International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) 2018: Inclusion and Equality with Just Enough Support
The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly.
IDPD aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the inclusion of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
The official theme for IDPD 2018 is “Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality.”
ADDED DECEMBER 4: CHECK OUT OUR PHOTO BLOG FOR THE DAY!
We think one of our most important contributions of 2018 was developing and sharing our Just Enough Support video series, which addresses the critical challenge to effectively supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities: providing what they need to learn, improve, and contribute to their communities as autonomous citizens – not deliberately or accidentally denying them opportunities for growth.
“If you are not deliberately including, you are probably accidentally excluding” is a phrase that helps us to keep challenging ourselves to the best that we can be as a support to individuals, families, and the community.
We invite you to explore our Just Enough Support video series below, and we appreciate your compliments as well as your constructive criticism. We are learners too.
The messages of our Just Enough Support series are seen as important advancements that add clarity to our previous efforts, but we will continue to seek out new ways to support included lives, and to communicate about the approaches and practices that can help make it happen.
Welcome to the Just Enough Support video series by LiveWorkPlay! You can watch the entire series directly from our YouTube playlist at http://justenough.liveworkplay.tv, or right here on our website, where you can also read a transcript from each video (scroll down). Please note that the playlist also includes subtitled versions in both French and English. The video above is our “trailer” that was used to promote the series. The first video in the series is the introduction, which you can watch below.
- NEXT: The Person-Centred Approach (Video 1)
- Building Connections (Video 2)
- Community First (Video 3)
- Quality of Life (Video 4)
- Just Enough Support Explained, An Interview (Conclusion)
- Bonus item: Shared “Just Enough” presentation at Community Living Ontario Annual Conference 2018
TRANSCRIPT FROM THE INTRODUCTORY VIDEO
(traduction française ci-dessous)
Hello, and welcome to the first LiveWorkPlay Just Enough Support video series. I’m Keenan Wellar, the co-leader at LiveWorkPlay, a charitable organization based in Ottawa, Canada, that helps the community welcome people with intellectual disabilities to live, work, and play as valued citizens.
We have created this video series to help illustrate why and how the Just Enough Support approach is highly effective in helping people contribute to, and benefit from, being in control of their own lives. Just Enough Support is about helping them to enjoy life as included and contributing members of their community, from neighbourhoods, to workplaces, to everyday community venues where citizens routinely gather.
Through the stories of Phil, Ali, Heather, Jalynn, and Tim in the videos that follow, you will see examples of how Just Enough Support is about a continuous journey to seek the right balance of natural supports, like friends and family, plus different types of technology, the accessing of community-based services, and using paid support to fill in gaps and build bridges that help the individual expand their social relationships and their personal autonomy.
In the first four short videos, we introduce the audience to the core concepts of Just Enough Support: person-centred thinking, assets-based solutions, community-first approaches, barrier-busting technology, authentic valued roles, and always building bridges.
The concluding video is an interview session where I will be discussing some of the science of the Just Enough Support approach, and explaining the core principles in further detail. We’ll talk about the negative physical and emotional consequences that arise from being excluded, and the benefits that people experience when they are supported to learn and grown, take on new social roles, and expand the scale and intensity of their relationships. We’ll also make sure it is understood that exclusion isn’t caused by having a disability, it’s actually the thinking and actions of other people that need to change in order to create inclusive environments.
Special thanks to the Government of Ontario Housing Task Force for their assistance with a portion of the costs in the making of this video series. Please visit liveworkplay.ca for more information, and click on the Contacts session if you would like send us feedback about this video project – this is all about sharing what we have learned so that we can help others and continue to improve and grow.
Bonjour, et bienvenue à la série de vidéos « Juste assez de soutien » de VivreTravaillerJouer. Je suis Keenan Wellar, codirigeant de VivreTravaillerJouer, un organisme de bienfaisance d’Ottawa, au Canada, qui aide la communauté à intégrer des personnes ayant des déficiences intellectuelles pour qu’elles vivent, travaillent et jouent comme des citoyens à part entière.
Nous avons créé cette série de vidéos pour illustrer pourquoi et comment l’approche Juste assez de soutien est très efficace pour aider les personnes à prendre leur vie en main. L’approche Juste assez de soutien les aide à profiter de la vie en tant que membres inclus et productifs de leur communauté, de leur quartier, de leur lieu de travail et des milieux communautaires où les citoyens se réunissent régulièrement.
Les histoires de Phil, d’Ali, de Heather, de Jalynn et de Tim dans les vidéos qui suivent vous donneront des exemples de la façon dont l’approche Juste assez de soutien permet de trouver le bon équilibre entre les aidants naturels, comme les amis et la famille, et les différentes technologies, les services communautaires et les aidants rémunérés qui comblent les lacunes afin d’aider la personne à développer des liens sociaux et son autonomie personnelle.
Dans les quatre premières courtes vidéos, nous vous présentons les concepts de base de Juste assez de soutien : une réflexion centrée sur la personne, des solutions axées sur les atouts, des approches communautaires, des technologies qui éliminent les obstacles, des rôles authentiques et toujours faire des liens.
La dernière vidéo contient une entrevue durant laquelle je parlerai de la science derrière l’approche Juste assez de soutien et j’expliquerai les principes de base plus en détail. Nous parlerons des conséquences physiques et émotives négatives de l’exclusion, et des avantages que retirent les personnes quand elles reçoivent du soutien pour apprendre et grandir, assumer de nouveaux rôles sociaux et approfondir leurs relations. Nous soulignerons le fait que l’exclusion n’est pas causée par le fait d’avoir une déficience; ce sont plutôt la façon de penser et les actions des autres qui doivent être changées pour créer des milieux inclusifs.
Un grand merci au Groupe de travail sur le logement du gouvernement de l’Ontario pour avoir financé une partie des coûts de cette série de vidéos. Visitez le site VivreTravaillerJouer.ca pour de plus amples renseignements et cliquez sur le lien « Contact » pour nous envoyer des commentaires sur ce projet de vidéos. Notre objectif est de partager ce que nous avons appris pour aider d’autres personnes et continuer de nous améliorer.