From Tuesday’s Globe and Mail

“Loneliness is the most terrible poverty.”

– Mother Teresa

There are few things more heartbreaking than a child with no friends.

But being friendless is the norm for Canadian children with physical and developmental disabilities.

A new study, written by Anne Snowdon, a nurse and professor at theOdette . . . → Read More: Don’t shut disabled kids out of society!]]> ANDRÉ PICARD  

From Tuesday’s Globe and Mail

“Loneliness is the most terrible poverty.”

– Mother Teresa

There are few things more heartbreaking than a child with no friends.

But being friendless is the norm for Canadian children with physical and developmental disabilities.

A new study, written by Anne Snowdon, a nurse and professor at theOdette School of Business at the University of Windsor in Ontario, shows that 53 per cent of disabled kids have no friends.

Even those with friends have very limited interactions. Outside offormal settings such as the classroom, less than two hours a week spent with their peers is the norm; only 1 per cent of children with disabilities spend an hour a day with friends.

The problem is most serious for boys – who tend to have far more developmental disabilities and fewer social skills – and it gets worse with age. In childhood, efforts are made, but by the time kids hit age 10 or so, when cliques and social circles form outside of parental control, ostracization and isolation is near complete.

In Canada, we talk a good game about integration, about breaking down barriers to allow the inclusion of people with physical and social disabilities in every aspect of daily life. But reality is more stark and harsh.

Real integration requires a lot more than building ramps, adoptinghuman rights legislation and funding programs. Grudging accommodation, with a dash of tokenism, is not enough.

If we want people to be healthy – physically, mentally, emotionally – and to reach their full potential, they need to be full citizens.

Kids with disabilities can’t be segregated and shut out of mainstream society. They need to be like every kid, in school, in swim class, on the bus, in the playground and hanging out at the mall with friends.

That is the underlying theme of the new report, Strengthening Communities for Canadian Children with Disabilities, which Dr. Snowdon presented last week at the annual conference of the Sandbox Project. (Sandbox was founded in 2009 by pediatric surgeon and now MP Kellie Leitch, is designed to spur improvements in the health outcomes of Canadian children in areas such as injury prevention, obesity, mental health, and the environment.) “Children and youth with disabilities and their families need and want to connect andengage with their communities in a meaningful, accessible and accommodating way that enables social interaction and development,” she said.

To conduct the research, Dr. Snowdon and her team conducted in-depth interviews with 166 families in Regina, Fredericton and Toronto, along withsome focus groups. All the families had children with physical and developmental disabilities (ranging from Down syndrome to autism). Childrenwith psychiatric disabilities such as bipolar disorder were not included, but one can imagine the issues would be similar.

Above all, the report focuses on the practical. What are the challenges caregivers face and what help is available to them?

Interestingly, the most common complaint was not lack of services but poor communication.

“Finding information on what is available is a big challenge,” said Sally Jordan, a caregiver to her 22-year-old nephew with severe developmental disabilities. In this, the communications age, she relies on word-of-mouth and tips from other parents to find out what services are available.

As far as anyone can tell, there are a plethora of programs for kids with disabilities. But a startling 78 per cent of parents said their children don’t participate regularly in community programs. There are a variety of reasons. Many programs are inaccessible (and that doesn’t mean there are no ramps, it means they are at inconvenient times or in inconvenient places). Transportation is a major problem for children who, because of their disabilities, can’t use public transit. And cost is a big factor, especially as parents of children with life-long disabilities often stop paid work to become caregivers.

In the report, Dr. Snowdon makes three main recommendations:

* Create a single online reference tool that lists all community programs, services and professional care available to people with disabilities.

* Invest in programs where disabled kids are integrated, not segregated, so they can feel part of their community.

* Find ways to expand the social networks of children and teenagers to break the isolation.

Facebook and other social networking tools have been a godsend fordisabled kids because they removes barriers – like being judged for the way you look. But being a “virtual” citizen is only a baby step in the right direction, it’s not enough.

