, be they attitudinal, physical or economic could be found in any community across the country. In keeping with that mindset, thirty years ago the City of Winnipeg did not have a committee to deliver advice on the removal of civic barriers to participation. It was not until the Decade of Disabled Persons, in the 1980s, that then Mayor Bill Norrie changed all of that. Winnipeg inducted an active Access Advisory Committee made up of persons with disabilities, seniors and those interested in accessibility issues to network with the community and provide advice to Winnipeg on accessibility matters.

The 1980s approach was welcomed and embraced by the disability community, but it soon became evident that inclusion was not about a separate, specialized committee looking at issues only affecting citizens with disability specific limitations. This was about good design for everyone. By the mid-1990s the committee changed their focus to creating a city that embraced all citizens, no matter what their mobility, agility, size, age, stature or sensory ability level. Thus, in 2001 the City of Winnipeg adopted a Universal Design Policy whereby all civic funded or owned facilities, programs and information would be made as accessible as possible to the widest range of citizens and visitors possible. This progressive policy was the

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first of its kind in any municipality across Canada.

Using a Universal Design or Inclusive Design lens means Winnipeg is designing things using a nothing about me without me (Papworth Trust UK, 2008) approach such that many human factors are considered and a broad range of endusers consulted on matters that most affect them. It is based on the premise that good design accommodates a person with limitations readily and seamlessly, without specialized accommodation.

In place since 2003, the Universal Design Coordinator position is mandated to administer the Winnipeg Universal Design Policy, assisting administration in implementation matters. So, here we are over ten years later. Winnipeg has progressed well, but still has a long way to go. Recent changes to the building code that improve requirements for accessibility to private spaces will encourage further progress in this regard. The excitement of having the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in our city has increased the awareness of the necessity of good, inclusive design. Having national code experts, provincial policy analysts and municipal regulatory bodies working hand in hand means the community, including persons with disabilities, has a reduced probability of enduring lengthy and stressful legal routes of barrier removal through Human

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Rights complaints. Moving forward, Winnipeg will continue the task of advancing the requirement for the public service to interweave the philosophy of universal design and inclusion into all its business to the greatest extent possible.

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BY OLGA KRASSIOUKOVA-ENNS1

Visitability - Is It Too Much to Ask?

There is growing awareness and interest in visitability in Canada. Visitability lends itself to social interactions among friends, family, and neighbours in the community, but more importantly, in each of our homes. It guarantees that regardless of physical mobility everyone will be included and able to visit a friends home, feel

OlgaKrassioukovaEnns,ExecutiveDirectoroftheCanadianCentreonDisabilityStudies,hasmorethan 25yearsofinternationalexperienceindisabilitypolicy,programs/projectdesign,implementationand evaluation,aswellasresearch,curriculumdevelopment,teachingandadministration.Educatedasa medicaldoctor,trainedinpolicydevelopmentandparticipatoryresearch,shehasbeeninvolvedin numerousnationalandinternationalprojectswiththefocusonDisabilityStudiesdevelopmentand teaching,aginganddisability,visitability,livableandinclusivecommunities,inclusiveeducation,universal design,povertyreduction,aswellasinternationalandsocialdevelopment.

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welcome to share meals and use the washroom. Visitability is a policy and technical strategy to change the way we think about social inclusion, interactions in our own homes, and participation in our communities. It begins to address the evolving needs of seniors, people with limited mobility, children and parents. In order to make visitability the norm we require inclusive and sustainable approaches to community planning and the design and construction of single and multifamily homes.

In order to make all homes more usable and safe for the people who inhabit them and more welcoming for those who visit them, three basic features are essential: a zero-step entrance, wide doorways (at least a 32 clear opening), and an accessible bathroom on the main floor.

In 1976, Sweden started using the term of visitability and practicing the design strategies that subsequently filtered into the rest of Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, the United States, and finally into Canada in the beginning of this century. Eleanor Smith, the founder of Concrete Change, pioneered visitability in North America in the 1980s when as a young girl she was excluded from birthday parties and other social gatherings on the basis of home design (steps, narrow entry, no accessible washrooms). She began this social movement that is now changing the way we design, build, and live in

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our homes. Visitabilty is bridging gaps in the accessibility between public and private spaces, and is becoming known as an affordable and sustainable design strategy for increasing basic access of family homes and neighborhoods.

We have seen significant progress in accessibility of public buildings and spaces, driven by legislation support, but single-family homes have yet to have similar requirements. The United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and Denmark are but some of the countries that have incorporated visitability into the codified requirements for housing. In Canada, CSA Standard B651 has recently introduced technical specifications for visitability and the province of Manitoba is taking a lead in both the research and practice of visitability. Furthermore, some municipalities in British Columbia, such as Saanich and North Vancouver have embraced the concept of visitability and have developed bylaws requiring their incorporation into new housing.

Visitability is a movement to change home construction practices so that virtually all new homes not merely those custom-built for occupants who currently have disabilities are equipped with a few specific features that make them easier to live in and visit for people who develop mobility disabilities.

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Visitability is a major element of social inclusion; it is about our friends, family, neighbors, and it is about everybodys home. The concept of visitability offers a simple and affordable solution to the changing needs and desires of a population that seeks to stay active and connected with other people while remaining in their homes. It is a solution to make our communities more livable and inclusive.

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BY MEL GRAHAM1

When No Other Approach Will Serve

Issue chronicling is a straightforward matter whenever you can identify a meaningful flash point, narrate its telling features, and go on to draw some sort of lesson from it. While none of disabilitys cornerstone issues are particularly amenable to this kind of formulation, housing distinguishes itself by being the completely impossible one of the bunch. The ongoing minicrises that bedevil disability housing - a few of which spend a three-day stint as horror stories in the local news before vanishing - mean advocates worry over one-offs and rarely find time to attend to the big perspective discussion areas the way theyd like to.

And while Manitoba Housing may be a major landlord and influencer on public policy, its really only one of a galaxy of players who contribute to the shaping of the scene at any moment and, more importantly, directly affect the lives of Manitobans with disabilities for good or ill. With other issue areas youre at least confronting a system, complex and poorly

MelGrahamisaformerChairpersonoftheIndependentLivingResourceCentreinWinnipeg,Manitoba. HeisalsotheChairpersonofMLPDsHousingCommittee.
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defined as it may be. With housing, were talking hodgepodge, not system.

Transitional integrated housing, aging in place, visitability - all have grabbed a bit of the publics imagination in their time, settled in to make their positive differences, and served to move the cause of equitable housing a bit further along. The most recent example of this stop-and-go approach is especially dear to our movement because it highlights the autonomy latent in homeless people who have mental health and drug-related issues.

Rehabilitation attempts to make this subpopulation housing ready were achieving almost no success, so social service managers in New York City wondered if supports to help them stay housed, rather than getting housed, might work better from the standpoint of their morale and outlook, and be less costly besides. Dropping cherished preprogram criteria around drug and alcohol use was a hard sell for police and courts, local politicians and public fund administrators. But when the initial results indicated dramatic success, the idea was soon taken up elsewhere in North America, including Winnipeg.

As is only to be expected, there are many bumps in this road and as more jurisdictions have taken

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up the challenge, the results have tended toward evening out somewhat. Yet overall, reports by those directly involved with delivering these programs are very positive as to how appreciatively the great majority of those selected have reacted to the chance to keep something as significant as an actual home of their own in their lives.

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BY MARCIA THOMSON1

Mental Health Disability and Homelessness Current Thinking

On December 2, 2011, I had the opportunity to present at the Day of Persons with Disabilities Forum. That engagement encouraged me to reflect upon my experience with provincial homelessness and mental health housing initiatives in Manitoba, particularly the work of the At Home/Chez Soi project. Winnipeg is one of five cities participating in this research and demonstration project of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. One of the most significant advancements is the emerging knowledge and development of promising practices in the way communities think about housing people with mental health issues and complex physical, mental health and substance use problems.

As communities, we often underestimate the proportion of the homeless population who have serious mental health issues, in part because these issues are often masked by alcohol and

MarciaThomsonisAssistantDeputyMinister,HealthyLiving,SeniorsandConsumerAffairs,Provinceof Manitoba.
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drug use and other physical health issues. For example, of the 500 participants in the At Home/Chez Soi project, many suffer from depression (67%), post-traumatic stress disorder (41%) and panic disorder (46%).

Most importantly, we do not always appreciate the resilience of homeless individuals, who often show dramatic changes when given an opportunity to enjoy the benefits that many of us take for granted - a place and community to call home.

Individuals were often not considered eligible for these benefits until mental health and addictions treatment were undertaken. While we strive to meet the goal of providing adequate and affordable housing for all, we often accept that people with mental health and substance abuse problems have somehow forgone that right by their own choice. Health and social service agencies, justice officials, courts and others are awakening to the potential for individuals to make positive choices about their living environments, given the opportunity and support.

Does this approach take away the need for mental health and addictions services for the homeless population? The short answer is No. In fact, the need for services continues, and is often intensified, as individuals become

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stabilized in the dignity of home and community and a supportive environment. As a community, we are beginning to realize that leaving individuals in misery on the streets will not provide the tools to seek supportive services.

The emergence of this Housing First model, and the inherent consumer choice and empowerment, is demonstrating remarkable game changing potential. Implementation of this approach has been a journey of learning for homeless individuals, as well as service and housing providers. Early indications and stories from participants have seen HOPE reappear for many.

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BY DEBBIE VAN ETTINGER1

Ten Ten Sinclair Housing Take Two: Living the Experience

I was sixteen years old when my relationship with Ten Ten Sinclair Housing began. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was visiting a friend that had moved into an apartment at 1010 Sinclair Street, and I knew this was the place for me. I went home; I told my mom, Mom when I turn eighteen, I will be moving to Ten Ten. And the rest is history; when I turned eighteen in the spring of 1983, I moved into my own apartment.

