Accessible Widget

May 31, 2013

Join us to celebrate Good Quality of Life, Friday, June 7th, 2013 12-3:30

Its time to rebuild, recharge and celebrate as a community, and smile! 

Join us for our 15th annual Disability Pride Celebration beginning at Noon at Olympic Plaza Famous 5 Statues. ASL interpreters will be in attendance at the speeches!
-We will then parade to down Stephen Avenue to the Calgary Tower. 

-Enjoy a light lunch inside  Vertigo Theatre. (First 150 people)

-Then enjoy a 'pay what you can' performance by Momo Dance Theatre' called 'Body Language.' (First 120 people)
Quality of LIfe Celebration Friday June 7 12 - 3:30 pm



May 28, 2013

Redford Rally against PDD Cuts May 31st 10 am

Let raise our voices Friday May 31st 10-11 am at Premiere Redford's Office. 22 Richard Way SW (near Mount Royal University) Let's remind Alison Redford of the promise to protect the most vulnerable Albertans. 
These cuts will hurt us.

Video footage from the rally on May 15th.

Let's remind Alison Redford that she promised to protest Alberta's most vulnerable
Reverse the cuts Friday May 31 10-11 at 22 Richard Way SW

May 17, 2013

More conversations with Associate Minister MLA Oberle, RSVP June 3 & 4, Calgary Region



Calgary PDD Chair Jeff Nish
Calgary CEO Dr. Alex Hillyard
Associate Minister Frank Oberle














Dear PDD Individuals, Families, Guardians and Service Providers:

You may have been aware of some of the recent public attention about the PDD program through media story coverage and a variety of family, self-advocate and service provider community information sessions and forums. We have been in attendance at many of these events and we have heard your concerns.

To ensure that there are ongoing opportunities for information sharing and dialogue, the Calgary Region Community Board is hosting several meetings on June 3rd and 4th. These meetings are part of Minister Oberle’s Provincial Tour of the PDD Regions and the overall purpose of these meetings is to share information about PDD’s vision and transformational change and to provide you with an opportunity to ask questions.

In addition to the meetings with Minister Oberle on June 3rd and 4th, the Calgary Region Community Board will be organizing a series of follow up meetings for individuals, families and guardians to share more detailed information related to Individual Service Design and Planning, Funding Allocation Resource Model, Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) Assessment and, PDD’s overall approach and timing of the implementation of these activities. Please watch for this invitation to come out to you soon.



RSVP to Nicole Paridaen at nicole.paridaen@gov.ab.ca or phone 403-297-5077 by May 30th, 2013:

Date: Monday, June 3, 2013
Time: 10:00 a.m. to Noon 
Location: South Legion: 9202 Horton Road SW Calgary

Date: Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Bowness Legion: 138 Bowness Centre NW Calgary

Date: Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Time: 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Location: Cochrane Alliance Church, 902 Glenbow Drive
Cochrane
(Designed to accommodate Cochrane, Canmore & Airdrie)


We hope you will be able to attend in person to hear about PDD’s vision of a program where people with disabilities have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Sincerely,

Jeff Nish
Chair
Calgary Region Community Board 
Persons with Developmental Disabilities

Alex Hillyard, PhD
Chief Executive Officer

Calgary Region Community Board 

May 14, 2013

Joint news release Cuts to PDD are excessive and Threatening from Alberta Disability Workers Association, Alberta Council of Disability Services (ACDS) and Alberta Association for Community Living

Joint news release from Alberta Disability Workers Association, Alberta Council of Disability Services (ACDS) and Alberta Association for Community Living new release



For Immediate Release May 14, 2013

JOINT STATEMENT

IMPENDING CUTS TO PERSONS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (PDD):
EXCESSIVE AND THREATENING

Alberta Association for Community Living (AACL), Alberta Council of Disability Services (ACDS) and Alberta Disability Workers Association (ADWA), who together represent almost the entirety of the community who rely on PDD funding, - families and their family members with developmental disabilities, service providers and support staff – have joined together to express our mutual concerns.  The reduction in PDD funding of minimally $60 million is the largest cut in the Government’s current budget – close to twice the size of the 7% cut required of post-secondary institutions; the largest cut ever imposed on individuals with developmental disabilities in Alberta’s history.

It may still be weeks before individuals with developmental disabilities and their families are even informed as to their reduction in supports and still time would be needed to consider the implications; with the cuts to be implemented at the end of June.  For many, Alberta’s cold winter will begin this year on July 1.  The depth of the reduction in funding is one that we believe is not manageable and will result in the safety, well-being and security of individuals with developmental disabilities being compromised.

Collectively we are supportive of Government’s interest in having individuals with developmental disabilities leading more inclusive and productive lives.  However, this will not be possible under the current circumstances and in fact, progressive change may be set back further than ever. Contrary to the understanding of many that this crisis is precipitated by a cut to community access funding, this is incorrect; as most of the community access funding has been distributed to other line items. The single overriding issue is the total and overwhelming reduction in PDD funding to be implemented in the last three-quarters of the fiscal year. PDD funding reductions are based on an arbitrary formula that will impact thousands across much of their lives.

We wish to be clear that even a limited infusion of additional funding will only delay this unmanageable reduction and not eliminate the actual overwhelming impact. The current funding reductions will push the persons with developmental disabilities community into crisis mode, increase vulnerabilities and inhibit progress for possibly years to come.  

We urgently call upon the Alberta Government, as it is done recently in accommodating physicians, post-secondary students and tuition, and pharmacists, to allocate sufficient funds to sustain existing supports and services to Albertans with developmental disabilities and their families as the means to advance the needed change we are all committed to achieving. 

-30-
For more information:

Alberta Association                    Alberta Council of                      Alberta Disability
for Community Living                Disability Services                     Workers Association
                                            
Robin Acton                                    Helen Ficocelli                            Tim Bear
President                                         President                                      President
780.808.0752                                   403.250.9495                         780.645.3441
actonr@mcsnet.ca                      acds@acds.ca                            tbear@spanet.ab.ca                                                                        


Bruce Uditsky                             Ann Nicol                                   Jamie Post
AACL, CEO                               ACDS, CEO                               ADWA, Coordination &
780.940.4269                              403.250.9495                              Communications Director
buditsky@aacl.org                     ann@acds.ca                                780.666.4615
                                                                        

May 13, 2013

Send a postcard to the Alberta Premier to reverse the 42 million in cuts to Services for the Disabled

Join the 'My face, my place' campaign. Email myfacemyplace2013@gmail.com to learn more. 
(To download the PDF, another window will open called 'scribd'. It will then ask for your for facebook in order to download the document.) 


May 6, 2013

Now You See Me at the Alberta Legislature, May 15th, 2013

 Share you photo at the legislature with us on Wednesday May 15th from 12-1 pm.  
Let the government know what will happen to us if PDD service cuts force us to finish this sentence. 
Stay tuned for more information.