Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities Annual Report 2007/2008 Table of Contents Letter of Transmittal Reflections from the former Chair Year in Review Appendix I: 2007/2008 Council Members Letter of Transmittal July 9, 2008 The Honourable Ed Stelmach Premier of Alberta 307 Legislature Building Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2B6 Dear Honourable Premier: I have the honour of presenting the nineteenth Annual Report of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities. This report covers the activities undertaken by your Council during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2008. It is submitted in accordance with s.7 (1) of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities Act for your presentation to the Legislative Assembly. Respectfully submitted, Marlin Styner Chair, Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities Reflections of the Former Chair When I decided to seek the nomination to run in the 1997 Alberta Election, I expressed a commitment to social issues, and believed that public education would be where I could make the greatest impact. Therefore the phone call from the Minister of Health, asking me to chair the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities was unexpected. The Minister told me that my work with special education gave me some experience with disability issues. In retrospect I now realize how little I knew! With much input from the disability community, Council members and staff, I have come to understand disability issues in much more depth. Although education and other social issues are very important, I firmly believe that of all the issues government must deal with, disability issues are the most compelling. Why have disability issues not risen higher in the priority list? Why do other issues take pre-eminent positions? I suggest the answer lies in an examination of the calls received in my MLA office. Of the literally thousands of concerns expressed about hundreds of issues important to individuals, relatively few calls expressed that disability issues were their number one priority. Certainly the concerns expressed were important to the individual and as their representative it was my responsibility to do what I could to resolve legitimate issues in their favour. However, I often found myself thinking about where that concern would be placed on a considered and debated priority continuum. Repeatedly I concluded that disability issues were the most compelling and most legitimate; unfortunately, this conclusion is not common. Why do disability issues not receive higher ranking? There are many reasons and I will list only a few. First, decision makers have been unable to place disability issues higher on the priority list because of other overwhelming demands of the public. Secondly, the public is generally unaware of the extent of the challenges faced by persons with disabilities and therefore is unwilling to have disability issues supplant their own issues. Of course persons with disabilities and their families face considerable challenges just dealing with the disability and therefore have limited opportunity to lobby, advocate and effect social change. So decision makers continue to receive relatively few disability concerns, and the cycle continues. What is the solution? How can the mandate of the Premier’s Council, to improve the status of persons with disabilities, be accomplished? I asked this question many times and attempted to address it in different ways with the help of capable people. To what end you may ask? Well, there were successes, but we should not dwell on them, because it is critical that our focus becomes elevating the status of disability issues. Those who believe disability issues need a higher priority must work together, and I sincerely wish you well in your collaborative efforts. Sincerely, Rob Lougheed, Former Chair, Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities Year in Review Over the last year, the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities has continued to work towards achieving full citizenship for Albertans with disabilities. Council members coordinate and participate in various activities within the community to create awareness of issues and barriers faced by people with disabilities. They also provide advice and recommendations to government on the status of disability issues. International Day of Disabled Persons On December 3, 2007, International Day of Disabled Persons was recognized in communities across Alberta. The theme, Nothing About Us Without Us, reminded people that individuals with disabilities should be a part of the decision-making process in programs, policies and decisions that affect them. Each year, the Premier’s Council works with a committee of community representatives to organize events in Fort McMurray, Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. The Premier’s Council leads the provincial coordination and provides promotional material. This includes posters, brochures, stickers, media kits, newspaper ads and a radio public service announcement. These are distributed across the province to encourage Albertans to celebrate the achievements of persons with disabilities and get involved in making full citizenship a reality for all. The Premier’s Council Awards of Excellence are presented at IDDP celebrations each year. These awards were created in 2003 to highlight the outstanding work of individuals or organizations for enhancing or enriching the lives of persons with disabilities. Awards of Excellence 2007 Gary McPherson Leadership Award: Faith Jahelka The Gary McPherson Award recognizes individual Albertans who have demonstrated outstanding leadership or achievement in enhancing or enriching the lives of persons with disabilities. The 2007 winner was Red Deer resident Faith Jahelka. More than 12 years have gone by since a work related brain injury to Faith Jahelka’s husband changed her life forever. Since that day, she has been an unrelenting advocate for survivors of brain injury and their caregivers. A founding member, long time volunteer and chair of the Alberta Brain Injury Caregiver Society, Faith has played a lead role in getting the voices of people with brain injury heard. She has worked hard to raise public awareness of brain injury, speaking out at conferences, networking in