DebbieVanEttingeristheDirectorofPrograms&ServicesforTenTenSinclairHousingInc.Shehas workedinthedisabilitycommunityallherlifeasbothanadvocateandcommunitybasedservice provider.

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From the very beginning, I was introduced to concepts and principles that have come to be the essence of what I live and believe in today. Experiential learning, consumer control, decisionmaking, peer support, and most importantly, Learning through Living. It was many years before I understood the full impact that these concepts would have on my life. It didnt take long before my peers introduced me to committees, boards of directors, and an understanding of why commitment to these concepts and principles are so vital to all persons with disabilities.

What might life have been like if Ten Ten had not existed for me? Well, lets examine that for a minute. Firstly, finding affordable accessible housing in the early 80s would have been much more difficult. I moved to a Fokus Housing site when I left the program at Ten Ten. Secondly, I wasnt aware of it at the time, but I needed to be introduced to confidence, believing in myself and an understanding that some of the things happening to me as an eighteen year old happen to all eighteen year olds. Simply put, people with disabilities experience many of the same thoughts, feelings and confusion that everyone else does. Ten Ten gave me the apartment that I needed to do what all eighteen year old folks do. Move out on my own.

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So whatever happened to that relationship with Ten Ten Sinclair Housing? Well, today it is alive and well. Twelve years ago I took a job as the Director of Fokus Housing. Recently, I have become the Director of Programs and Services at Ten Ten doing the same things with others that I learned many years ago in this very building. And so the relationship continues. Now it is my turn to hopefully have an impact on the individuals that come through the doors of 1010 Sinclair Street.

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BY DAVE MARTIN1

A Dream that Became a Success Story

Forty years ago, it was common for younger adults with significant physical disabilities to find themselves living in an institution because there was no accessible housing or supports in the community. Often they ended up living their lives in personal care homes with people who were three times their age.

Advocates in the disability community worked with the Canadian Paraplegic Association and the Luther Home Corporation to change this reality. They envisioned an apartment complex, with a Board of Directors controlled by people with disabilities, where every suite would be accessible to people who use wheelchairs and where attendant services would be available 24 hours per day. Another important concept was that it would rent suites to both people with and without disabilities. In 1975, with support from Manitoba's Department of Housing and the

DaveMartinisaformertenant,Boardmember,andManagingDirectorofTenTenSinclairHousingInc. HeiscurrentlyaSeniorAdvisoronDisabilityIssueswiththeProvinceofManitoba.
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Department of Health, their efforts led to the development of Ten Ten Sinclair Housing.

An essential element of Ten Ten is that it is a place where tenants with disabilities can learn Independent Living skills. To ensure this learning environment is available to as many people with disabilities as possible, the founders decided Ten Ten would only provide transitional housing. This means that tenants with disabilities are not allowed to live in the building forever. Therefore, the creation of permanent community housing options quickly became a priority.

Again with assistance from government, Ten Ten met this need by introducing Fokus Housing to Manitoba. This housing model sees a small group of people with disabilities moving into individual apartments in a building and sharing attendant services. Starting in 1978, four such units have been established in different locations throughout Winnipeg. This is just one example of the innovative approaches Ten Ten has used to respond to the long-term housing needs of people with disabilities.

Ten Ten has also emerged as a developer of housing projects. In 2009, it received government funding to build Place Bertrand, in Winnipegs Saint Boniface neighbourhood. This 20 unit housing complex features the latest in universal

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design practices and offers rental accommodations to families with and without members who have disabilities. Following on the successful model of Place Bertrand, Ten Ten is currently overseeing the construction of Place La Charette, a 37 unit apartment block in Winnipegs Saint Norbert suburb.

Starting from a dream in the early 1970s, Ten Ten has since played a major role in the development of community housing for people with disabilities.

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Education And Work

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BY BRIAN STEWART1

Opportunity Knocks
In the 1970s employment issues were a primary concern to the Manitoba League. Up until this time, the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities, with their employment preparation program, was the centre of services for persons with disabilities. The Manitoba League became a model, providing

BrianStewarthasbeenassociatedwiththeManitobaLeagueofPersonswithDisabilitiessinceits formationin1974,volunteeringtoserveonstandingcommitteesandtheProvincialCouncil.Inthelate 70s,heheldtheSeniorProvincialCoordinatorposition.BrianjoinedthemanagementteamofConcept SpecialBusinessAdvisorswiththegoalofestablishinginnovativewaysoftrainingandplacingpersons withsevereandcomplexphysicaloremotionaldisabilitiesintocompetitiveworksites.

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opportunities to persons with disabilities needing accommodations in the workplace.

As the Manitoba League began to organize and build an administrative structure to support policy and implementation of action plans, several summer student funding grants were accessed. The employment grants gave opportunity for members to receive employment. As a result, summer activities were very successful in membership development. For a number of years, the Manitoba League was able to string together short-term employment grants hiring a number of members whose energy and perspective had longterm benefits to the community. However great these short-term grants were, they offered no long-term financial benefits but were certainly a confidence booster.

For fundraising the Manitoba League hosted the Bud Grant dinner. The planning of the dinner, created several levels of experience for many members. For some, it was an opportunity to hone public relations and organizational skills. For others, it was an opportunity to develop communication skills as the office was turned into a phone centre and a significant number of members went to work promoting the sale of dinner tickets. An unexpected success of the Bud Grant Dinner was the demonstration by members of their desire to be part of a meaningful endeavour.

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Up to this this time services were not connected to private or public employers and the label of unemployable would be commonly attached to people. The Manitoba League was convinced that given the opportunity they could demonstrate a service model that would be an alternative to the traditional employment assessment models that were attached to the social services

The timing was right and the Manitoba League was able to acquire federal funds through the Local Employment Assistance Program. Writing this now makes it sound so easy; it certainly was not. The fact that we were requesting funds for a consumer-led service delivery was a huge obstacle, but funds were received. The objective was to assist consumers to create and own business opportunities. As the project progressed, it was found that given experience and gaining confidence, participants would choose to seek established employment over the challenge of growing their own business. Having been successful in providing training, work experience and placement with the support of federal funds, the project was able to transfer to provincial funding as an Education and Training Centre. Services were provided for another 15 years and community-based training had become the norm. Funding systems were always the challenge and gradually the consumer base changed from persons with disabilities to people

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with mental illness. The original intent to be a testing ground for alternative service delivery, narrowed.

Most importantly the provinces risk taking became limited. In order for the province to cost share vocational services with federal funds, programming had to achieve a high success rate. People entering the training programming were expected to leave with a job. Recruitment was led by choosing individuals who were most likely to succeed. The experience that we had gained was put to the side.

The Manitoba League was also responsible for creating an outreach employment support program to serve persons with disabilities as an extension to the HRDC. As this service has grown and established itself as an important community resource, it has created various partnerships. Services have been delivered to both the job seeker and the employer. The creation of these services was initiated by the consumer. It has lasted more than 30 years. The connection to the consumer-based organization is not as strong as was initially envisioned.

Disability awareness has been a constant priority to the community; many consumer initiatives have implemented projects. Today, many of the large employers have in-house disability awareness

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programs such as the Province of Manitoba. Others contract disability awareness services. Funding is a challenge for awareness initiatives, as it is difficult to measure the outcomes, and funders are famous for the question how many jobs were created. For those who have been part of the delivery of awareness programs we have no doubt that disability awareness is a primary tool in creating and advancing employment opportunities. Awareness needs to occur on a constant basis. A few years ago, the province and the disability community initiated a campaign highlighting the advantage of being an inclusive employer. The goal was awareness, using the print media. The campaign was a success, expensive but achieved the established goals. However did it generate employment? Can its impact be measured? Not likely? Will another campaign occur? Well it hasnt yet!

Have we as a community made inroads to employment? We must keep this as a primary goal, just as we did when we first established goals and began on the incredible original vision of disability advocacy.

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BY ANNE KRESTA1

Transitioning from School to Work in Manitoba

Manitoba has a rich history of supported employment of individuals living with a disability. Dating back to the 1980s, there were pioneers who envisioned lives for people with intellectual disabilities that included paid employment and they connected with others across North America who also shared this vision.

Prince Charles School in Winnipeg was one centre for this activity. Under the leadership of Principal Barbara Sarson, the school aggressively placed many students in work experiences with businesses in the community. Many of these placements turned into paid jobs.

AnneKrestaistheInclusiveEducationandCommunityDevelopmentSpecialistwithCommunityLiving Manitoba.SheisalsothePresidentofAspergerManitobaInc.(AMI).Anneisthemotherofthreegifted children,twoofwhosegiftsincludeAspergerSyndrome,AttentionDeficitDisorder,TouretteSyndrome andAnxietyDisorder.BotharenowadultsandstudyingatUniversityandCollegeinWinnipeg.

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In the late 1970s, with the emergence of the Task Analysis/Try another Way training model, service providers throughout North America learned that people with intellectual disabilities were capable of learning much more complex skill sets than was previously thought. This was one of the foundations which led to the development of a new approach to employment services. Dubbed the Supported Employment model, it advocated securing jobs for people with intellectual disabilities and helping them learn the job and stabilize their position with support from a one-on-one trainer.

In the early 1980s ARC Industries (now Versatech), in Winnipeg, secured federal funding to pilot the supported employment approach in Manitoba. This project, known as Westwin Personnel, was one of the first such programs in Canada. It helped place clients of ARC Industries and students from Prince Charles School into real jobs. (This program later became Premier Personnel.) At this time, the provincial government was not willing to fund the supported employment model but several other granting bodies, like the Manitoba Marathon, began funding additional demonstration projects and more supported employment programs emerged in Manitoba within the next few years.

