Since 2004, BCCPD has provided key leadership in the development of several personal supports projects.
Personal supports, also known as disability supports, are the goods and services (like equipment, assistive devices, personal care attendants, or sign language interpreters) that enable people with disabilities to carry out the activities of daily living and fully participate in the life of their community. Personal supports help to level the playing field for citizens with disabilities and they are the building block for improving access to income and employment.
There is new funding for people with disabilities in British Columbia who have employment-related goals and need assistive equipment to move, communicate, hear and speak.
The Equipment and Assistive Technology Initiative (EATI) provides a source of funding for assessment, trialing, purchasing and/or training with equipment and assistive devices that:
by Christine Gordon
BC will soon have its first assistive technology (AT) co-operative. Stay tuned to this web page for the latest news on how the co-op may help members with their AT needs.
The need for better access to assistive technology was clearly identified in 2004 by the Provincial Equipment and Assistive Devices Committee (PEADC), a coalition of more than 40 disability-related organizations in BC, spearheaded by BCCPD.
PEADC identified the next step as developing a way to incorporate the Participation Model (see Previous Work in Personal Supports below) into a structure that would promote consumer empowerment and potentially greater control over the market for assistive technology. And, on June 1, 2011, the Inclusive Technologies Co-operative (ITC) was born.
In 2009, PEADC created a round table called the Personal Supports Council to bring together funders and community organizations to develop a strategic plan. This led to the adoption of a strategic goal to promote the development of a social enterprise—a co-operative—and a Co-operative Development Steering Committee was established to spearhead the initiative.
We found out through community focus groups and an online survey, that there is a strong appetite for a co-op and that there was a committed group of people willing to take on leadership roles, so we gave the co-op the green light to go forward.
The members of our newly-minted Inclusive Technologies Co-operative Board have developed the mission, vision and values for the co-op, developed the rules, and created a logo and soon-to-be launched website.
The co-op will be committed to universal design and full inclusion, and to the principles of democratic member control and concern for the community.
Over the next year, the co-op will work on a number of strategic objectives including:
For more information on how to become a member and a co-op volunteer, please contact us at contact info@itcoop.ca.
The BC Personal Supports Line will direct callers to BC government programs that may provide equipment and assistive devices to people with disabilities.
Call: 1-888-818-1211 E-mail: PersonalSupportsInformation@gov.bc.ca Personal Supports Website: http://www.personalsupports.bc.ca/
Provided by the Ministry of Social Development.
According to Statistics Canada surveys, most British Columbians with disabilities struggle to find the personal supports that they need. Since 2006, BCCPD has been part of a coalition of community organizations called the Provincial Equipment and Assistive Devices Committee (PEADC).
PEADC has been working in partnership with government to design a personal supports program in British Columbia, beginning with equipment and assistive devices.
The community developed a best practices approach called the Participation Model for Personal Supports and this approach has been adopted as the basis for integrating and streamlining the numerous programs in both the government and the community sectors that currently exist. The problem with having so many programs with so many different masters is that there is no unifying philosophy, vision or values, no emphasis on personal choice, too many barriers impeding access, a medical rather than a functional approach and little opportunity for follow-up training and support.
Many of the groups that are involved in the community/ government partnership to redesign the delivery of personal supports think of it as making a revolution in an evolutionary way. We are bringing all of the idealism, the energy and the passion of the revolutionary and applying it to the dense machinery of government and community service provision. As evolution would predict, we are fully expecting that adapting to the Participation Model will soon be the only way of doing business. If you would like more information on PEADC and the Participation Model for Personal Supports you can contact the PEADC Co-chairs: Christine Gordon ifproject@bccpd.bc.ca or Linda Bartram lindabartram@telus.net. Click here to download the PEADC "Briefing Note." Also see this 2006 report by the PEADC. "A Participation Model for Personal Supports for People with Disabilities in British Columbia."
Resources
Visit the BC Personal Supports Network website, for information on EATI.
To learn how you can become a member of the new Assistive Technology Cooperative email info@itcoop.ca.
What is AT?
Assistive technology is a crucial disability support, but more than 40% of adults report an unmet need for some form of assistive technology.
Assistive technology is “any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is commonly used to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities”.