Inclusion Calgary

IN THE NEWS: An estimated 20,000 Alberta kids face waiting years to get therapy for disabilities

"Many parents of children already in the program said they see real improvements in the way their children cope with life. Some even shared how kids were now able to attend regular school programs because of the help they got early on.

But parents on the waiting list expressed despair. Many said that as they wait, their kids are getting kicked out of daycare and schools. They’re losing their jobs, taking on debt to pay for therapy, and sometimes seeing kids regress when they run out of money.”

For real life examples of how long waits for Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) are affecting Albertan families, check out the full CBC article on the curated news page of our website here: https://inclusionalberta.org/curated-news-content/

When Everything Lives in Your Head: A Caregiver’s Path to a Real Disability Support System | Empowering Ability Caregivers of loved ones with developmental disabilities hold critical “invisible knowledge.” Learn how to turn it into a shared disability support planning system.

Image created by Leann VanKeipema

CBC is investigating the experience of families on waitlists for the Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) program as well as families benefiting from FSCD supports here in Alberta.

This is an important opportunity to help build a clearer picture of how access to supports and barriers to access are affecting families, and to ensure these experiences are better understood.

If you are interested in sharing your experience with the CBC, we would encourage you to fill out the CBC's short survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfmMs0MBp0c2YLv2hnF-qhFIZ48RmCbYDLFh98z1lYkDYZSMg/viewform?usp=header

Predicted and now happening in real time.

Cuts to PUF funding 6 years ago are showing up in todays classrooms. Early intervention today saves money down the road. What will the current cuts look like in 5 years?

A fun weekend for the Inclusion Calgary crew 🤩 at the Inclusion Alberta Family Conference.

Why is it that when we start documenting the supports a student needs to successfully access an education, the response from schools is almost always that the student needs to be moved to a segregated classroom?

Why does it feel like advocating for more supports can sometimes trigger the actual opposite thing we're trying to accomplish?

When we create prerequisites for inclusion or place limits on the number and type of supports we think are appropriate to provide in an inclusive classroom, we're perpetuating the problems that plague students with high support needs by placing them in environments that largely don't presume competence or provide access to real education.

Kayla Takeuchi, a nonspeaking college student captures the unfairness of this situation best: "I always resented the fact that I had to 'earn' my place in regular education just because I am nonspeaking while all the other students who couldn't care less about school got a free pass to a real education."

Tonight! 📣

Hey friends, just a kind and final reminder to register for the event tomorrow evening if you haven't already! 💚

Register ⤵️
https://www.albertandpcaucus.ca/events/events-calendar/post/learn-to-advocate?fbclid=IwY2xjawQUQu5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFvTnBnUTZVTG9BbjJWUXRwc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpHjS39VlUEByR-4FjlPvAt3aTvfwwlSLBZ_ABPK5zuiS4jSHAKQHd0X-83c_aem_wg8zula8jB2pgFaUBua7UQ

Missed the deadline to register? Try this…😉
https://forms.gle/eU4q2rQL4mwB7cZV7