Eventually, the Province of Manitoba began to allocate funds for supported employment

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making it possible for even more organizations to use this model and help more people with intellectual disabilities enter the workforce. Michael Klachefsky, who worked for the provincial government at that time, mentored many community groups as they considered the supported employment model for service delivery. Some, like St. James Industries and Work and Social Opportunities Inc. (WASO), evolved from traditional sheltered workshops, while others, like Sturgeon Creek Enterprises (now SCE Lifeworks) and Network South Enterprises (now Connect Employment Services) were new parent-led organizations.

As a result of the timing of their evolution, and the individual differences that each supported employment agency presented to the government, there were many different funding arrangements made and carried forward. There were no set standards for service delivery and each organization catered to its own clientele.

In the late 1980s, the Province of Manitoba launched a School to Work Project as another way to fund agencies that were traditionally funded federally. This project continues to provide funding to supported employment agencies in Manitoba dependent upon referrals of graduating students who qualify for, and are able to access, the marketAbilities program through Family Services and Consumer Affairs.

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In 1994, supported employment agencies in Manitoba got together to plan and lead the first national conference on supported employment, here, in Winnipeg. This conference was a resounding success and resulted in the creation of the Manitoba Supported Employment Network as well as the Canadian Association of Supported Employment. Annual CASE conferences continue to be held across the country with the 2012 conference taking place, once again, in Winnipeg.

For individuals living with disabilities in Manitoba, the road to employment is still fraught with potholes and rough patches. While affirmative action/employment equity initiatives in the late 1980s provided more understanding of the need to diversify our workforce, there were also moves to decentralize services that led to the contracting out of services and supports that may have gone to employees with disabilities. We are also seeing how advanced technology has washed out a level of jobs that people with disabilities have traditionally held.

Another challenge rests in the area of postsecondary education and training and the aspirations of young adults with disabilities to pursue studies and look towards career development, as opposed to entry-level jobs, that

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continue beyond what their wants and abilities would suggest.

Manitobans and others across the country continue to wrestle with the economic benefits of supported employment, especially when the support required may be fairly intensive is the cost worth the investment? On the whole, we recognize the many gifts that people with wideranging disabilities bring to the workplace and our workplaces are so much better for it. A recent celebration of Champions for Diversity among Manitoba employers was a huge success and really profiled how Manitoba employers recognize the many gains that they receive from a diverse workforce. Its the right thing to do and if we all work together, we can create truly inclusive communities where we all belong.

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BY OLY BACKSTROM1

Reflections on the Supported Employment Movement in Manitoba

Supported Employment is the endeavour of supporting people to find competitively paid work in typical and inclusive settings in the community. I have been asked to pass on my reflections of how the supported employment movement has made Manitoba more accessible for people with intellectual disabilities. What we currently know as supported employment has been in existence for approximately thirty years, and its initial steps in Manitoba occurred before I was involved. I have heard various stories of how the momentum grew. I heard about schools that developed more finely honed training strategies that better prepared students for work life in the community. How a handful of champions in the community either initiated inclusive employment services themselves, or played an advocacy role in encouraging the development of supported employment services. How a well placed civil servant became an agent of change. My personal experience has been at SCE LifeWorks, where I heard about a group of parents who worked

OlyBackstromisPresidentandCEOofSCELifeWorks.

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incredibly hard to develop, from scratch, an organization that would support people with intellectual disabilities to work in the community, where people would be respected and rewarded for their work.

I have been witness to people with intellectual disabilities demonstrating not just competence, but excellence, as valued employees in the community. I have listened to employers and business owners who spoke of competencies and skills that employees with intellectual disabilities brought to their place of work. I have heard great stories, like how an employee transformed a work culture because of that individuals exceptional work ethic and winning attitude.

What has the supported employment movement meant to Manitoba? There have always been open-minded, engaged businesses and employers in our province. There have always been Manitobans with intellectual disabilities who had abilities, skills, and potentials who, if given a chance, could blossom as employees in inclusive business settings. I am sure that there were connections made between such employers and employees before anyone knew of such a thing called supported employment. These connections were not common, however. People with intellectual disabilities usually had a place to go where they could be kept occupied. There

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were families that also simply chose to keep their grown children at home.

The growth of the supported employment movement has never been about building facilities or service empires. It has simply been a purposeful movement to build connective tissue between employers who needed capable help, and employees who could provide that help. We are the connective tissue between opportunities for meaningful community-connectedness through employment, and the vast skills, abilities and potentials of Manitobans with intellectual disabilities. That connective tissue will always be necessary. Perhaps, however, a day will come when that tissue manifests itself in a different wayemployers simply seeing talent and potential for what it is; job seekers being provided the opportunity to shine; individuals, families and natural networks developing that connective tissue the same way as any typical Manitoban would. It would be arrogance not to acknowledge that it already happens, and has always happened to some degree. It would be folly not to celebrate it. In the meantime, I am grateful for the opportunity to pause and reflect on how the lives of thousands of Manitobans with disabilities have been supported to lead valued lives in inclusive settings through the purposeful building and sustaining work performed in this relatively new movement we call supported employment.

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BY DANIEL HALECHKO1

30 Years of the Disability Community Communicating with Labour to Increase Hiring

During the 1980s, the cross-disability community in Manitoba began focusing its advocacy on several key issues that prevented the disability community from fully participating in all aspects of society. One major area that disabled people were underrepresented in was the area of employment. Not only were workers with disabilities underemployed, they were rarely employed in the better paying unionized workplaces. To address this inequality, the disability community decided to seek a

DanielHalechkohasspentapproximately30yearsasanadvocate/activistinthedisabilityrights movementprimarilythroughhisvolunteeractivitiesandemploymentwiththeMLPDandtheManitoba FederationofLabour.Skillsheacquiredincludeprojectcoordination,management,communityliaison, systemsadvocacy,clientadvocacy,counsellingandresearch.HeispresentlyemployedontheThumbsUp ProjectattheMLPD.

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partnership with our unionized brothers and sisters.

In 1992, the Workers with Disabilities Project (WDP) was developed in Manitoba through a partnership of the Manitoba Federation of Labour and the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities (MLPD). It was felt that the labour and disability communities shared similar views and philosophical convictions that were naturally conducive to working together. The widespread belief in which labour supports workplace equality for all workers and its commitment to eliminate conditions of disadvantage in the workplace made labour an important ally to the disability community.

During the 90s a great deal of time and effort was put into bringing the broad labour and disability communities together in focus group meetings, workshops, educational seminars and conferences in order for labour to learn more about workers with disabilities and their issues; and conversely, for disabled workers to learn more about labour and its issues. Through working together on these types of initiatives, a loose-knit network of activists from the two communities was created.

We were under no illusions that partnering with unions would solve many of our day-to-day

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employment problems. After all unions do not do the hiring; employers do. What we do gain in solidarity with unions is a stronger voice in the workplace. This can result in more supportive language in collective bargaining to hire and retain disabled workers. Also, unions can be extremely useful in helping to establish work experiences that result in actual, measurable skill development and learning.

There are other mechanisms used in various jurisdictions, such as employment equity or quota hiring to overcome the systematic disadvantage experienced by persons with disabilities in the workforce, but these methods are not widely supported by workers in general.

Disability employment agencies in Manitoba know that it is best to approach the union at the same time as the employer to ensure that the union is part of the hiring or placement being considered. The employer, union and disability organization working cooperatively is our ultimate goal.

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BY ROB MCINNES1

Challenges in the Labour Market

I entered the scene almost 40 years ago. It was in the aftermath of the 1960s and, across North America, the winds of change were still blowing strong. Throughout all social institutions, longstanding preconceptions were being challenged and new visions were emerging. Manitoba was not immune nor was the employment landscape for people with disabilities. A landscape sculpted by low expectations, it was governed by exclusion and discrimination, and dominated by sheltered workshops.

In the early 1970s new paradigms, ideologies and belief systems took shape. Expectations for equality, inclusion and full participation rose to the fore expectations rooted in social justice, human rights and dignity for all. The old programs, those that had ostracized, segregated, and sidelined people with disabilities from the mainstream came under heavy fire. Over the next

RobMcInnesisahumanservicesprofessionalwithover30yearsofexperienceinmanagementand innovativeprogramdesignfocusedonissuesofworkforcediversityparticularlyastheyapplyto individualswithdisabilities.

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two decades, most of the provinces big sheltered workshops crumbled and fell.

Supported employment programs like Premier Personnel, sprouted up for folks with intellectual disabilities. Specialized placement services like Reaching Out and E-Quality Employment were established. The Employment Preparation Centre moved its assessment services into community settings. Everywhere, integration became the touchstone for service delivery.

This change extended beyond the borders of Manitoba. The Canadian Council of Rehabilitation Workshops (CCRW) was headquartered here in Winnipeg. In 1986, it changed its name to the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work and purposefully set out to lead its members (former sheltered workshops throughout Canada) in the shift from segregated services to ones with integrated employment outcomes.

Transformation took place in the education system as well. In the 1970s and 80s, Prince Charles School (a large segregated school for students with disabilities) became aggressive in preparing its students to transition into integrated employment. Later, as kids with disabilities were integrated into regular schools, expectations and opportunities for real careers and jobs were further heightened for them.

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In reflection, I believe we did a good job at dismantling the old segregated models, but we did a relatively poor job at devising the new models to replace them. Collectively, Manitobans with disabilities are yet a long way from enjoying full participation in our workforce and having equal opportunity to be productive and prosperous in their livelihoods. Our posture towards people with disabilities, reflected in our government services, remains rooted in a social welfare model - not in one of economic participation. Happily, we have set the stage for that too, to change.

