Consultation In-Person Feedback Collection
Date: February 26, 2014 (afternoon)
Group: Community consultation in-person session
Location: Victoria, BC
Number of Attendees: 57
Note: all the information and feedback gathered at this session will be inputted into the overall collection of data and feedback for consideration of the development of the Disability White Paper.
Feedback: /· If you move to BC shouldn’t have to requalify – needs to be an interprovincial agreement
· RSDP is not exempt if you declare bankruptcy (only applies to those <50)
· Shouldn’t have age gap – if you have a disability should be able to take advantage of it at any age
· First Nations – PWD – all covered – need to bring consistency
· When referring to middle class in document mean disabled middle class - thanks
· Independent living – too indep. For group home
· But need supports to live independently
· Respite – CLBC lost papers to respite was lost and parents didn’t get a break when they needed one (had respite but was taken away)
· Should make push button (auto door openers) mandatory in all public places
· Lack of sidewalks in some communities make the community not accessible
· Sidewalk cuts often have bumps that are very difficult for some w/mobility issues
· So PWDs have equal rights
· What would it look like:
Ø No barriers
Ø Ease of access across the board
Ø Planning for new communities must include accessibility
· Role of non-profit partners
· Aging parents – can’t look after kids the same way they used to – need funding to help care for family members
· More bus routes for people who live in outer areas of city
· Need community agencies in smaller areas to increase access to day programs, etc.
· Better coordination between communities (eg. Sidney to Victoria or Shawnigan)
· More consultation/education
· Would feel more comfortable if people w/out dis. Had higher education
· Public event should accommodate a range of disabilities, eg. events at causeway need to accommodate larger wheelchairs – ways to manage in crowds - need space to move around and participate, eg. covers for cords are so high that they make areas inaccessible – need more gradual inclines
· It should be a given when planning – all PWDs should be accommodated form the beginning
· More mainstream
· Solution – partner w/coffee shops to highlight/show art – opportunities to share talents
· Need businesses to come forward
· Don’t take $ off PWD cheques
· More understanding of disabilities - see me as a person not a disability
· Don’t use the r word
· Need local commercials – PWD in their own words to increase education
· Like depression – address in same manner
· Ensure all PWDS including invisible disabilities are treated as individuals
· Need accessibility – bus, sidewalks, etc.
· Proper ramping systems – making sure not too steep
· Helps w/chairs, elderly, etc.
· Technology – communication devices are way too costly for many who need them
· Would allow for people to communicate directly rather than thru an interpreter
· Everyone should have the ability to communicate as independently as possible
· Encouraging progressive creativity
· Need ways to encourage talents
· Need people to help/support you participate in the community
· High turnover in support staff because not livable wage – needs to be recognized as important work
· Families can’t afford to pay good support people livable wages
· Why not supporting family units
· Pd $15/hr yet $17/hr is needed to live in Victoria
· Need to recognize the value of support staff
· Decrease in turnover would increase quality and inclusion for PWDs
· Day programs are losing funding
· Very scary to think you could lose your spot
· Should be able to count on supports
· Need more funding to attend more programs (eg. only 1 day right now)
· Workshops for employment skill s- life skills that lend directly to job
· Supports for employee and employer – need long term supports (pre and post job placement)
· Employer – fear of hiring a PWD
· Need less discrimination
· Look at ability not disability
· Educate employers
· Funding to hire PWD
· Incentive – gov’t grant/wage subsidy
· Business look at efficiencies – subsidy would help net profit to hire people w/various abilities
· Local businesses – scared it will be expensive
· Needs to equal benefit to employee/employer
· BC gov’t should hire x% PWDs – cross-dis (sic)
· Gov’t contractors must have X% PWDs
· Similar to hiring minorities – why not asking if a persona has a disability
· A job w/routines can be really helpful for certain people
· Find jobs to fit the individual’s needs
· Need for supports would go down over time once trained
· More customized employment
· Employers need to know where to get supports/services/education
· Incl. indiv. In determining needs
· Inclusion in employment – PWDs need to be part of the work team
· Increase rates so families don’t have to pay out of pocket
· Often have to live at home
· Need more assisted independent living
· Sometimes have to choose housing that does not support PWDs to be included in community
· Prioritize where funding goes – huge $ going to house people in prison – could do early ppreventon to get savings then increase funding for PWD
· Funding needs to go up w/in inflation
· Get corporations involved
· Need whole community approach
· Team approach Is needed to bring up lowest member
· Start w/ourselves – kill them w/kindness
· What does the Marriot do – do they invest in community?
· Incentives for community to be more inclusive – incl. home share
· Events – PWDs involved in community runs (organized by community partners)
· Disability organizations getting involved in general community events increases awareness
· Find sponsorships to participate
· Dis. Sector needs to branch outside the sector and have community come to them and go out to community – take it on ourselves
· Knowledge about home share and other housing opts. Need to be marketed
· Facebook – important – online social chats – safe chat room
· Make more of comm. resources – more public terminals at libraries – maybe rec. centres
· when I’m told I can’t have an interpreter, I print off the Act to show to my employer
· in US – American Disabilities Act which clearly identifies interpreter
· Canada should have similar Act
· Youth graduating have support until transition – need supports after high school into adulthood
· Use of teleconference – no cc on teleconference which doesn’t allow me to contribute – am left out of conversations- left behind and no chance to share
· Lack of TTY which doesn’t allow me to talk to Revenue Canada
· No cc in phone call
· Online services or phone (cc) available in US – need in Canada
· 3rd party cannot speak to a hearing person on my behalf because of confidentiality
· Bank – bring my daughter to interpret and it is rude
· I never have the gift of being treated like anyone else
· Gov’t should pay for interpreters to that I can go to bank do whatever so that I can be treated like anyone else
· Eye exam – no interpreter to help me - daughter had to interpret and didn’t work out well
· Campaign to educate community – we com. differently but we are the same
· Increase understanding
· Deaf is an “invisible” disability
· Difficult to determine deaf person and hard of hearing – diff?
