RESOURCES
This page has documents related to deinstitutionalization and community living, organized into the following sections.
- My Home My Community
- PFC/IC Federal Policy Forum Notes and Recordings - 2021
- National Resources
- The Right Way
- Stories of Life and Community
- Link to The Freedom Tour
- Declaration of Support for Community Living
- Ribbon Campaign
- Resources Archives
National Resources
My Home My Community
My Home My Community is a national partnership initiative of Inclusion Canada and People First of Canada and their member organizations.
My Home My Community is building housing opportunities and inclusive communities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We are driving innovation in housing development and community supports, to ensure all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have a home that gives them choice, freedom, safety, and inclusion in their community. Ultimately, we work to give people with intellectual and developmental disabilities the same housing choices as everyone else in Canada.
IC/PFC Federal Policy Forum for Inclusion
On November 30th and December 1st 2021, Inclusion Canada and People First of Canada (PFC) hosted the 12th Annual Federal Policy Forum for Inclusion.
The theme for this year’s virtual two-day event was Right at Home: Advancing Article 19 – The Right to Live in the Community.
As COVID-19 continues to expose the dangers of congregate care and institutional living, this year’s Policy Forum explored pathways to community living and how the introduction of innovative federal programs could support this shift.
Click here to look at the presentations from the 2021 Federal Policy Forum
Seniors for Social Action Ontario
The mission of Seniors for Social Action Ontario (SSAO), is to identify alternatives to institutionalization and encourage governments to finance these alternatives with a goal to end institutionalization.
SSAO has developed policy papers on these topics to help people understand the issues:
How Denmark stopped institutionalizing people
Small community residences for people with dementia
A Paid Family Caregiver Program
A Program In Which Money Follows The Person
Envisioning a New Future for Vulnerable Elderly Citizens
Enhanced Home Care - One Important Alternative to Institutionalization
Queen's University report on the unsustainability of continuing to fund institutions in Canada: (Please see Page 4)
The London School of Economics report on the need for deinstitutionalization
The Right Way
"The Right Way" is a guide created by the Inclusion Canada and People First of Canada's Joint Task Force on Deinstitutionalization. It looks at the steps to closing institutions and reclaiming a life in the community for people with an intellectual disability.
STORIES of LIFE and COMMUNITY
In this section we have links to stories about life and community. These are told by self-advocates, parents, siblings, family and friends.
Below is the Task Force video ‘What home means to me.’ This video was made by People First of Canada and the Canadian Association for Community Living
The following videos are from People First of Ontario ‘This is my life’ series. They tell stories of life in the community.
Sibling Stories
Archived Stories of Life and Community (click for PDF)
THE FREEDOM TOUR
The Freedom Tour is a powerful documentary that has been raising awareness about institutions both nationally and internationally.
The film documents the incredible journey of 16 self-advocates and friends who travelled across the Prairie Provinces to raise awareness about life in an institution. The documentary portrays compelling stories told by survivors of institutions who had moved into communities across the Prairies. Produced in partnership with the National Film Board, The making of the Freedom Tour was very unique as it involved people labeled with an intellectual disability who worked behind the camera from development to the big screen.
Watch The Freedom Tour:
DECLARATION of SUPPORT for COMMUNITY LIVING
In 2013, the Task Force started a petition for support of community living in our country. The petition was signed by almost 10,000 people. Although the petition is no longer active, our belief and passion for deinstitutionalization and community living still is!
You can access the text of the Declaration here.
You can watch the Declaration for Support of Community Living here:
RIBBON CAMPAIGN
The black and yellow ribbon has been a symbol of deinstitutionalization for People First members for almost 20 years. It began as a project to raise awareness of people with intellectual disabilities in our country who are institutionalized. The pin was given with a card that explained its meaning. Below is the text of the original Ribbon Campaign:
We wear these ribbons to let Canadians know that too many people are still locked in institutions.
We are horrified that Canadians keep institutions open. We are angry that new kinds of institutions are being built.
The black ribbon is because people in institutions are not safe. Many have died. We mourn their deaths.
The yellow ribbon is for liberation – we want all people in institutions to step into freedom.
All people regardless of the severity of their disabilities should live in the community with the support they need.
RESOURCES ARCHIVES
• Common European Guidelines Transition from Institutional to Community Based Care (PDF)
• SPD Transformation Plan and Roadmap (PDF)
• Adelaide People First Newsletter Aug 2013 (PDF)
• Achieving Community Living in Europe (PDF)
• PEI Policy Statement of Deinstitutionalization (PDF)
• PEI Partners for Change (PDF)
• "A Call to Action" (PDF)
• CACL Deinstitutionalization Flyer June 2005 (PDF)
• Dialect Fall 2006 Special Edition (PDF)
• Dialect November 2007 (PDF)
• Dialect Spring 2008 (PDF)
• ECCL Newsletter No. 1 (PDF)
• ECCL Newsletter No. 2 (PDF)
• ECCL Newsletter No. 3 (PDF)
• ECCL Newsletter No. 4 (PDF)
• ECCL Statement (PDF)
• Fact Sheet: Putting Deinstitutionalization in Focus (PDF)
• Included in Society (PDF)
• National Plan Discussion Paper (PDF)
• Nova Scotia Residential Agencies Association (NSRAA) Position Paper on Deinstitutionalization (PDF)
• Achieving Results in DD Initiatives (PDF)
• Position Paper on Closure of Developmental Centres Louisiana Disabilities Council (PDF)
• Position Paper on Community Living Louisiana Disabilities Council (PDF)
• Position Paper Partners For Change (PDF)
• National Action Plan Plain Language Version (PDF)
• CL Leadership March 09 (PDF)
• Spotlight July 2010 (PDF)
• Spotlight April 2009 (PDF)
• Spotlight November 2007 (PDF)
• Spotlight May 2007 (PDF)
• Spotlight April 2007 (PDF)
• Spotlight February 2007 (PDF)