We are all Self Advocates. However, for someone who has an developmental disability, this ideal has specific meaning. Self Advocacy describes a struggle as we come to terms with the delicate and fragile balance between supporting someone with an developmental disability and making choices which seem necessary for that person.
At Community Living Oakville, we are on a journey towards understanding the balance between providing support and being able to understand what this support feels like. We are fortunate to have a group of people who receive support from the organization and who are working with other levels within the agency by providing their input into service delivery.
This is also a journey for the self advocate group as they develop independently to increase awareness both within the agency as well as within the community about what it means to live with a disability.
We may be able to structure supports and services for the people we serve, but without the input of the people receiving the service or their peers, we face many risks including: bias; myopia in design and delivery. As an agency we are learning the value of asking people we support for their input. The Self Advocates Committee is leading us on that journey. They may be contacted at (905) 844-0146 Ext. 402 or via fax at (905) 844 1832.
Together with Self Advocates in communities across Canada and the world, the Self Advocates of Community Living Oakville are developing. As people who have been treated as excessively different for so long, their message and insight is that of diversity and the power behind community inclusion.
