Community Services and Seniors: Disability Action Council

/ SUPPORTS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES /

Disability Action Council

The Disability Action Council is comprised of 19 members from advocacy groups, service organizations, government departments, businesses and community members. The Council plays an integral role in consulting with and advising government on new and existing legislation, policies, programs and services affecting people with disabilities in Prince Edward Island.

The Disability Action Council has identified 14 priority areas that they will focus on over the next year to help improve outcomes for Islanders with disabilities.

The priority areas stem from the recommendations that were included in the final report of the Disability Services Review committee that was presented to government in 2009. The committee’s final report contained almost 50 recommendations aimed at improving the disability supports and services that are available in PEI.

The recommendations are intended for all levels of government, and all members of the community. The provincial, federal, and municipal governments, as well as businesses and community organizations all play a role in improving the quality of life for Islanders with disabilities.

14 Priority Recommendations - Disability Action Council

All organizations and individuals who design, develop, deliver, or use services and supports for people living with disabilities adopt the elements of the disability framework that was proposed in A Scan of Government Based Service Delivery Models for Persons with Disabilities.
Establish a provincial coordinating mechanism within Executive Council to:
1. Develop and implement a framework for a client-centred approach to services and programming for persons living with disabilities in PEI;
2. Give the coordinating mechanism the mandate and authority to review and recommend on legislation, policy, programs and services and their impact on persons living with disabilities; and,
3. Require the coordinating mechanism to report annually on progress made on its mandate.
The Province establish an ongoing mechanism to ensure that those managing and implementing the Labour Market Development Agreement and Labour Market Agreement have knowledge regarding employment issues specific to people with disabilities to ensure barriers to employment are addressed, including post-secondary education issues.
Government leaders come together to create a PEI social framework for the rights of people with disabilities reflecting the Provincial vision of One Island, One Community, One Future. Such a framework will identify criteria for determining how to support persons living with disabilities.
The Department of Community Services and Seniors explore the following policy changes within the DSP program:
1. Reassess DSP funding rates to match with qualifications, experience, market and geographic conditions and have the rates indexed annually to match the Consumer Price Index (CPI);
2. Investigate a "no cap" needs-based approach to DSP funding, in particular for individuals at either end of the needs spectrum: those with minimal needs and those with extreme high needs;
3. Introduce a systematic rate review process that reflects the cost of living;
4. Investigate removing the cost of transportation from the cost of the DSP case plan;
5. Introduce flexibility into the DSP Policy regarding client co-pay to address exceptional circumstances; and
6. Assess the feasibility and implications of using the person with disability’s income instead of spousal or spousal-equivalent income, to assess eligibility for the DSP.
The Province establish provincial housing policy that:
1. Respects a person’s choice and individual needs;
2. Is person-centered and not based on an institutional or medical model;
3. Provides flexibility and is designed to meet the needs of individual and family circumstances in a timely and effective manner;
4. Values the family unit and their need for financial support;
5. Is proactive, rather than reactive, and values the service provided by family members to the person with a disability;
6. Promotes and requires that a certain percentage of homes, units, or facilities built in PEI be barrier free or meet universal design requirements.
The provincial government work collaboratively with the federal government to:
1. encourage flexibility in current Employment Assistance Services programs to support planning for high school students, and ensure that the allocation of staff is adequate to support the transition; and
2. adjust the current federal Employment Benefit & Support Measures under LMDA such as Employment Assistance Services so that it has sufficient flexibility to accommodate the individual needs of persons living with disabilities.
All Islanders should have access to an Island-wide, accessible and affordable public transit system:
1. To be truly coordinated, the system would require a central dispatch and route planning to be part of a Transit Authority, as recommended in the Island Wide Transit Feasibility Study.
2. Transportation planners identify options for connecting smaller communities to major routes; and
3. Provide a reduced bus fare for people with a disabling condition to remove barriers for inclusion.
4. an awareness and education program for provincial, municipal, or community planners who issue building permits.
Provide DSP workers with enhanced case management skills, such as interviewing skills and interpersonal communication skills, that facilitate the client’s ability to express their needs and concerns:
1. Require DSP workers to direct more focus on the typical day of the person with disabilities, his or her functioning and needs, rather than adopting the gatekeeper approach of starting from the eligibility criteria.
A client-centered service, involving a multi-disciplinary approach, be used in providing services to persons living with disabilities, including case management where required. The competencies of persons providing services to persons living with disabilities be matched with the needs of the person and be based on their disability.
Delivery models provide seamless supports and services including:
1. standard needs identification;
2. consistent case management;
3. services and programs working together in a coordinated manner; and
4. a single-point of entry for services.
Provide consistent training to all service providers across the Island to improve case-management abilities and consistent application of policy and procedures.
The Province lead a sustainable social marketing approach in partnership with not-for-profit government organizations, the private sector, persons living with disabilities, their families, Advocacy Groups and Island communities designed to;
1. provide information about the needs of persons living with disabilities;
2. demonstrate that appropriate, affordable, accessible services are a priority issue for persons living with disabilities;
3. highlight the social isolation arising from living with a disability;
4. illustrate the benefits of inclusion in the community through participation in activities;
5. assist provincial and private sector organizations and businesses in their understanding of the importance and value of accommodating persons living with disabilities in the workplace;
6. include personal stories about inappropriate residential placement situations and highlight best practices for options that are possible; and
7. demonstrate examples where the province leads by example in inclusion activities or initiatives.
The Province in partnership with not-for-profit government organizations, the private sector, persons living with disabilities, their families, and Advocacy Groups encourage the increased implementation of barrier free or universal design requirements for homes and buildings constructed in PEI by developing:
1. an awareness and education program for the construction industry, and municipalities and communities; and,
2. an awareness and education program for provincial, municipal, or community planners who issue building permits.