Accessible Widget

January 30, 2015

Questioning Safety Standards in our Homes

Members of the Disability Action Hall and Self-Advocates around the province don't understand why some people are being inspected in their private homes. We recently read the many great questions people with disabilities of SRSAN, (another self-advocacy group living in Southern Alberta) has in their newsletter titled "The Ripple".  

When we read the newsletter we understood the fear people wrote about. We felt the same. We asked if these rules really reflect the many homes we live in and love? Many of us talked last night at our meeting about what makes a house a home. We had a lot of things to say. We think the current rules like 'Your cat cannot eat in the kitchen where you eat' are not rules most Albertans live by. Many of us could not afford to fix our homes as we live in poverty. Many of the standards they are asking for, no houses, even mansions in Calgary would pass. We are not sure these rules are the best way to make our houses into homes. In fact, the rules would make our own homes feel more like a hospital. Who wants to live in a hospital? 

We hope the government rewrites these rules so that they make sense. We hope the government puts a stop to the inspections until we all create a better solution. Stay tuned for an update! For now, we really like this image that was sent to us. #stopthestandards #ableg