The Guardian
At 1:48 PM on 08/07/07
Social Services Minister Doug Curries is promising a top to bottom review of P.E.I.’s services for the disabled, reworking the Disability Support Program recently found to discriminate against some claimants.
“With the baby boomers aging and life spans getting longer, the numbers of people with disabilities are going to increase,” Stephen Pate PEI Disability Alert.
Last week, P.E.I.’s Human Rights Commission ruled that the DSP was discriminatory in imposing a financial means test on the parents of disabled children and in employing a screening questionnaire that gave greater weight to physical challenges than mental challenges.
On Thursday, Currie said government would try to bring disability support into line with the right’s commission finding and closer to the needs of program clients.
One thing we’re doing right away is getting rid of the means test for parents of disabled children under the age of 18, retroactive to July 1″ he said.
“I understand that there are around 211 children whose families fall into that category. We think that removing the means test for them could cost around $500,000.”
The tougher job for Currrie comes this fall. He said his department will work with clients of the DSP and with groups representing disabled people to come up with a replacement for the controversial FIM (functional independence measure) screening questionnaire.
The end result, the minister said it a redesign that brings aid for the disabled into line with their needs.
“The FIM was one of 30 different screening tools that they examined in setting up the DSP. I’d like to talk to somebody about the other 29 screening tools and some of the different approaches around it,” he said.
“I think it will be important to sit down and talk to people who have been in the DSP and with workers on the front lines. What did they like about it? What didn’t they like about it?”
Stephen Pate, founder of the advocacy group Disability Alert, said he’d be glad to see government talk to the community and take an open-minded look at what the future needs of disabled Islanders might be.
“With the baby boomers aging and life spans getting longer, the numbers of people with disabilities are going to increase,” he said.
“It won’t be as bad as it might sound. There are about 19,000 Islanders with a disability and only around 20 per cent not getting their needs met. Some of it’s easy. There are 500 or so people who need grab bars in their baths. That’s a $300 project but you do it once and it’s done.”
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