hospitals and agencies, educating decision-makers and speaking to the media about the needs and challenges of survivors and their families. This leadership and persistence was responsible in part for the creation of the provincial government’s Alberta Brain Injury Initiative in 2000. She continues to be a brain injury community barometer for government and health authorities interested in meaningful public policy, program development and service evaluation. Faith is a Red Deer resident but has helped many families throughout Alberta. She has earned the respect of survivors, caregivers, health professionals, bureaucrats and politicians. “Faith has been a tireless leader who has worked to promote self-help and to ensure on-going support through the provision of support group meetings,” said one supporter. Another related that, “Faith relentlessly advocates on behalf of all family caregivers,” noting that she has organized more than a dozen retreats and forum days for caregivers in the Calgary region. Awards of Excellence Three awards were presented at IDDP ceremonies across Alberta. These were in the categories of education, community, and public awareness. Education: Calgary Public Library The Calgary Public Library has a long tradition of providing collections, programs, services and facilities in a way that makes them accessible to Calgarians of all ages and abilities. Library staff have shown a consistent commitment to providing an inclusive library service. In 2004, the Library opened a Diversity Services department to integrate and coordinate accessible services at its 17 different locations. This has lead to resource enhancements for customers who have visual, cognitive or physical disabilities. For example, the Library has nine Accessible Library Experience (ALEX) adaptive technology workstations in eight locations. ALEX features adjustable furniture, Braille display/reader/printer, voice recognition, talking software, different keyboard overlays, and magnification software. Other adaptive tools in the library such as closed circuit television to enlarge print 40-60 times, audio players, DAISY talking books and TTY eliminate barriers that would otherwise prevent persons with disabilities from enjoying literature, film or music. The Calgary Public Library has a homebound readers program, libraries in residence program and other services to bring the library to readers who cannot get to the library. The Library continues to work closely with local community organizations to understand needs and adapt services so persons with disabilities can have access to its many programs and services. The Award of Excellence in Education is awarded to a person, team or organization that has made a significant contribution to a barrier free, inclusive program, classroom or facility. Community: Grande Prairie Residential Society The Grande Prairie Residential Society (GPRS) was formed in 1986 by a concerned group of individuals who wanted to provide affordable and accessible housing for persons with disabilities. Today, the Society has three major housing projects to its credit, operates 32 units and provides space for people to network and to support each other in reaching their potential. GPRS staff are leaders in the community, raising awareness of the needs of persons with disabilities - not just for housing but for transportation, accessibility and other issues within the city of Grande Prairie. The values and benefits of having persons with disabilities living in the community have become self-evident to the people of Grande Prairie through GPRS’ efforts. It continues to work on resolving hard-to-house issues in the city and advocate for improvements that will improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities. The Award of Excellence in Community is awarded to a person, team or organization that has made a significant contribution to a barrier free, inclusive environment within their community. Public Awareness: Bill Hurley Bill Hurley was born with Downs’ Syndrome. Since 2004, he has been the game night entertainer at Calgary Vipers baseball games. Through this job, Bill has exposed tens of thousands of Calgarians to the abilities of persons with disabilities. Fans look forward to his energetic performances and he interacts effectively with all ages. He is well respected by his employer, players and fans and is considered very good at reflecting the Vipers’ image as a loving, caring and fun organization. In addition to his accomplishments as a professional entertainer, Bill is a high school graduate, a Special Olympics athlete, a competitive weight lifter and owns an audio-visual company. His accomplishments on and off the baseball field publicly demonstrate that persons with disabilities can fully participate in society if given the opportunity to do so. The Award of Excellence in Public Awareness is awarded to a person, team or organization that has increased the public’s awareness of the benefits and value of a barrier free, inclusive environment. Premier’s Council meetings The Premier’s Council met face-to-face for three days in May, and held several meetings via teleconference. The Premier’s Council met in Edmonton from May 10 to 12. During the meetings, Council members received presentations from the Alberta Government's Personnel Administration Office, an update on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Emergency Plans project, an update on the new AISH Act and regulations, and a presentation from the Federal Office for Disability Issues. Premier’s Council Committees The Premier's Council has two sub-committees: the Policy and Program Review Committee and the Communications Committee. Policy and Program Review Committee The mandate of the Policy and Program Review Committee is to: * Identify and review current and emerging issues and policies at all levels of government affecting and concerning the status of persons with disabilities. * Review the provision of funding, services and programs to persons with disabilities. * Make referrals and recommendations to and consult and collaborate with all levels of government, government agencies, volunteer associations, businesses, universities and other persons on matters affecting and concerning the status of persons with disabilities. Emergency Planning In 2006, the Premier's council partnered with the Alberta Emergency