Dr. Snowdon said she was surprised to learn from parents and children themselves that isolation was far more painful to live with than physical or development disabilities themselves.

It’s an issue, she said, that really tugs at the heartstrings.

But beyond the emotional response, there are practical consequences. Social interaction is key to quality of life: It’s how we find love, how we find work and how we have fun.

Having a disability does not obviate those needs; if anything, it magnifies them.

Sometimes we need to stop and reflect on the value of friendship, of a sense of belonging, and the value of community itself to our individual andcollective health.

Relationships matter more than fancy programs, but where programs do exist, they should be known and accessible and, above all, foster interaction.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/andre-picard/dont-shut-disabled-kids-out-of-society/article2319759/

The committee is already thinking about the upcoming year and would like to make the ACE Conference of 2012 a  spectacular event.  We would like to hear from past and future attendees for suggestions on topics they would like . . . → Read More: Save the Date!]]>  The ACE Committee

at Community Living Campbellford/Brighton wishes everyone

a Happy and Healthy New Year!

The committee is already thinking about the upcoming year and would like to make the ACE Conference of 2012 a  spectacular event.  We would like to hear from past and future attendees for suggestions on topics they would like us to present at this year’s conference. 

Save the Dates

June 13th & 14th, 2012

For this years conference!

If you have any suggestions or know a speaker or have a topic you would like to present please fill out the appropriate form and return to Bev Dunlay. 

PDF Form click to open:  DATE REVISION Call For Presenters 2012       

PDF Form click to open:  DATE REVISION Request for Suggestions at 2012 ACE Conference

Community Living Campbellford/Brighton, located at 65 Bridge Street East, Campbellford is very pleased to announce that they have been recognized as one of the seven best-run non-profit social service agencies from across Canada. 

The $20,000 William H. Donner Award for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services was presented to Community Living Campbellford/Brighton Executive . . . → Read More: 2011 Donner Award Winners]]>

Community Living Campbellford/Brighton, located at 65 Bridge Street East, Campbellford is very pleased to announce that they have been recognized as one of the seven best-run non-profit social service agencies from across Canada. 

The $20,000 William H. Donner Award for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services was presented to Community Living Campbellford/Brighton Executive Director, Nancy Brown during The William H. Donner Awards for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services annual awards presentation held in Toronto on Friday, December 2, 2011.  This award was shared jointly with Servants Anonymous Society of Surrey, British Columbia.

In addition, a $5,000.00 2011 Donner Canadian Foundation Award for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services for People with Disabilities was also presented to Community Living Campbellford/Brighton in recognition of being a category winner for their Family Home Program.

The annual Donner Awards are sponsored by the Donner Canadian Foundation and are administered by the Fraser Institute.  These awards recognize and reward excellence nationwide in program provision by non-profit organizations.  The Donner Awards are Canada’s largest recognition program for the non-profit social service sector.  They are unique in providing valuable performance information to participating non-profits that ranks them relative to similar agencies in their field of social service delivery.  This year saw a total of 591 applications from across Canada.  Selection criteria is based on performance ranking in 10 key areas, including, management and governance, use of staff and volunteers, innovation, program cost, and monitoring of outcomes.

Community Living Campbellford/Brighton is thrilled to have been a part of this very prestigious awards program as it recognizes excellence in non-profit organizations delivering Social Services.  Programs like the Donner Awards play a vital role in recognizing the accomplishments of agencies such as theirs by rewarding excellence and encouraging greater accountability.

Community Living Campbellford/Brighton Board of Directors wishes to extend their thanks and appreciation to the many volunteers, staff and community members who have supported them to this success.

Please follow this link for more information from the Donner web site -  http://www.donnerawards.org/files/pdf/120511%20Donner%202011%20recipients.pdf

For more information, please contact

Community Living Campbellford/Brighton at (705) 653-1821, x211