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BY LAURA AND KAREN SCHNELLERT1

Advocacy for Inclusive Education In the Beginning One Familys Story

It was 1977 and I was looking forward to the arrival of my baby. When my daughter, Karen,

LauraSchnellertisaparentwho,inthe1980s,advocatedandsupportedtheintegrationofstudentswith disabilitiesintheirneighbourhoodschools.LaurasdaughterKaren,now35,wasdeniedaccesstoher neighbourhoodschoolsbecauseofherphysicaldisabilityandherdiagnosisofdevelopmentaldelay.Laura spentyearslobbyinggovernmenttochangeattitudesandpolicywithregardtotheinclusionofstudents withdisabilities.AsProgramandMembershipDirectoroftheCerebralPalsyAssociationofManitoba Lauracontinuestoadvocate,alongwithothers,towardthegoalofimplementingmanylearningand teachingenvironmentsatinclusiveschoolsinthecommunity.Withthesupportandadvocacyfromother parentsandorganizations,studentsnowhavetheneededpersonnelsupportsandarchitecturalaccessto attendschoolalongsidetheirpeers.

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arrived 2 months early I was relieved to hear from the doctor that all seemed fine. However, as time passed it became obvious that she was not reaching the milestones that indicate characteristic child development. Upon her diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy, spastic quadriplegia, I knew that our lives had changed and a new and significant journey was about to begin.

Karen was 2 years old when I became a single parent. I needed to work full-time and that necessitated child care. At that time integrated daycares did not exist in Manitoba. So with determination and assertiveness on my part, Karen became a pioneer in the child care field. Thus started my calling as an advocate.

School years, age 5 to 21 in Karens case, were continuously eventful with one advocacy session after another, year after year. It was an ongoing crusade to keep Karen in her home school and in the established educational curriculum. This was largely due to peoples way of thinking at the time. However, meetings with teachers, principals, superintendents, government department heads and even the Minister of Education eventually paved the way for Karen and for other children with disabilities to go to their neighbourhood schools and be included in mainstream instruction.

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Through the years this change in attitude has made a difference. In Manitoba inclusive education is now legislated. This indicates that the government values children and respects parents. Children and adults with disabilities have a right to learn, to be given a chance to succeed and to become productive participants in society. It is about honouring, caring and dignity for all.

Ours is one familys story. There are many others about dedicated families that took the same journey. There are families today that are still on that journey. Each generation has triumphs. Karen and I are pleased with the role we have played in altering some of the challenges faced by people with disabilities and we are pleased to share our experience.

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BY MEL GRAHAM1

The Door That Opened A Crack When Opportunity Knocked

Once I was a Braille and reel-to-reel tape-using student. This was back in the Fifties and Sixties. My parents struggle to obtain textbooks was nothing short of a never ending nightmare for them, although I guess I did prove the old economic maxim that before you can establish supply, theres got to be demand.

Fortunately, progress had been made by the time my son Neil presented his own school authorities with similar textbook requirements to mine. So

MelGrahamisaformerChairpersonoftheIndependentLivingResourceCentreinWinnipeg,Manitoba. HeisalsotheChairpersonofMLPDsHousingCommittee.
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much so that I was all but asleep at the wheel when I heard that like all vision impaired students in Manitoba, Neil was to be weaned off Braille in grades 11 and 12. After that, Braille transcription of educational materials, costly as it is, would no longer be forthcoming. It would be quite essential for him to acquire the good listening skills necessitated by an all-cassette diet before he moved on to university.

The implications of this news struck me as horrendous. Neil was one student who could not be accommodated on a cassette materials only basis. For his true potential to have any chance of being realized - his nature and interests ran to maths and physical sciences before all other subjects - only the hands-on interactivity afforded by Braille would do for significant learning to occur.

Similar accounts often conclude with a flourish of brilliantly executed, highly publicized social activist tactics, topped off with a final scene of thoroughly chastened bureaucrats making excuses and licking their wounds. That might make a better read, but it definitely wouldnt be true, because this is one instance when the entire branch of the public service we were dealing with, from the worker bee up, routinely kept an eye out for opportunities whereby it could better serve students with special needs. And so it was that I was quietly advised that a carefully

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argued letter, expressing concerns from a parents viewpoint and addressed to a certain Assistant Deputy Minister, might yield positive results.

Such letter - vetted by quite a swatch of diverse parties, as I recall - did exactly what wed hoped. Neil got all the Braille volumes he needed for an initial mathematics B.A. and, a few years later, a masters degree in computer sciences. His taxes have probably covered those costs a few times over in the years since. But really, how do you suppose a perpetually frightened, oppressed, paranoid civil service (the current federal one, perhaps?), would have dealt with a similarly complex set of circumstances?

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BY RHONDA WIEBE1 AND JOSEPH KAUFERT2

Hard Facts and Soft Values: Teaching Medical Students about the Lived Experience of Disability
A significant obstacle to accessing healthcare is the lack of knowledge possessed by doctors about living with disability. Although physicians learn volumes about treating underlying causes, many receive little training about choices concerning active independence.

There was a time in Canada when no curriculum formally challenged medical students to think about how they internalized social perceptions of persons with disabilities. Neither was there acknowledgment of the expertise people with disabilities had about their own lives. Manitoba

RhondaWiebeisaPolicyAnalystwiththeDisabilitiesIssuesOfficefortheProvinceofManitoba.Sheisa memberoftheManitobaHealthAppealBoard,andCochairoftheEndingofLifeEthicsCommitteeofthe CouncilofCanadianswithDisabilities.Themostsignificantinfluencetoherworkisherlivedexperienceas apersonwithadisability. 2 JosephKaufertisaprofessorinthedepartmentofCommunityHealthSciences,FacultyofMedicineand theDepartmentofAnthropologyattheUniversityofManitoba.Heisacommunityhealthresearcherand medicalanthropologistwhohasworkedintheDepartmentsofCommunityMedicineandPsychiatryinthe UniversitiesofLondon(England),TexasandManitoba.

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can be proud to be the first province that introduced changes to its medical curriculum.

Independent Living modules were introduced in 1980 at Community Medicine, University of Manitoba. Disability advocates, including Allan Simpson, Henry Enns, Elizabeth Semkiw and Paula Keirstead, created these presentations. Additional presenters include Jim Derksen, Elizabeth Loban, David Martin, Audrey McIlraith, Catherine Medernach, Catherine Pearse, Lori Ross, Louella Shannacappo, Colleen Watters, Rhonda Wiebe, Valerie Wolbert and John Wyndels.

Presenters discussed myths and attitudes about living with disabilities, including barriers to healthcare resources, with medical students. The modules examined policies and ethical issues that influence the relationships between persons with disabilities and health professionals. But, the addition of Independent Living modules did not go uncontested. The presentations contrasted significantly with what students learned from medical professionals, namely that emphasis for healthcare should be professionally defined rather than through shared decisionmaking. Students interpreted disability-related presentations in terms of services and interventions rather than on larger issues such as respect for autonomy. There was resistance to using non-physicians as presenters, as well as tensions between faculty insiders teaching

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medical culture and consumer outsiders who stressed the importance of Independent Living. These difficulties indicated some radical modifications were required in order for the perspectives of persons with disabilities to be meaningful.

A 2005 study explored how students perceived these Independent Living sessions. Students responded positively, however evaluations revealed many lacked basic knowledge about living with disability, its wider implications, and the importance of advocacy. Many students were already exposed to conventional ideas about the roles of physicians and patients. Such preconceived conditioning resulted in students placing disability community presenters in the narrow biomedically defined roles of clients or patients. Some students acknowledged the influences embedded in the organizational culture of medicine. These often unstated factors, many steeped in able-ist notions of disability, affect medical practice.

Some medical students reported they could conceptualize incorporating facets of the Independent Living model, including the concept of working in partnership with persons with disabilities who drew expertise from their own lives. However, they did not see this as something many of their colleagues would do.

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Although somewhat discouraging, this does not lessen our conviction that physicians need to learn from the expertise of persons with disabilities. The opportunity to draw on the lived experience of encountering multiple social barriers by maintaining a sense of autonomy and dignity is unequivocal. This education enriches the capacity of medical practitioners as well as the consumers with whom they co-participate in efforts to ensure appropriate health care.

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Human Rights

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BY YVONNE PETERS1

A Missed Wedding, a Landmark Protest and a Legal Victory

On October 31, 1980, I arrived in Ottawa ready to participate in a weekend meeting of the National Council of the Coalition of Provincial Organizations of the Handicapped (COPOH) (now known as the Council of Canadians with Disabilities). I attended this meeting under much protest from my family. My sister was getting married, and here I was, choosing to miss her wedding so I could discuss the Constitution and the inclusion of disability rights.

YvonnePetershaspracticedlawasasolepractitionersince1993,specializinginhumanrightsand equalityrights.Yvonne'scurrentworkincludes:legaladvisortotheCouncilofCanadianswithDisabilities, ViceChairoftheManitobaHumanRightsCommission,acoinvestigatorinaCommunityUniversity ResearchAllianceprojectentitledDisablingPoverty/EnablingCitizenship.

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I was a relatively new member to the Council. But I was outraged by the lack of legal protection for the human rights of persons with disabilities and was therefore eager to work with my colleagues to correct this injustice.

Much of our Council discussion that weekend focused on the federal government and how to shake its refusal to consider the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the proposed Constitutional Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Earlier that fall, Prime Minister Trudeau convened Parliament to consider a resolution asking the British Parliament to patriate the British North American Act. He proposed that part 1 of the Act contain a Charter that would provide Constitutional protection of the Rights and Freedoms of persons living in Canada. Of particular interest to persons with disabilities was the Charters non-discrimination clause.

