Support for Individuals and Families

• Community Support Coordinators
• Planning for the Future
• Education
• Transition Planning
• Parent Self-Financed Cooperatives
• Passport Initiative
• Outreach Program for Senior Parents
• Education, Training and Prevention of Abuse Tools
• Supports and Services for Persons with a Dual Diagnosis
• Support for Siblings
• Government Funding Programs

Our Mission

"Community Living York South, supporting people with an intellectual disability to live, learn, work and participate in the community"

At Community Living York South, we believe in inclusive communities.

A B C's of Building Inclusive Communities

ACCEPTANCE

No matter what abilities, race, colour, or religious beliefs, everyone has the right to be accepted and included.

BELONGING

Belonging to some group is important to everyone and friendship is a means of belonging.

COMMUNITY

We encourage people to reach out to everyone so that we can all become one community and learn from one another without judgment or preconceptions.

(Excerpted from the Inclusion Training and Resource Manual, "Positive Images/ Supportive Practices")

COMMUNITY LIVING YORK SOUTH'S SUPPORTS AND SERVICES

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

COMMUNITY SUPPORT COORDINATORS

A Community Support Coordinator can help in the following areas:
• assisting individuals and families create personal goal plans and acquire the supports needed to realize these goals
• liaising with local community resources, making connections and working to increase the participation of families and individuals in community programs
• promoting opportunities for positive interaction of students in the educational system
• to find the closest school to your home, visit the web sites of York Region District School Board and York Catholic District School Board
  
Contact a Community Support Coordinator.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

A Community Support Coordinator encourages all families to begin planning for the future. There are many different periods of life that individuals and families should plan for. They include:

1. Infant Development
2. Educational Development
   1. Preschool
   2. Elementary
   3. Secondary
   4. Post-secondary Education
   5. Continuing Education
3. Transitional Planning from School
4. Financial Planning
   1. Wills and Estates
   2. Trusts
   3. Guardianship
5. Future Living Arrangements

For further information please call a Community Support Coordinator.

EDUCATION

A Community Support Coordinator can conduct a series of presentations to school staff and students on promoting an inclusive school setting, which can help students with intellectual disabilities to be more active in their school and community.

A Coordinator can:

• work with educators at the elementary, secondary and post secondary levels;
• assist in organizing Youth Involvement groups, which can give youth with disabilities the opportunity to get involved in school activities;
• help educators and family members plan for a student's transition from school (planning should begin at age 13), which may also include identifying potential work experiences available through the education system;
• work along with the Individual Placement Review Committee (IPRC), a team that meets annually to review placement of each individual child;
• assist families with Individual Educational Plans (IEP), making suggestions on what goals might be set for each school year; and
• help students, young adults and their families determine what educational supports are needed, and how to access them.

For further information on your family member's educational requirements, please call your Community Support Coordinator.

TRANSITION PLANNING

A Community Support Coordinator can assist students with an intellectual disability to plan for graduation from secondary school in various options dependent on their skills, abilities and interests to be more active in their  community.

A Coordinator can:

• help educators and family members plan for a student's transition from high school to a community/work setting, identifying potential work experiences and supported employment opportunities, information on various day supports available and/or adult literacy programs;
• provide information and assistance to family members to access funding options available to individuals with an intellectual disability and their families;
• help young adults and their families determine what post-secondary educational programs are available, what supports are needed, what options for tuition are available and how to access them;
• help young adults to access social and recreational opportunities in their local communities;
• help individuals and their families to develop alternative options for day supports such as parent self-financed parent cooperatives;
• help families to access comprehensive case management services.  For further information, please visit York Support Services Network's website

For further information on how to develop your family member's transitional plan, please call your Community Support Coordinator.

PARENT SELF-FINANCED COOPERATIVES

Parent Self-Financed Cooperatives are small groups of parents who pool their resources, hire a support staff and work together to develop a daytime schedule based on the unique needs and goals of their adult children.

Find out more information about creating a Parent Self-Financed Cooperatives.

PASSPORT INITIATIVE

What is the Passport Initiative?
An initiative for young adults who have an intellectual disability and who have left school and are seeking community participation supports.

What can this new funding be used for?
Individuals and/or families have the option of receiving funding to purchase services or they can choose to access services through Ministry-funded agencies.

For more information about the new Passport Initiative, see The Ministry of Community and Social Services' webpages.

For more information on Community Living York South's services, contact your Community Services Coordinator.

For information about Case Management Services in York Region, see York Support Services Network website.

