Centre for Independent Living In Toronto Planning Day

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Centre for Independent Living In TorontoPlanning
Day

• Sandra Carpenter, Executive Director

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What is Independent Living ?

• Independent Living can be defined as
• - An attitude
• - A set of organizational principles
• - A set of program methods and resources

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Early Guiding Principles of Independent Living

• Those who know best the needs of disabled people
  and how to meet those needs are the disabled
  people themselves
• The needs can be met most effectively by programs
  which provide a variety of services, rather than
  having to go to several different agencies for
  services
• Disabled people should be as integrated as
  possible into the community

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Looking Back
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A Brief History of I.L.

• 1962 Ed Roberts living with post-polio
  respiratory issues, quadriplegia and using an
  iron lung at night, enters the Univ. of Calif.
  Berkeley, in the Cowell Students hospital
• 1969 Twelve severely disabled students in
  wheelchairs isolated in the Cowell Residence
  ( from Calif. Dept. rehab)

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Brief History of I.L.

• 1969-70 Four block section of Berkelys main
  shopping area south of campus made accessible
  with ramps at urging of Cowell Residents
• 1969 Time of civil and womens rights, students
  protest. Critical mass of people were formed
• 1969-72 Autumn I.L. philosophy was developed.
  First Independent Living centre established in
  Berkeley

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Berkeley Independent Living Centre

• "Helpless cripple attends classes at UC,"
  proclaimed a headline in the Berkeley Gazette in
  1963. Time was to prove the irony of the title,
  and the article became a treasure in one of the
  Bancroft Library's newest collections.
• PHOTO Don Galloway, manager of blind services,
  and Ed Roberts, executive director of the
  fledgling Center for Independent Living, in 1974
  on the Berkeley campus.

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History of CILT

• No accessible transit
• No curb cuts
• No community services
• Low employment prospects
• Some support for education
• No attendant services in the community

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Children at Bloorview Hospital

• No acceptable destination
• Medical model of service
• Alternatives were desperately needed

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Parent Work Group

• Families of disabled children and others lobbied
  government for support for an alternative
• Invited teenage residents to the table
• They outlined their vision of care/help and
  housing for adults with disabilities

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The Dream

• Self-determination, autonomy
• Decide what to do, what to wear, what to eat
• Apartments in a regular high-rise
• Come and go as you please
• Staff appeared when needed
• otherwise out of the apartment
• Could be friends if desired
• Government to pay costs of staffing
• Person with a disability pays ordinary costs of
  rent, food, recreation, transportation, phone
  etc.

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Response

• Parents were initially disappointed at our
  ideal and unrealistic proposal
• Government bureaucrats like David Pitt heard the
  message
• Policy staff at MCSS work behind the scenes
• Creativity
• Options

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Alternatives

• Group Home Model option began
• Group Captain Leonard Cheshire, England
• BUT Fire Marshall vetoed people living there
  unless they could exit independently in case of
  fire
• So 98 of Bloorviews residents were not eligible
  for any Cheshire Home

Cheshire The Biography of Leonard Cheshire Vc, Om
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Pilot Projects

• Government funded 4 pilot projects around Ontario
  in 1975 for a 3 year-trial HAGI in Thunder Bay,
  ALPHA in Windsor, Ottawa Rehab Institute and
  Clarendon Foundation for Toronto
• Ironically, policies closely reflected the
  Thompson-Carpenter vision
• Clarendon
• 9 adults on one floor (converted office space)
• 4 apartments (shared living), plus 1 bachelor
  apt.
• Non-medical attendants available from 6 am to 11
  pm only
• Huge emphasis on demonstrating how cheap it was
  compared to nursing homes

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Alternatives

• Judith Snow, through tenacity and an alliance
  with MCSS Deputy Art Daniels, got attendant
  services privately funded through an
  Order-in-Council so she could
• Live in the community and
• Hire her own attendants
• See From Behind the Piano available from
  Inclusion Press http//www.inclusion.com/bkfrombeh
  indthepiano.html

• Although not intended to set a precedent,
  requests for Orders-in-Council increased
  exponentially!

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Brief History of I.L.

• 1980-82 Gerben Dejong speaks in Canada First
  Canadian I.L.C. established

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Goals of Independent Living in Canada

• To promote and enable the progressive process of
  citizens with disabilities taking responsibility
  for the development and management of personal
  and community resources

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Current Guiding Principles ofIndependent Living
in Canada

• At an individual level, Independent Living is the
  right to
• Examine choices
• Make decisions
• Take risks
• Make mistakes
• Take responsibility for ones own life

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Current Guiding Principles ofIndependent Living
in Canada

• At an organizational level, Independent Living
  means
• Consumer-controlled
• Community-based (grass roots)
• Cross-disability focus
• Promotion of integration and participation (housi
  ng, employment, education)

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Core Programs

• Information referral
• IL Skills Training
• Peer Support
• Research and Demonstration Capacity

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Scope

• There are 12 ILRCs in Ontario
• There are 28 ILRCs in Canada
• All have the core programs but because of the
  research and demonstration capacity can be quite
  different from each other

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Centre for Independent Living In Toronto (CILT)

• History

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History of CILT

• 1982-85
• Formation and Incorporation
• COTA was original trustee
• Office established
• Needs survey designed
• Participatory action based research conducted
• Results analysed
• and service begins.