Management agency on a project to look at the inclusion of people with disabilities in municipal emergency plans. During Hurricane Katrina, people with disabilities were among those in the southern U.S.A most negatively affected. These unfortunate events sparked questions during council’s strategic planning process about the state of emergency management for Albertans with disabilities. Although municipal, provincial and federal emergency planning agencies have made significant gains in emergency preparedness, the specific functional needs of persons with disabilities do not appear to have been effectively incorporated into the mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery components of emergency management in Alberta. In order to ensure that people with disabilities are included in municipal emergency plans, the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, and the Premier’s Council, worked together to develop workshops for municipal emergency management representatives on the functional needs approach. This approach focuses on a persons specific functional need rather than on their disability. It encompasses people of all ages and abilities. There is also an emphasis on ensuring that people with functional needs are included in the planning process. The course was launched on January 21, 2008, and will be ready to present to municipalities in the fall of 2008. Disability Information Line Report Albertans with disabilities living in the community who require support relating to a disability are often unaware of the government related services and programs that would best assist them to meet their independence needs.  While current information sources, such as Service Alberta, appear to be addressing some of the citizen concerns from persons with disabilities, large numbers of individuals report that they bounce between four different program or service areas within one ministry, and sometimes between other ministries before their program or service concern is addressed.  The Policy Committee has commissioned a report exploring one option that might help alleviate this problem, a single integrated disability information line.   In November 2007, a private contractor was hired to complete a preliminary analysis of the possibility of a disability information line in Alberta.  The research included an environmental scan of current information lines, general and demographic specific, available in Alberta; disability information lines in other jurisdictions and interviews with some local stakeholders. The final report offers possible options for how Council might proceed regarding a disability information line for persons between the ages of 18 and 64 in Alberta. The report does not advocate for any one option or another but does state that some options, such as creating an entirely new information line, may not be the best option. The report will be submitted to the Alberta Government for consideration. Additional Work The Chair of the Policy Committee participates on Alberta Education’s Special Needs Education Committee to provide advice and feedback on education policies for students with disabilities. Members also attended the Children and Youth Initiative Committee, FCSS annual Director Conference, the ACCD open house, and a Emergency Planning Workshop on functional needs. Communications Committee The mandate of the Communications Committee is to: * Develop and annually update a communications strategy that supports the Premier’s Council strategic plan. * Oversee development of Premier’s Council communications materials and supports. (e.g. newsletter, brochures and displays). * Identify communication gaps between the Premier’s Council and its stakeholders and provide recommendations for filling these communication gaps. History Book To recognize the 20th Anniversary of Premier’s Council, the Communications Committee is overseeing the development of a retrospective of the Council’s history. The idea was originally brought forward by council member Austin Mardon and was approved by council at the …. 2007 teleconference. Two authors, who previously worked with Mardon, were contracted in November to write the book with direction from Mardon and the council secretariat. The book covers the history of the council and the disability rights movement from the Rick Hanson Man in Motion Tour stop in Edmonton in 1988 to 2008. It has been developed using previous annual reports, publications by the council and news clippings. It will also include interviews with previous and current council members, Chairs and directors. Input from select politicians and disability advocates involved with council will also be included. The manuscript is currently in the final drafting stages and is scheduled for release in the fall of 2008. Alberta Guide to Accessible Meetings and Conferences People with disabilities routinely face accessibility barriers when attending meetings and conferences. These barriers usually exist due to a lack of awareness among organizers on how to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities. To help event planners meet the needs of attendees with disabilities, the Premier’s Council is developing an Alberta Guide to Accessible Meetings and Conferences. Premier’s Council’s intention is to educate event planners and to offer them clear concrete steps on how to plan, organize and conduct an accessible event. The guide is designed for use across government as well as the private and voluntary sectors. This publication is an Alberta version of an existing Federal document. The Federal guide has been used as a template with the permission of the Federal Office for Disability Issues. The Alberta guide is written using a functional based approach. Functional based planning takes the emphasis off the attendee’s specific disability and instead focuses on the functional needs that result in that disability. When these functional needs are met, the attendee is able to participate in the event freely. Some examples within the guide of how to meet functional needs include: * Offering all documents in alternate formats. * Ensuring the venue is wheelchair accessible (including washrooms). * Booking sign language interpreters, captioners, and interveners. In November 2007, under the direction of the Communications Subcommittee the Premier’s Council secretariat began work on the