OUTREACH PROGRAM FOR SENIOR PARENTS

Senior parents are individuals who are over the age of 60, who have a son or daughter with an intellectual disability living at home. The Senior Parent Outreach Program can help by providing information and resources on life plans, education and referrals to lawyers. Personal meetings can be arranged to offer advice, emotional support, counseling, advocacy and networking resources.

For more information call your area Community Support Coordinator.

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND PREVENTION OF ABUSE TOOLS

Bill of Rights - A downloadable pictorial poster (PDF).

You Have Rights ! What You Can Do to Stop Abuse - A downloadable two-page pictorial brochure that can be used to help people learn their rights (PDF). 

SUPPORTS AND SERVICES FOR PERSONS WITH A DUAL DIAGNOSIS

A Resource Handbook for Supports and Services for Persons with a Dual Diagnosis in York Region lists organizations that are geared to, or have shown a capacity to, serve individuals with a dual diagnosis. These include a range of supports and services in both the developmental and mental health sectors. The Handbook was written under the direction of the Simcoe York Dual Diagnosis Education Committee and updated in 2004 by York Support Services Network staff.

The Handbook is divided into three sections:

• Section 1 - an introduction
• Section 2 - a description of the two sectors involved and information on how to navigate the sectors such as:
  • how to get a case manager
  • what to do in a crisis
  • indicators of a dual diagnosis
  • a supports and services guide to help you plan
  • sample questions you might consider asking when calling an agency
  • who to call to learn about government programs and policies
  • other resources you might find helpful.
• Section 3 - an index arranged by type of service and lists a number of key supports
  and services that you might consider contacting. There is a an alphabetical list of the organizations and an important numbers at a glance page.

This handbook is 95 pages - click here for the pdf file.

SIBLING SUPPORT

There are currently two groups meeting in south York Region that provide sibling support.

Sibling Support Group
This group offers support, information, recreational opportunities and other resources to siblings of children/adults with special needs, so they can become more involved in the lives of their brothers or sisters.

In Support of Siblings Committee
This meets once a month and assists siblings in becoming more involved in activities like family fun days, teen evenings, and workshops.

For more information on these groups and when and where they meet, contact your Coordinator.

For further information on sibling support groups, visit The Sibling Support Project, a national program dedicated to the interests of brothers and sisters of people with special health and developmental needs, based at the Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, Washington.

GOVERNMENT FUNDING PROGRAMS

Community Living York South's Community Support Program helps individuals and families to find potential financial support from the provincial government. These funding programs include:

Special Services At Home (SSAH):
Who may apply: Individuals with an intellectual disability of all ages who are living at home with their family. The application must be renewed annually.
Features: Assists families in caring for their family member(s) by giving them additional support and care beyond what the family is able to provide. The Ministry allocates funding to families for personal growth and development, support and/or family relief.


For more information see the government web page on Special Services at Home.

Assistance for Children with Severe Difficulties (ACSD):
Who may apply: Families with children from the ages of 0-18 with severe disabilities. Approval is based on the needs of the child, size of the family and family income.
Features: The program helps children to live as normal a life as possible at home and in the community. It also helps parents to meet the ongoing extraordinary costs of care arising from the disability.


For more information see the government web page on Assistance for Children with Severe Difficulties.

Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)
Who may apply: Persons with disabilities 18 years and older.
Features: The program is intended to meet the needs of people with disabilities and help them to become more independent. THE ODSP Program has two parts:

• Income Supports: provides financial assistance to people with disabilities;
• Employment Supports: provides the supports people with disabilities need to get and keep jobs.
• See the government web pages for more information on both parts.

For further information or an application, contact your Community Support Coordinator or the Ministry of Community and Social Services 1-877-669-6658 (toll free), The Tannery Mall, 465 Davis Drive, 3rd Floor, Newmarket, Ontario L3Y 7T9.

The Schizophrenia Society of Ontario (SSO) and the Ontario Psychiatric Association (OPA) have launched a joint advocacy campaign - The Financial Dignity for Ontarians with Disabilities Campaign, to urge Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to support a 10% increase to Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) rates. Read their flyer for more information.

On February 8, 2006, the provincial government announced that it "is introducing changes to ODSP supports and services to make it easier for recipients and their families to find jobs, keep more of what they earn and, for those who are able, move toward financial independence from ODSP." "It's time our social assistance system did a better job of supporting people with disabilities who want and are able to work, and rewarding those who are trying," said Pupatello. "Having a job brings more than financial benefits - it gives people an opportunity to contribute to their communities and helps them fulfil their potential. That leads to a higher quality of life for our clients and their families."