Expanding Inclusive housing and ending institutionalization
Every province but two, of which Alberta is one, have either closed their institutions for persons with developmental disabilities or are actively closing them, with one province (Nova Scotia) having to do so now by complying with a human rights commission finding upheld by its Court of Appeal, with the Supreme Court of Canada refusing to hear the province’s appeal. These efforts are consistent with the overwhelming preponderance of evidence of the incalculable harm suffered by persons with disabilities when institutionalized, and the violation of their rights as enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
There is a pressing need for persons with developmental disabilities, including those with complex needs, to have access to housing, a home, and the supports to live and participate in community life. The evidence is clear that housing persons with developmental disabilities with complex needs is best done in settings that are intimate and personal as larger congregate settings exacerbate the challenges exponentially. This need for a place with access to necessary supports must never be met by building segregated settings that congregate large numbers of people with developmental disabilities. Institutions for people with developmental disabilities have notoriously failed throughout history, resulting in governments incurring substantial costs for reparations and damages. Internationally and in Alberta’s own historical experience, the per person costs of institutional care are greater with less commensurate quality of life, than when the same individuals are supported to live in community.
Ask the candidates in your constituency if they, and their parties will commit to:
- Working with Inclusion Alberta and other relevant parties to develop and increase inclusive housing with appropriate supports for persons with disabilities, including those with complex needs, so that they can have a home in community that provides for safety, development, and well-being.
- Commit to not building any new facilities that are institutional in nature, which by definition segregates and congregates persons with developmental disabilities, particularly those with complex needs, in a household size that is much larger than the average in Alberta.
- Lastly, to join the rest of Canada and the world by developing a personalized and individualized approach to close Alberta’s few remaining institutions for persons with developmental disabilities.