This clause guaranteed equality and prohibited discrimination on a number of grounds. However, there was no mention of disability. Our drive to have this clause expanded was supported by a resolution passed at COPOHs first national conference. The resolution called for Members of Parliament to support the entrenchment of the human rights of persons with physical disabilities in any new constitution. We amended our position to include mental disability when we partnered with the Canadian

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Association of the Mentally Retarded, now the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL). We started with physical disability, but we recognized the need to include mental disability.

Prior to the Council meeting, COPOH flooded Members of Parliament with telegrams and letters urging them to include disability in the nondiscrimination clause. Unfortunately, just days before the Council meeting, a special advisor to Jean Chrtien, the then Minister of Justice, advised COPOH, that only grounds that have been long recognized and which do not require substantial qualification would be included in a nondiscrimination clause. Disability, he said, did not fit this criteria.

Council members were alarmed and dismayed by this response, and thus we spent much of our time discussing and debating how to get our message of inclusion taken much more seriously. We finally settled on the need to publicly demonstrate our concern and frustration at being left out of the Constitution-making process. Consequently, instead of returning home to our families and jobs that Sunday evening, we gathered in an Ottawa hotel room to organize the details of a public demonstration, prepare protest signs, and devise a media strategy.

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On Monday, November 3, 1980, 14 members of COPOH demonstrated on Parliament Hill, chanting slogans and waving signs in an effort to get our message across to government. We attracted significant media because the sight of people with a variety of disabilities shouting for their rights was quite a new concept in Canadian society. Allan Simpson, the then Chair of COPOH, told an Ottawa newspaper that coalition members were prepared to take their case to the United Nations or to ask the British Parliament to delay patriation of the constitution until their demands were met.

Prior to the protest, I phoned my employer to advise her of my activities. As a strong human rights activist, she supported my participation. She suggested that I not be the first to throw the blood on the steps so to speak. However, unknown to me, my protest-loving guide dog pushed her way to the front and the next day our picture was splashed across Canada in a number of newspapers. Fortunately, my employer was very supportive of our cause and I retained my job.

Following the demonstration Ron Kanary (COPOHs Vice Chair) and I were asked to extend our stay in Ottawa to engage in the direct lobbying of key politicians. Many of the politicians we met with were genuinely interested and receptive to our issue and were obviously

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trying to make sense themselves as to how a Charter would function in the Canadian context. At a minimum, our goal was to obtain an invitation to appear before the Joint Parliamentary Committee, mandated to convene hearings on the proposed Constitution. To this end, our efforts can be deemed a success as shortly after our tour of Parliament, COPOH received the much sought after invitation to appear before the Committee to argue our case.

Our appearance before the Joint Committee marked a turning point for COPOHs Constitutional lobby. The public protest and the appearance before the Committee gave our issue profile and credibility. While we may never know what prompted the eleventh hour change of mind by the government, it is likely that factors such as supportive government representatives and members of Parliament, the proclamation of the 1981 International Year of Persons with Disabilities and further threats of protests by persons with disabilities on Parliament Hill, all played an influential role in shifting

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the ground in favour of persons with disabilities. Thus, on January 28, 1981, the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Constitution unanimously accepted an amendment to the Charter which, at long last, included the ground of both physical or mental disability in Section 15, now known as the guarantee of equality in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Looking back over the past 30 years, I am now truly sorry I missed my sisters wedding. But I still feel I made the right decision to attend that infamous National Council meeting back in 1980. Clearly, our efforts helped to achieve a significant legal victory, which marked a new social consciousness of disability rights. I am deeply honoured to have had the opportunity to play a small role in this important victory.

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BY JIMDERKSEN1

Inclusion of Disability Rights in the Equality Rights Section of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) and its allies have achieved constitutional protection of the right of persons with disabilities to equal benefit and protection under and before the law in Canada.

Thirty years ago, Canadians with disabilities were without specific constitutional protection of their rights to equality in the operation of Canadian governments and the laws they enacted. Prime Minister John Diefenbakers Bill of Rights provided some general protections for Canadians but this proved quite ineffective in protecting equality rights of Canadians in general and offered no specific equality rights protection to persons with disabilities. Canadian and several provincial human rights statutes offered some protection from discrimination on specific

JimDerksenwasthefirstExecutiveDirectoroftheManitobaDisabilitiesIssuesOffice.Hewasalsoa ProvincialCoordinatoroftheManitobaLeagueofPersonswithDisabilities.
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grounds but these did not have the constitutional power to overcome the federal and provincial governments. As regards protection from discrimination on the basis of disability, more often than not, this was limited to the prohibition of such discrimination only in the area of employment and not in the provision of goods and services.

With the repatriation of the Canadian Constitution from England the door was open to the idea of embedding a charter or a bill of rights in the Constitution, itself. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau had opened discussion about the possibility of a constitutionally established set of rights in Canada earlier in the 1980s. Canadians with disabilities had watched the American Rehabilitation Acts of the early 1970s improve the status of disabled persons in America through being interpreted as having quasiconstitutional power. Disabled Canadians began to plan strategies to be included in any constitutional rights legislation in Canada.

When the Joint Committee of the House of Commons and the Senate on the Constitution of Canada, chaired by the Honourable Jean Chrtien, then Canadian Minister of Justice, met to hear the views of Canadians, CCD and its allies presented arguments for the inclusion of physical and mental disabilities in the equality rights section of the Charter. CCD also coordinated a night

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telegram campaign urging all parties to support the inclusion of disability in the Charter. Fortuitously, CCDs National Coordinator had been seconded to the House of Commons Committees Branch as special advisor to the all party Special Committee on the Handicapped and Disabled. This committee was persuaded to make a preliminary report to the House of Commons recommending, Should it be the will of Parliament to entrench Human Rights in a patriated Constitution, your Committee believes that full and equal protection should be provided for persons with physical or mental handicaps. The members of this Special Committee on the Handicapped and Disabled then undertook a consistent and committed lobby in each of their respective party caucuses for party support of this recommendation. The opposition New Democratic and Progressive Conservative parties were quick to support the recommendation but the governing Liberal party was more difficult to convince.

The deliberations of the Joint House of Commons and Senate Committee on the Constitution were live broadcast by satellite across Canada and CCD representatives (in particular those with visible disabilities) were ever present as audience members behind the elected members of the committee to remind the committee, and indeed all of Canada, of the importance of disability rights in the Charter. Eventually, a federal government constitutional lawyer met with CCDs

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National Coordinator to understand how constitutional equality rights for disabled Canadians could be implemented. Chief Commissioner Gordon Fairweather of the Canadian Human Rights Commission also intervened at the eleventh hour by private discussion with government officials to ensure that Canadians with mental disabilities would also be included in the equality rights section of the Charter. Early in 1981, the Honourable Jean Chrtien announced that the governing liberal party would also support the inclusion of disability rights in the Charter.

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BY DIANNA SCARTH1

Systemic Settlements of Human Rights Complaints Have Removed Barriers

The Manitoba Human Rights Commission has played a significant role in advancing the rights of Manitobans with disabilities over the past 30 years.

In 1982, the Commission had been in existence for just a decade. The Human Rights Act was replaced in 1987 by The Human Rights Code, which included new opportunities to approach discrimination using a systemic lens, and replaced the term handicap with disability.

Some of the Commissions most significant achievements have occurred within its complaints procedures. In addition to thousands of individual complaints which have been settled

DiannaScarthistheExecutiveDirectoroftheManitobaHumanRightsCommissionandisresponsiblefor thedaytodayactivitiesoftheCommission.Hereducationalbackgroundisinlawandsocialwork.The ManitobaHumanRightsCommissionadministerstheManitobaHumanRightsCode,whichfurthersthe principlesofequalityofopportunity,andfreedomfromdiscriminationintheareasofemployment, housing,publicservices,signsandcontracts.TheCommissionconciliates,mediatesandinvestigates complaintsofdiscrimination,promoteshumanrights,anddeliverspubliceducationprograms.

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or adjudicated, there have been important settlements of systemic complaints which have had a positive impact on the lives of thousands of Manitobans with disabilities. Mediation is now offered at every stage of the complaint process, and in some years, settlement rates as high as 60% have been achieved.

Here are some highlights of systemic resolutions achieved within the past decade which have made Manitoba more accessible and inclusive of people with disabilities:

In 2004, a complaint alleged that the application process used to assess persons with disabilities for drivers licenses was discriminatory. The settlement achieved a policy that ensures that decisions are based on individualized functional assessments of ones ability to drive safely rather than on impressionistic assumptions.

In 2007, the City of Winnipeg introduced an Announce Next Stop Program on City buses. The removal of this significant barrier for visually impaired riders was achieved within a few weeks, after the Commission approached the City on an informal basis without a formal complaint. The initial program has been replaced by an improved automated announcement program. In

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Ontario, it took years to achieve the same results and required expensive and protracted legal proceedings in several levels of courts and tribunals.

In 2008, the Province agreed to eliminate the distinction in the amount of financial support that adults with disabilities receive if they reside in the community with their families, as compared with those who reside with nonfamily members. Hundreds of adults received an increase in financial support that will encourage their independence and improve family stability. Another settlement in 2008 will benefit people with disabilities when they are attempting to cross streets at controlled intersections. The City has agreed to install audible signals at all controlled intersections over a period of time. It also agreed to remove pushbuttons at many locations, and it will test alternative methods of activating signals that are accessible to people with disabilities over the next several years. A committee with representatives from the City, the Commission and disability groups meets annually to review the progress made towards fulfilling the terms of the settlement. Within the past year, a complaint regarding the institutionalization of persons with

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disabilities and their right to choose to live in the community was settled. Once again the Commission will remain involved in a monitoring role to ensure that the terms of the settlement are complied with.