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History of CILT cont.

• 1987-89
• Projects begin Radio Connection, Access
  Connections.
• 1990
• Woodeden Consumer Conference Literacy Link
  Survey and Attendant Services Directory
  published Disability Network (CBC
  co-production) begins.

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History of CILT cont.

• 1991
• Health and Welfare (Canada) funding cutbacks
  begin MCSS funds Independent Living Skills
  Program CILT newsletter upgraded.
• 1992
• I.L. and Participation in Research and The
  Literacy Book published Youth Connection begins.
• DF development phase begins

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History of CILT cont.

• 1993
• Directory of Accessible Restaurants developed
  new 24 Hour Newsline established
• 1994-5
• DF Pilot Begins
• United Way Membership Granted award winning
  Abuse Prevention Video and Youth and Disability
  Abuse Prevention project completed.

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History of CILT cont.

• 1996
• CILT agrees to run the Project Information Centre
  (PIC) for MOH CILT by-laws updated.
• 1997
• DF Pilot evaluation from Roeher Institute 4th
  Edition of Attendant Service Directory and
  Annotated Abuse/Prevention Bibliography published.

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History of CILT cont.

• 1998
• DF gets full program status approved by MOH
  program expended to 700 over 3 years.
• CILT UW project funding to expand the Parenting
  with a Disability Network publish a resource
  Directory for Parents with a Disability.
• 1999
• The Parenting Book for Persons with a Disability
  published

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History of CILT cont.

• 2000
• Employment project (HRDC funded) Navigating the
  Waters launched UW funding received to develop
  operational model for Nurturing Assistance.
• 2001
• Nurturing Assistance Guide Published new
  statistics system introduced.

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History of CILT cont.

• 2002
• New website launched,
• 2003
• New library software acquired and system
  implemented
• 2004
• Anti-racism implementation plan developed
• 2005
• Nurturing Assistance Guide published
• 2006
• New data base system implemented

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History of CILT cont.

• 2007
• Gateway to Cancer Screening Project begins, Human
  Right Monitoring Project begins.
• 2008
• Safe Engaged Environment Disability begins, new
  office location.
• 2009
• Partnership with A2E 25th Anniversary, Rebel Wall

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History of CILT cont.

• 2010 ?

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Current Context
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MISSION

• To promote and enable the progressive process of
  citizens with disabilities taking the
  responsibility for the development and management
  of their own personal and community resources.
• For people with disabilities by people with
  disabilities

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Mandate

• CILT is a consumer-controlled, community-based
  resource organization. We help people with
  disabilities to learn Independent Living skills
  and integrate into the community.
   CILT operates on the philosophy of the
  Independent Living movement which was developed
  in response to traditional rehabilitation
  services models. CILT's aim is to develop and
  implement dignified social services that empower
  individuals rather than create dependencies. We
  encourage people with disabilities to take
  control of their own lives by exercising their
  right to examine options, make choices, take
  risks and even make mistakes.

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CILT PROGRAMS

• Information and referral/networking
• Peer Support including volunteer coordination and
  Parenting with a Disability Network
• Independent Living Skills Training
• Service Development Capacity
• PIC, DF, SASF, PDN
• Transfer Payment Projects
• CCIM, PSW Training Fund

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CILT PARTNERS

• Citizens with Disabilties Ontario
• Ethno-racial Coalition for People with
  Disabilities Ontario
• Disability Rights Promotion International
• Abilities Foundation
• Independent Living Canada
• Ontario Network of Independent Living Centres

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CILT Partners cont.

• Canadian Association of Muslims with Disabilities
• Access to Entertainment

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Committees

• Sexuality and Access
• Abuse Prevention
• International Day of Persons with Disabilities
• Provincial Liaison Committee for Persons with
  Physical Disabilities

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Networks

• Safe Engaged Environments Disability
• Gateways to Cancer Screening Project
• Toronto Central LHIN Attendant Service Network

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CILT Initiatives

• Town Hall in partnership with Scadding Court
  planned for the Fall of 2010
• People in Motion (annual event this Year we are
  sharing a booth with ERDCO and CAMD)
• Joint Picnic (annual event with ERDCO, CSASIL)
• RDSP workshops (ILC leadership)

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PIC Background

• Central clearinghouse for all applicants for
  attendant services in Toronto both Outreach
  Attendant Services and Supportive Housing
• Currently there are around 657 active
  applicants
• Of these we est. ¼ at some stage in process
• The rest are waiting for Supportive Housing Units

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In Ontario

• CILT coordinates the Direct Funding Program
• CILT Coordinates the Student Attendant Service
  Fund

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Direct Funding

• CILT coordinates all applicants to program
• participants/self-managers manage their own
  attendant services undertake all employer
  responsibilities/functions
• CILT sends funds monthly allotments to program
  participants under contract
• Clients report expenditures quarterly to CILT or
  through 3 satellite offices
• Currently active applicants number about 300

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What Is the Student Attendant Services Fund
(SASF)?

• A Contingency Fund
• For students anywhere in Ontario who need
  attendant services to participate in post high
  school education or training programs
• Attendant services are physical assistance with
  activities of daily living such as dressing,
  bathing, washing, toileting, transferring, and
  assistance with eating
• Coordinated through Project Information Centre

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Looking Forward
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No Barriers No Limits!