· Assume I can hear and when I need access I have to show them the law
· Ministry dismiss deaf and HoH – we become invisible
· Perceived as not ‘smart’ enough
· Diff. experience for people who have grown up deaf
· Always educating the ministry
· We internalize our anger and resentment grows –enough is enough
· More support/funding for Habitat for Humanity
· Offer to individuals not just families
· Coop housing
· BC Housing increase funding
· Need devise to live in my home – form that dr. has to fill in – property tax form – dr. doesn’t know about it
· Most people don’t know about this
· At bank they didn’t know about this form
· Deaf/HoH is invisible and others don’t acknowledge it
· Out of pocket to purchase accessible devices to live independently at home
· Needs to be a fund for this
· Banks aren’t aware that there is a property tax subsidy
· Constantly educating everyone
· I am constantly educating - rehashing over and over again
· Cost of dr.’s form – funding for this
· Interpreters needed for real estate transaction/situations
· MSO – retaining medical benefits indefinitely once AEE limit is reached
· MSO – getting cut off of MSO puts people into a cycle
· Federal/provincial – social union framework agreement
· AEE: more information for PWDs – qualifying criteria, pilot project?
· AEE: retention of MSO – PWD and clients flipping back and forth
· Eligibility criteria for AEE
· Diminishing the requirement to reapply
· Inefficient
· Less paperwork
· Reporting schedule
· MSO – aging out to OAS/GIS
· Mandatory rental subsidy?
· Reapplication for GIS has been diminished
· Limbo list – some people do not have physical barriers so funding levels are lower
· Therapy and intensive life skills
· CLBC – needs to accept opinion of caregivers
· Issue: CLBC is mostly concerned about budget, not quality of service
· Assessments and evaluations– different level of service to help transition clients with barriers
· More efficient and increases dignity of residents
· Nowhere to turn – need for an interagency for mediation – website for sharing ideas
· Example: brain injury program in AB that helped hospital patients to transition from hospital to group homes, or independent living – skills training to allow re-evaluation so people can move to a better program
· HandiDART – negative service – retraining within the organization – agencies do not understand the different need of PWDS
· Transportation workshop – HandiDART is a separate entity and will not deal/problems
· Training with non-violent crisis resolution/prevention
· Agencies who hire PWDs may better understand the need of PWDs
· Example – LA – access transit, use of minivans, personalized interaction
· Challenge: length of trips – pickup times make HandiDART difficult to use
· Motivating people to get involved – youth – motivate the parents; adults – systems need to line up – can’t use bus pass on HandiDART
· BC bus pass dos not fund HandiDART, financial barrier since both passes needed
· Aging out – example: aging out of hospital resources, doctors, are all spread out
· Health services are a huge issue
· Having all specialists in one location
· Changing the health services model
· More housing
· Landlord tax incentive to support housing
· Housing first initiative – (US) – provides fixed address
· Enforcing accessibility in historical buildings
· Cities to provide more accessibility paring
· Ensure parking can be enforced on private land (towing)
· Ensure contradiction btwn regulations support accessibility
· Housing provided based on regional per capita – prevent stigmatization or ghettoization
· Clarity on who enforces parking
· Create aids that can connect ppl in rural settings – simple, innovative
· Universal design specific design elements to support multiple disabilities to encourage better use of space
· Bus transportation – not as accessible for blind community - greyhound
· Need for universal design (that are good for everyone) eg. buildings, homes, playgrounds, curricula
· ‘universal design’ should not be limited to physical space – there’s a need for culture and attitude change
· Accountability is needed
· $ can be spent on accessibility but the more important issue is inclusion
· Accessibility is an important building block towards greater inclusion
· Smart phones can be very useful why can’t they get funding for that?
· Internet costs should be an eligible expense for PWD
· Producers of tech should help with cost containment (when they present their business case)
· There are successful programs in various facilities eg. Queen Alexandra - but there is a huge gap between the supports specialists provide and the supports available in the community
· Supports and services provide by specialists need more integration into communities
· There is a need for a big coaching infrastructure in BC
· Services provided by specialist facilities – segregate PWD from others
· More access needed to community support workers
· Having ppl who have autistic children influence the policy/services
· Make paperwork accessible – not enough human contact (who to ask questions)
· Gov’t culture/language on forms
· Travel time (lots of back and forth eg. dr./office/dr) to get services – bus pass takes 3 weeks
· Public transit is the ‘lubricant’ to get access to services
· Access to training and education
· Technology is great but don’t want to leave ppl behind
· Save $ by closing offices 1-800 # often don’t know? (sic)
· Lack of knowledge of person on 1-800 #
· DTC – going trough 50 ppl to ge the issue resolvd (even w/all the correct paperwork)
· You need DTC for RDSP
· Acknwoeldgement that it’s a barrier to fill out forms
· Nightmare for ppl w/o a disability can’t imagine w (PWD)
· No access to computer
· Ppl need an advocate to help
· No access to a phone
· Risk of homelessness while waiting
· Application process –hard time for ppl b/c of barriers and long wait
· No designated workers (EAWS) – training to deal w/PWDs to staff
· While in hospital PWD no longer gets support $ - left w/$325 which adds further pressure to the client
· Jurisdictional issues of on reserve/off reserve