The examples above represent a small portion of the work undertaken by the Commission and focus only on activities related to complaints. Public education programs have been greatly expanded in the past 30 years, and all of those programs incorporate information about disability rights. Some educational initiatives have been undertaken to address a specific issue, such as a seminar to educate employers about their obligations to accommodate employees with mental health issues, or a publication on the Rights of Youth with Disabilities, created in partnership with the Childrens Advocate and the Ombudsman.

On a personal note, as Director of the Commission it has been a privilege to meet and work with many disability advocates in our community. I greatly admire their efforts to create a more inclusive community despite financial cutbacks and personal challenges. There is, indeed, much to celebrate in their accomplishments!

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BY ANNE LEVESQUE1

Jordans Principle
It is often said that the experience of a person with a disability, and the types of barriers and stereotypes he or she will encounter, will largely depend on his or her other intersecting identities such as his or her race, gender, sexual orientation or social status. First Nations people with disabilities in Canada living on reserves are perfect examples of this. In addition to experiencing disproportionate levels of poverty, First Nations Peoples living on reserves and who have disabilities often encounter significant hurdles when trying to access government services that most Canadians take for granted. In some cases, these individuals are even completely denied government health, special education or home care services because it is unclear whether the provincial or federal government has the responsibility of paying for this. This was the experience of a 5-year-old boy

AnneLevesqueisanassociateatChampandAssociateswhereshepracticesintheareasofhuman rights,employment,anddisabilitylaw.AnneispresentlyamemberoftheHumanRightsCommitteeof theCouncilofCanadianswithDisabilities,andservesontheboardofdirectorsofseveralnotforprofit organizationsaimingtopromotetherightsofmembersofdisadvantagedcommunitiessuchastenants andpeoplewithdisabilities.AnnealsovolunteerswithProBonoCanadaasasupervisinglawyerandisa memberoftheNationalSteeringCommitteeoftheNationalAssociationofWomenandtheLaw.

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named Jordan River Anderson, a First Nations child from Norway House First Nation in Manitoba who was born with a muscular disorder. After spending the first two years of his life in a hospital, Jordans doctors determined that he was well enough to live in his home. However, neither the federal or provincial government wanted to pay for the home care Jordan required to return to his family in his home community. After spending over two more years in hospital while the provincial and the federal government argued over who should pay for his home care, Jordan died in hospital in 2005.

Following Jordans death, Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution aiming to prevent children from being harmed by jurisdictional disputes between governments. This resolution, called Jordan's Principle, directs the government that is first asked to fund a service to do so until the jurisdictional dispute is resolved. This prevents First Nations children, and particularly those with disabilities, from being denied services available to children living off reserve. The Government of Canada is currently taking steps to implement the resolution. Some provinces have also partially implemented Jordan's Principle in the area of children with complex medical needs.

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The implementation of Jordans Principle is an important step towards the equality rights of First Nations people with disabilities living on reserves. If fully implemented, the resolution will allow some of Canadas most vulnerable people with disabilities to have equal access to all government services.

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BY DEREK LEGGE1

Rights for Persons with Disabilities in Manitoba

For something to be considered a right, it must be enforceable through some legislation or possibly the courts. It was in the early 1970s that the Manitoba Human Rights Act established that typically stereotyped groups, such as persons with disabilities, have a right not to be treated differently (without some reasonable cause) in employment, services and housing.

DerekLeggeoriginallybecameinvolvedwiththeManitobaLeagueofPersonswithDisabilitiesin1975, wherehestartedthefirstbranchoftheMLPDinBrandon,MB.AftermovingbackhometoWinnipegin 1977,hebeganworkingintheareaofemploymentanddisability,eventuallybecominganIntakeOfficer attheManitobaHumanRightsCommissionin1987untilretirementin2004.HereceivedtheCCDAward in2003forinitiatinganumberofaccesspromotingprojectsovertheyears.

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Discrimination typically was based on stereotypes or prejudices.

Over the next decade it became clearer that not treating persons with special circumstances related to a disability differently had the same result. Yes, it may impose a cost to add a ramp, obtain some technical aid or alter duties to enable the person with a disability to participate, but this was no longer considered a reasonable justification to exclude them. The issue was becoming.. how reasonable was it to address these needs arising from disability?

In 1987, the new Manitoba Human Rights Code defined the word discrimination to include refusal to make reasonable accommodation for circumstances related to disability. This meant that where a person with a disability appeared to need, or actually did need, accommodation, the employer, service provider or landlord has a legal responsibility to properly examine that assumption and explore reasonable accommodations before making a decision. Case law has even established that jumping to a (correct) conclusion that it was not possible to reasonably accommodate someone without going through a fair process to identify and evaluate options and costs, was enough to contravene the Code. Over the next years, more and more complaints under the Code were based on issues of accommodation as opposed to straight

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prejudices and stereotypes. In the last several years, complaints based on disability have accounted for almost half of registered complaints.

Another piece of legislation, the Manitoba Building Code, also enforces rights dealing with citizens with disabilities. In the upgraded Building Code for 2012, requirements for new construction of public use type buildings include: handrails on both sides of stairways, colour and texture differentiation at the top of stairways and clear contrast on stairs from both looking down or upwards, and fire alarms are to include both audio and visual signals. The right to a safe and useable environment is becoming a legal obligation.

Over the past few years, a group of concerned agencies and advocacy organizations have brought about a process whereby the Manitoba government will be establishing standards for access in areas involving buildings, communications, transportation and other areas. Whether these will be guidelines or enforceable is yet to be seen. But even while policies are not enforceable in the same way, policies state an intention and a commitment to some goal, for example full inclusion and participation, and failure to live up to them can result in public pressure to rectify situations where the policy is

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not properly followed. We should be proud of what has been accomplished here in Manitoba.

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Transportation

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BY ROSS EADIE1

When Ross Eadie Held Up the Bus: For bus drivers, was it merely an inconvenience to call out stops?
You just feel like giving up being independent and staying in the house. It is not the end of the world to be blind, but with attitudes such as those from the bus drivers not calling stops, you just feel so down. For what? Some people who feel inconvenienced by our needs!

On February 7, 2008, the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians, Manitoba Chapter invited the media to come out during National White Cane Week to hear about people who are blind living independent lives, when given reasonable access to systems. The driver on Rosss bus was not calling out the stops on the way to Rosss volunteer AEBC appointment to work an information table.

CitycouncillorRossEadielivesinWinnipegwithhiswifeandtwoboys.Assistedbymany,Rossbuilthis lifebacktogetherafterlosinghiseyesightin1984.Sincefinishinghispostsecondaryeducationin1990, RossEadiehasspentcountlesshoursbeinganadvocateandactivistforabetterlifeforallinCanada, ManitobaandWinnipeg.Thereareplentyofdetailsonhisexperiencesatwww.rosseadie.ca.

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Ross Eadie heard from women who were intimidated by some drivers who refused to call the stops. He also felt the animosity himself on buses he was riding on.

As I came closer to the stop at Donald and Graham, I became quite upset with the thoughts of the intimidated people who are blind and my own experience. No one from Winnipeg Transit was pushing the noncompliant drivers, not even their union. So, a great idea came to mind to demonstrate inconvenience to the driver, passengers and the whole city: stand in front of the bus and dont let it go anywhere.

For a moment, Ross thought carrying out this protest might cause personal problems in the future, but the roadblock to people wanting to experience an independent life was more important. Confirming there was another bus in front, as Ross stepped off the bus, he told the driver to not take it personally.

I quickly exited and moved in front of the windshield where the driver sits so he could see me there and not move. Nobody was in danger at any time.

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Once Ross was in place, he called the CJOB radio station who called him back some minutes later. The driver stepped out and asked Ross if he was trying to cross Graham Avenue, and offered to assist him. Ross refused.

No, it is time you drivers understood what inconvenience means in your life. Try and keep your schedule.

In 2007, David Lepofsky, a Toronto lawyer who is blind, had won a human rights complaint against the Toronto Transit Commission to have the bus drivers call the bus stop street locations. Lepofskys victory convinced Winnipeg Transit to avoid a human rights complaint and put a new automated stop calling system into their capital budget request, but City Council decided to put off the installation of this system for two years. In the face of Winnipeg Transits decision, many Winnipeg Transit drivers refused to call the stops themselves.

After about eight minutes, Richard Cloutier from CJOB agreed to put Ross live on air if he would let the bus finish its route.

Richard, Im not an unreasonable person. Just let me embarrass these drivers on the air. Ross went on to highlight the role of Winnipeg Transit

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and the meaning of reasonable system access for those with disabilities.

Ross spoke to Richard Cloutier for about four minutes on air while two transit security people waited to warn Ross.

They told me if I ever did this holding up of the bus again, I would be banned from taking regular Winnipeg Transit. I said, Not likely! Im a reasonable person.

The media stunt worked despite other groups of blind people chastising Ross for his negative advocacy. The City of Winnipeg started penalizing drivers who were not calling the stops, and like Ross Eadie had asked the Executive Policy Committee of Winnipeg the year before, the City of Winnipeg began to install the automated stop calling system much sooner.

Some drivers still show animosity toward me, but I think everyone is happy with the better system. And hey, I am the city councillor for the Mynarski Ward today.

By the end of 2008, many of the Transit buses were outfitted with the automation. By the end of 2009 all Winnipeg Transit buses were equipped

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with a stop calling system that others who are not blind have come to appreciate.

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BY JIMDERKSEN1

Accessible Taxicab Services in Winnipeg

Wheelchair accessible taxicab services have been achieved in Winnipeg. These are established by regulation under the Taxicab Act and are subject to a specific number of taxicab licenses required to be operated with wheelchair accessible vehicles. In 1974, 38 years ago, there were no specific regulations or licenses requiring the availability of wheelchair accessible taxicabs. There was an unregulated business sector

JimDerksenwasaProvincialCoordinatoroftheManitobaLeagueofPersonswithDisabilities.Hewas alsothefirstExecutiveDirectoroftheDisabilitiesIssuesOffice.
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*PhotobyBorisMinkevich/WinnipegFreePress,Jan.11,2008,reproducedwithpermission.

