Somewhere, long ago, a new friend — no more than minutes old — asked me
if I knew his cousin who had Downs syndrome. When I said I did not he seemed a
little miffed. He said, after all, I had cerebral palsy, and I should know
every person with a disability in Edmonton and surrounding area. I explained
people with disabilities have individual and unique lives.
For years people with disabilities have had to struggle in creating
public awareness for our own disability. That has become very evident in the
last two weeks. The provincial government is making changes to the way it is
delivering services to persons with developmental disabilities, known as PDD. Changes
are also coming for the way home care is being operated. But PDD and home care are
not the same thing. Yet, some folks are thinking home care clients get PDD, and
Albertans with developmental disabilities get home care.
Someone with a developmental disability may live in a group home.
Someone with a physically disability may also live in a group home. But the support
they get is as different as their disabilities: developmental disabilities are
just that; physical disabilities are … just that. PDD and home care are two
separate programs with very different needs.
And the battles, in both areas, are not over. Far from it. But there might be more public empathy if Albertans realize people with disabilities are unique and different … just like Edmontonians, Calgarians and all points in between.
