TERESA WRIGHT CONSTABLE
The Guardian
Disability services on the Island are being put under the microscope now that the province has put together a committee to look at how they might be improved.
The Disability Services Review Committee’s mandate is to review and get public input on what gaps exist in current legislation and services. The committee must then submit a report of its findings to Health Minister Doug Currie,
“We’ve got a little under 22,000 Islanders reporting disabilities. So we know that we have challenges,” Currie said at the official announcement on Friday.
“(This) committee will make a real difference by helping government make the best decisions possible to improve services and accessibility.”
Currie said the province has formed this committee to satisfy an election promise Premier Robert Ghiz made to conduct a full review of disability support services, including the Disability Support Program.
The DSP is a financial assistance program, administered by the province, for Islanders with a qualifying disability. It replaced the Family Support and Employability Assistance for People with Disabilities (EAPD) programs.
There has been a lot of criticism of the DSP by advocacy groups who feel the qualification criteria is not as accommodating as it should be.
“This government seems to be more open to listening than the previous government was,” said Barry Schmidl, executive director of the P.E.I. Council of the Disabled. He is one of the 10 committee members.
He said the fact that the public will be brought in to the consultation process is a step up from the way disability issues were treated in the past.
“Anybody who wants to have a say can have a say. And that’s important because a lot of people have felt that they haven’t actually been listened to.”
The committee consists of people who, through personal or professional experience, know first-hand the challenges faced by persons with disabilities.
Several members are parents of disabled children, and some are disabled themselves.
Stephen Pate of P.E.I. Disability Alert, has been asked to act as an adviser to the committee.
“I think it’s the right step and the right time,” he said. “We know from the statistics that the baby boom bulge is coming — disability is a factor of aging — and so we know that the percentage of the population that are disabled is going to rise.”
He said comprehensive programs are needed to address the wide variety of issues that will result from this increase.
And public input is the best way to identify current needs and those of the future, Pate said.
“I expect and hope that a report will come out that will represent what people want, what people need.”
The committee will be setting up public hearings and soliciting community input through written proposals, among other initiatives.
Currie said this process will probably take about six months. The final report is not expected until the fall of 2008.
He also didn’t rule out the possibility of new money being put into disability supports on the Island.
“The ultimate goal is to improve supports and services across the province for individuals with disabilities,” Currie said. “That will probably mean more money.”
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