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operating wheelchair accessible vans that charged a great deal more than licensed taxicabs were allowed to charge. These were seldom within the economic reach of most wheelchairusing citizens in the city and primarily served government funded programs. It was known that in Vancouver, the BC chapter of the Canadian Paraplegic Association had lobbied for, and achieved, licensed and regulated wheelchair accessible taxicabs in Vancouver. There was considerable discontent among wheelchair users concerning lack of access to regulated taxicab services in Winnipeg.

Regular mainstream wheelchair accessible taxicabs in the City of Winnipeg now number 34 in 8 companies and are currently operated using meters to determine taxicab fares for all passengers equally, including wheelchair users. While these taxicabs serve the whole market, they are required to provide priority service to wheelchair users. Eight specialized Handi Van service vehicles are also licensed to provide specialized services at greater cost than allowed for taxicabs.

When I was appointed chairperson of the Taxicab Board in 1982, I was able to bring the unregulated wheelchair transport companies under the authority of the Board. This was done by increasing the total quota of taxicabs in Winnipeg. I remember the headline in the

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Winnipeg Free Press, "DERKSEN JUDGE, JURY AND EXECUTIONER OF WHEELCHAIR TRANSPORT SERVICES." The newly regulated accessible wheelchair taxicabs then circled the Legislative Building at about 5 miles an hour, using this way of obstructing traffic at the legislature to demonstrate their anger at being regulated. Together with their claim that regulation would destroy their companies and deprive wheelchair users of any transportation services, they put tremendous pressure on the politicians in the legislature. And if the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities (MLPD) had not let the provincial government know that they would circle the legislative building with wheelchairs if there was a retreat on regulating the wheelchair accessible transport services, they might well have been deregulated. My term as chairperson of the Taxicab Board ended in 1988.

In June 1988, the Taxicab Board deregulated wheelchair accessible taxi services. Disability groups opposed the move and, acting for the MLPD, the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) obtained a restraining order in Queens Bench against the Board. In time, the Board reversed the deregulation order, instead holding hearings with an aim to overhaul the industry. The PILC, again acting for the League, was able to convince the Board to regulate that part of the industry providing services specifically to people with disabilities, by establishing rates and safety and training standards. At the urging of the MLPD,

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the Board also provided a number of new taxi licenses to taxi companies serving the general public on the condition that these licenses be operated with wheelchair accessible vehicles and that wheelchair users have priority access to these vehicles. While the specialized industry is still allowed to charge a higher rate (and is required to provide additional services), the mainstream taxi industry is now required to provide service to people with wheelchairs at the same rate it charges the general public.

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BY DAVE MARTIN
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The Development of an Accessible Urban Transportation System

I will never forget the day about seven years ago when I rolled up to my fathers house on the west side of Winnipeg for an unexpected visit. He was outside cutting the grass as I came up the driveway in my electric wheelchair.

DavidMartinistheSeniorAdvisoronDisabilityIssueswiththeProvinceofManitoba.From1983to 2000,hewastheProvincialCoordinatoroftheManitobaLeagueofPersonswithDisabilities.
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He didnt notice I was there until I said, Hey, you missed a spot.

He spun around with a puzzled look, as if he was seeing a mirage. Looking around for a van or Handi-Transit vehicle that might have dropped me off, he was confused because there were none to be seen.

How in the world did you get here? he asked.

I took the regular bus for the first time. I answered with a grin.

In many ways, my bus ride that day and surprise visit to my dad's was the perfect tribute to years of work by countless people from Winnipegs disability community. Just a few short decades ago, many people with mobility disabilities were often stuck in their homes, because they had no accessible transportation available to them. Other times they had no option but to pay expensive fares to specialized wheelchair transportation companies, just so they could get somewhere they wanted to go.

Then, in the 1970s, people with disabilities started to learn from groups representing the

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rights of women and visible minorities. Many of their concerns were similar to those of people with disabilities who were just starting to fight for access to a society that had ignored their needs.

Access to public transportation was one of the first priorities of the new disability rights movement. People with mobility disabilities in particular were tired of not being able to use a transit system they were paying for with their tax dollars. Organizations like the Manitoba League of the Physically Handicapped (now Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities) led the fight at Winnipegs City Hall to convince civic leaders that people with disabilities had a right to use public transit.

This advocacy eventually saw the introduction of Handi-Transit as a parallel public transportation service operated by the City with fares equal to those paid by regular transit riders. It was a significant liberator for many people with mobility disabilities as it allowed them to get out and start participating in society to a much greater extent.

Since then, Winnipegs transportation system has changed dramatically. In the late 1980s, the Manitoba Taxicab Board required the taxi industry to offer wheelchair accessible service

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for the same price charged to other customers. Although not typically viewed as public transportation, taxis are an important service for many people who do not have their own car or who cannot drive. Making taxi service accessible to people who use wheelchairs was a huge improvement for their mobility.

In the 1990s with the emergence of new bus designs, the City adopted a plan to purchase only accessible buses for use in its regular transit fleet. Over time, this would mean that people using wheelchairs who could get to a bus stop would be able to travel anywhere in Winnipeg served by regular transit. For those who could not get to a bus stop, the Handi-Transit service would still be available.

Similar stories were unfolding in other cities across Canada. Some, like Vancouver, had accessible taxis earlier than Winnipeg while, even today, other cities are just starting to make their transit system fully accessible. Everywhere though, policy makers were accepting that people with disabilities have the right to move about their communities using public transportation.

Looking back at my first trip on a regular transit bus, I recall glancing around at the other passengers and noticing the diversity of people who were riding with me. There was a young

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woman with a baby in a stroller. I remember smiling about that because, to make it easier for her to push the stroller on the bus, she used the same ramp I had used. There were also many elderly people who probably all appreciated the buss easy access features. Then, there was a young man with a Mohawk haircut and some large earrings hanging from his ears.

I definitely experienced a sense of equality riding the bus with such an interesting group of characters. Of course, they were probably looking at me and thinking I was a little interesting as well.

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Disability Studies

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BY OLGA KRASSIOUKOVA-ENNS1

Disability Studies
Disability Studies (DS) has emerged as a discipline within the contexts of the disability rights and Independent Living movements, which have advocated for civil rights and selfdetermination since the 1970s. These movements have achieved significant policy change on behalf of the persons with disabilities in Canada and the United States. By bringing together academics and disability community advocates who shared

OlgaKrassioukovaEnns,ExecutiveDirectoroftheCanadianCentreonDisabilityStudies,hasmorethan 25yearsofinternationalexperienceindisabilitypolicy,programs/projectdesign,implementationand evaluation,aswellasresearch,curriculumdevelopment,teachingandadministration.Educatedasa medicaldoctor,trainedinpolicydevelopmentandparticipatoryresearch,shehasbeeninvolvedin numerousnationalandinternationalprojectswiththefocusonDisabilityStudiesdevelopmentand teaching,aginganddisability,visitability,livableandinclusivecommunities,inclusiveeducation,universal design,povertyreduction,aswellasinternationalandsocialdevelopment.

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common concerns the movements have also assisted with the continued development of DS. DS has moved disability from medical and rehabilitation domains into the political and social realms. It has resulted in the development of a disability framework which examines the social, political and economic forces that have marginalized and oppressed persons with disabilities for centuries, just as feminist and other frameworks have been developed to address the historic and systemic disadvantages of women, children, poor and other marginalized (or minority) groups. While DS recognizes physical, mental and other differences amongst individuals, this perspective stresses the importance of proper interpretation of such differences.

In Canada, part of the DS history began in Winnipeg, when in the 1990's the late Henry Enns (Co-founder and first Executive Director of the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies) and other disability community activists began to lobby the University of Manitoba to develop a Disability Studies program. In May 1998, CCDS hosted the first Symposium on Disability Studies to continue these discussions. Contributors from Manitoba, Alberta, Quebec, Ontario and Chicago addressed the symposium participants who represented disability organizations and universities across Canada. That working meeting enabled CCDS to consult with members of other academic institutions who were in a position to advise on,

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and assist with, the implementation of the interdisciplinary Masters degree program. The nature of CCDSs vision was the development of a Masters program that would be meaningful to people with disabilities, have high academic standards and integrity, provide disability knowledge and critical thinking to future professionals, and serve to facilitate the full inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities. Many consumer organizations have agreed on the need for a Disability Studies program that emphasized cultural and social definitions of disability, while adopting an interdisciplinary approach.

Growth of Disability Studies in Canada: 1999 1st Undergraduate disability studies program at the Ryerson Universitys School of Disability Studies 2002 1st Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Disability Studies at the University of Manitoba 2004 Canadian Disability Studies Association 2007 1st Ph.D. program in Critical Disability Studies at York University 2011 Ten Disability Studies Programs at postsecondary institutions Dream - By 2015, every postsecondary institution in Canada will have an interdisciplinary

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Disability Studies program at the graduate level.

Disability Studies helps to change the way society perceives and responds to disability. It can deepen our understanding of the disability rights movement and generate and/or disseminate knowledge that can enhance the process of social change. However, Disability Studies also has implications that reach beyond people with disabilities.

Disability Studies helps to shed light on broad societal issues, challenge societal thinking regarding the ways it meets the needs of all its citizens, the processes of adequate resource distribution, etc. By encouraging the value of diversity, it can help create a more just and responsive society.

