Summary

Envisioning our Future

August 13, 2013 – Calgary community discussion on supports for people with disabilities.

Executive Summary (Click here for full report in PDF)

2013 has been a year of dramatic change in Alberta for people with disabilities, particularly developmental disabilities. A number of substantial change initiatives have been underway for a number of years. Then, with the spring Alberta Budget, a number of these changes were drastically changed and others accelerated.

As the community has reacted to the changes, it has also grappled with an understanding of what the changes in programs and policies say about the underlying values.

The questions that have been lost in the conversation relate to values: quality of life, choice and community.

“Envisioning the Future” was a day for a group of stakeholders with various roles in the community to come together and share ideas, beginning by forming a vision:

We all want a good life for people with disabilities that supports them to have choices and control, to contribute to their community based on their individual gifts and to have warm, supportive and loving relationships with those around them.

Changing society is a big job and we all have a role to play. Government cannot achieve this vision on its own; we must all work together and do our part. We have many ideas. There are many stories to tell and many ways to tell those stories.

The second purpose of the “Envisioning the Future” day of community discussion was to plan. The vision incorporated values of choice, control and contribution. The plan built on actions that stakeholders can undertake to shape a community that reflects the vision.

While intent on both open discussion and concrete plans, the day was just a starting point, with aspirations for more community discussion throughout the province to build on what the day began.

It was also important to have a broad range of the community at the table with a goal of ever-widening the circle – this is about community in the broadest sense. It was encouraging to see that 96% of participants who came together on August 13^th met someone they had never met before.

The possibilities from “Envisioning the Future” are exciting. We have a vision. We have plans. Now we need to roll up our sleeves and work together to turn those possibilities into reality.

To view the full report, it can be seen on the next few tabs or you can download the full report here in PDF format.