guide. The secretariat contracted an outside party to write the guide with direction from a steering committee comprised of representatives from within the Disability Supports Division. A final draft of the guide was submitted on March 31st. At this time it was decided by Council and the Steering Committee that additional consultation was needed before the guide could be released. Community consultations with the Alberta Disability Forum, Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, Alberta Hotel Association and several other relevant organizations will be completed. The guide is scheduled for release in the fall of 2008. Additional Work In 2007/2008, committee members produced and distributed the Disability in Focus newsletter to disability organizations across Alberta. The newsletter highlights the activities and events held by the Premier's Council throughout the year. Members of the committee attended events and trade fairs held by disability organizations and other groups to promote the work of the Council. Appendix I: 2006/2007 Council Members Rob Lougheed, Former Chair Rob Lougheed spent most of his adult life in the field of education, with over 28 years of experience as an Alberta educator. In addition to his position as Chair and as MLA for Strathcona, Rob served as a member of many committees including the following: Treasury Board; the Standing Policy Committee on Health and Community Living; the Capital Region Caucus; the Standing Committee on Legislative Offices; and the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders, and Printing. Rob also chaired the MLA AISH Review Committee. Rob Lougheed resigned as Chair of the Premier’s Council on March 3, 2008. Mike Hambly Mike Hambly of Calgary currently works with The Canadian Paraplegic Association in which his role is to decrease barriers for people with disabilities in the area of employment and to help individuals find work. He is a member of a number of committees, such as The Access Calgary Advisory Committee, The Advisory Committee on Accessibility, and many other related disability committees. He brings a unique perspective in both having a dual disability being totally blind and a paraplegic, and working for a disability organization. He also has a guide dog that has been specifically trained to guide him in his manual wheelchair. He is self-employed through his business, Braille It, which converts information into Braille. Austin Mardon, Ph.D. Dr. Mardon of Edmonton has been a member of several different organizations, including the Edmonton Public Library Board, the Alberta Disabilities Forum, the Edmonton Clubhouse Society, the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta Edmonton Chapter, the Champions Centre and the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta Provincial Chapter. He lives with a mental illness (schizophrenia) and believes that the inclusion of people with mental illness in the community is important as it can substantially improve their quality of life. Greg McMeekin Greg McMeekin, born and raised in Calgary, was the first person with a severe physical disability to be integrated into the regular school system in Calgary. Through hard work and determination, Greg graduated from high school and then earned his Bachelor Of Arts Honours Degree in Mass Communication from Carleton University in 2001 and still carries those values with him in all he does. He has worked with the City of Calgary Parks and Recreation – Recreational Services for the Disabled. He is a member of the Calgary Resicare Society Board of Directors, the Accessible Housing Society of Calgary Board of Directors and the Community Relations Advisory Committee for the Calgary Handi-Bus Association. He is proud to be a member of organizations that work to enhance the lives of Calgarians with disabilities and considers it an honour and privilege to serve Albertans with disabilities. Lawrence Noel Lawrence Noel of Bonnyville has been an advocate for persons with disabilities for several years. He lives with a disability and has been an active advocate on behalf of persons with disabilities not only within his own community, but also through cross-community and provincial boards such as the Bonnyville Community Council and the Alberta Committee of Citizens with Disabilities. He is currently president of the People First of northern Alberta, as well as president of the Self Advocate East Network in northeast Alberta. Diane Ridley Diane Ridley of Thorsby brings a cross-disability perspective to the Premier's Council and a wide range of experience with issues that affect persons with disabilities living in rural areas, including transportation and isolation. She has served on several different boards at the municipal level and has extensive experience with numerous government programs including the former Handicapped Children's Services, Alberta Aids to Daily Living, Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) and Special Needs Assistance for Seniors. Diane also has a personal commitment to advocacy on behalf of persons with disabilities as her daughter, now 22, has had a disability since birth. Robie Scholefield Robie Scholefield, formerly of Vancouver, now resides in Edmonton. He is the past executive director of the Alberta Association of the Deaf. He has several years of volunteer and work experience within the deaf community and has, for more than 20 years, been involved at local and provincial levels in advocating for persons with various disabilities. Robie brings a unique perspective to the Premier's Council as the first-appointed member who is deaf. He is dedicated to improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities. Marlin Styner Marlin Styner of Red Deer has volunteered and worked within the disability community since 1982. He has been a member of several different committees that deal with disability issues such as the Canadian Paraplegic Association Advocacy Committee, the Provincial Barrier-Free Transportation Committee, the Spinal Cord Injury Collaboration Initiative and the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transportation (National). He has been an advocate for persons with disabilities and has been a presenter for the SMARTRISK Heroes program, the Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth (P.A.R.T.Y.) Program, and the Junior P.A.R.T.Y. Program. 10