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BY MICHELLE OWEN1

A Community Effort: Interdisciplinary Disability Studies at the University of Winnipeg

For over a decade committed disability scholars and activists worked hard to make an Interdisciplinary Bachelors in Disability Studies (DS) program at the University of Winnipeg (UW) a reality. Members of disability communities were part of this initiative from the beginning, impressing upon the university the significance of DS. Today this program, one of the first in Western Canada and among the first in the

MichelleOwenisanAssociateProfessorinthedepartmentofsociologyattheUniversityofWinnipeg. CurrentlysheisActingCoordinatorofDisabilityStudiesandDirectoroftheInstituteofHealthandHuman PotentialattheGlobalCollege.Shecoedited,withDianeDriedger,DissonantDisabilities:Womenwith ChronicIllnessesExploreTheirLives(Toronto:CSPI/Women'sPress,2008).

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country, has in turn created and raised community awareness of disability issues. In 2006 the proposal for a DS program was approved by the UW Senate; in late 2009 the program received formal approval from the Council on Post-Secondary Education (COPSE), and on February 10, 2010 DS, a joint program with Red River College, was formally launched by President Lloyd Axworthy. In September 2010 the UW accepted the first students into DS and the program is growing rapidly. The DS Advisory committee predates my arrival at the UW, but I have been actively involved as a member, and then chair, and now acting program coordinator, for a number of years. In the early 2000s a group began to meet to advocate for an academic program focused on the critical analysis of disability in society. I joined this committee around 2003/4 when I was Research Chair at the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies. A turning point was reached in the spring of 2008 when a large and passionate meeting resulted in a letter writing campaign highlighting the need for a DS program at the UW. The organizations involved included the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD), the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies (CCDS), DisAbled Womens Network Manitoba (DAWN Manitoba), and the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities (MLPD). Without these community groups and their activist members, as well as many dedicated people at Red River

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College (RRC), the University of Manitoba, and the UW, we would not have an undergraduate DS program at the UW today. It is not surprising that there would be so much demand for DS in this location given the regional context. Winnipeg has long been known as a centre for disability activism, and is home to national disability organizations including the CCD, and the CCDS. In terms of the academic landscape, prior to this initiative there was a twoyear diploma offered at Red River College in Community and Disability Support, and an interdisciplinary Masters degree in DS at the University of Manitoba, with nothing in-between. An undergraduate degree in DS was the missing link in the province. The new Interdisciplinary Bachelors in DS at the UW comprises six undergraduate degrees: B.A. in DS (3 year, 4 year, and Honours), and B.Sc. in DS (3 year, 4 year and Honours). An articulation agreement has been signed with Red River College so that students may enter the DS program from either institution. The focus of the program is the critical analysis of disability in society which includes the study of disability as a social, scientific, cultural, historical, and political construction. Importantly the program is situated within the social model of disability. From this perspective the problem becomes a lack of ramps rather than the fact that someone uses a wheelchair.

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This is an exciting and challenging time for people interested in DS in Winnipeg! For more than ten years the main struggle has been to get approval for an undergraduate program at UW, first by the administration and then COPSE. And now that dream has been realized. A number of factors came together the ongoing energy and commitment of disability activists and scholars, a Dean of Arts and a President who were interested in disability issues, and a new academic plan for UW that emphasizes the importance of people with disabilities and community connections. However, these factors all came together during a time of financial crisis, and while the program received approval it did not receive any funding. The decision was made to proceed incrementally rather than wait for funds to become available. What this means is that we have had to move slowly. Great efforts have been made to ensure participation and success in the program by underrepresented groups, especially people with disabilities. DS I and II, and Theorizing Disability (TD), (and the Global Colleges 2011 Summer Institute (SI): Reimagining Disability) are amongst the most accessible courses offered by the University of Winnipeg. All are offered through the Centre for Distributed/Distance Learning. DS II is taught on-line, and DS I and TD, as well as the SI, have on-line and web components, including Video on Demand (VOD). Actual physical presence is not required for these

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courses, and work may be done at any time. This can be a real bonus (and sometimes a challenge) for students with a variety of disabilities as well as students who live in rural areas, work fulltime, etc. Class materials, assignments, exams, are all available via WebCT, and students are able to communicate with both the instructor and one another using this technology. I should add that when delivery switched from cable television to the web the decision was made to maintain open public access so anyone can watch/listen free of charge. In conclusion, the realization of an interdisciplinary undergraduate program in DS at the UW was a real community effort. And members of disability communities continue to be involved as vital guest lecturers in the classroom as well as valuable members of the advisory committee. I hope that DS continues to grow, and in fact flourishes, at UW, to the extent that it becomes its own department. Having said that, I should clarify I dont want disability issues relegated to DS. My wish is that awareness of disability and ableism will spread throughout campus and help shape research questions, course content, services, environments, etc. Of course none of this can, or should, happen without community input.

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BY NANCY E. HANSEN, Ph.D.1

A View from the Academy

This is indeed a personal reflection. I am relatively new to Manitoba having lived here since 2003. I do have lifelong personal experience with disability and disability issues. However, long before I arrived in Manitoba, materials from disability organizations located here, the Coalition of Provincial Organizations of the Handicapped (COPOH) specifically (now Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD)), played an instrumental role in helping me frame my ideas concerning disability, social citizenship

NancyE.HansenPh.D.istheDirectoroftheInterdisciplinaryMaster'sPrograminDisabilityStudiesat theUniversityofManitoba.
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and access in my very early student days at Carleton University in Ottawa. At that time I never imagined I would be teaching Disability Studies at University.

Flash forward more than a decade, arriving in Manitoba with a newly minted Ph.D. in Human Geography (Disability) from the University of Glasgow (There was no Disability Studies Program in Canada at the time.), along with an Assistant Professorship in the new Interdisciplinary Disability Studies program at the University of Manitoba. I am living my dream.

The Masters Programs interdisciplinary approach is unique in North America. The program, a number of years in the making, looks at disability from a social model or citizenship perspective rather than a medical one. It was developed by university personnel from various subject areas in conjunction with communitybased, disability led organizations like the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies. An approach such as this is a distinctive partnership. Offering courses in areas such as: policy, media, history and environment, Disability Studies is helping to build new understandings about disability and disability issues. The diverse research program and variety of partnerships, including the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities (MLPD), is creating a strong, local, national and international reputation. Graduates

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have gone on to further studies, careers in various areas - promotions, teaching, and consultancy.

In the years since Disability Studies began at the University of Manitoba a great deal has happened. Pioneers of the disability rights movement have been awarded honourary doctorates. Disability history events have been arranged with CCD and the Allan Simpson Memorial Fund in support of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. An undergraduate program in Disability Studies has been established at the University of Winnipeg in partnership with the Global and Red River Colleges.

The academic landscape is slowly changing simply because Disability Studies is here.

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BY DEBORAH STIENSTRA1

Disability Studies: A Transforming Space

ThevisionforDisabilityStudiesattheUniversityofManitoba camein1993whenHenryEnnsreceivedanhonorary doctorate.HenryleanedovertothenUniversityPresident ArnoldNaimarkandsaidhowgooditwouldbewhenthe Universityincludedaprogramrelatedtotheexperiencesof peoplewithdisabilities. Tenyearslaterthatdreambecamearealitywhenthefirst studentsenrolledintheInterdisciplinaryMastersinDisability Studiesprogram.Whiletheprogramremainssmallandoften offthebeatentrack,itisatransformingspace,thefirst graduateprogramofitskindinCanada.Threekeyfeatures makeitmightybeyonditssize;itisinterdisciplinary,inclusive andconnectedwiththedisabilitycommunity. InterdisciplinaryForthepasttenyearstheprogramhas broughttogetherpeoplefromacrosscampusDisability Studies,English,ReligiousStudies,Education,History,Law, Kinesiology,Rehabilitation,SocialWork,Sciences,and

DeborahStienstrateachesDisabilityStudiesattheUniversityofManitobaandwasitsfoundingDirector.

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ArchitecturetogetherwiththeCanadianCentreonDisability Studies(CCDS).Thesedifferentviewpointsmaketheprogram rich,andchallengethoseinthecontributingfacultiestoassess howtheyaddressdisabilitystudieswithintheirownprograms. Forexample,onePh.D.studentinSocialWorkevaluatedhow SocialWorkeducationacrossthecountryaddressesdisability inwaysthatincludepeoplewithdisabilities,thesocialmodel ofdisabilityandcriticaltheoriesofdisabilitystudies.Herwork challengesSocialWorkeducationusingthetoolsshe developedthroughtheDisabilityStudiesprogram. Includingfaculty,staffandstudentswithdisabilitiesBy hiringfacultyandstaffmemberswithdisabilities,Disability StudiesremindstheUniversityofitsobligationsto accommodatediversity,andillustratesnewwaystodo education.Thepresenceofstudents,staff,facultyandvisitors withdisabilitiesgivesgreatervisibilitytoinclusionandaccess, andenablesunions,administrationandstudentgroupsto addressdisabilityissuesmoreauthenticallyandactively. CommunityconnectionsFromthebeginningtheDisability Studiesprogramincludedstronglinkstothedisability community,includingCCDS.Otherdisabilityorganizations, includingCCD,IndependentLivingCanada,DAWN/RAFH,and CACLamongmanyothers,havebeeninvolvedinstudentwork, researchandotherDisabilityStudiesactivities.Whendisability communitymemberscontributetostudenttheses,ordirect jointresearchprojects,webreakdowntheuniversity communitydivide,andvalueandincludetheexpertiseofthe disabilitycommunity.

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DisabilityStudiescreatesandsharesknowledgethatputsthe experiencesofpeoplewithdisabilitiesatthecentre.Indoing thatittransformsstudents,universities,serviceproviders, policymakers,educators,communitymembersandthepublic.

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