Let Abilities Work Partnership Society

contributed by Stephen Ayer
The From Recovery to Discovery Peer Support Group is open to anyone affected by mental illness, either directly or indirectly.

The Group met Thursday, June 16th, 2011 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm in Halifax at The Hub on 2nd Floor, 1673 Barrington Street. Those attending focused on the phases of recovery.

It was FREE! There is no admission charged.

Peer support is critical throughout the course of recovery, but ... the amount and type of support changes as one progresses through the phases of recovery. Discussion will focus on the following four questions:

1. What phase are you in?

2. How do you know what phase you are in?

3. Are you considering moving to the next phase?

4. What can help you to move to the next phase? (...Continued)
Phase 1 - Dependent/Unaware (Hope)

• Peer support is informal and tends to be centered around treatment agency/hospital programs and activities.
• Interaction with peers is often focused on mental illness rather than recovery.
• Clinical and family support is typically more important than peer support at this stage.

Phase 2 - Dependent/Aware (Empowerment)

• Peer support becomes more formal … likely to involve support from peers working in day/psychosocial programs and peer-run programs. Support at this level may also come via peer-to-peer classes.
• Focus begins to shift from mental illness to advocacy and recovery, which starts with a sense of empowerment.
• While clinical support is still critical in this stage, especially early on, peer support becomes more important as individuals approach the self-responsibility phase of their recovery.

Phase 3 - Independent/Aware (Self-Responsibility)

• Peer support takes on an equal, if not more important, role than clinical and/or family support. At this point in recovery, individuals are no longer dependent upon their treatment providers or peers.
• Peer support is far more likely to occur outside the formal treatment environment (e.g., agencies run by people who have experienced mental illness, self-help groups, peer friendships, etc.).
• People in recovery begin to give back … they become volunteer or paid staff; rather than being recipients of support, they begin providing the support.
• Peer support begins to occur in the community rather than the mental health system.

Phase 4 - Interdependent/Aware (Meaningful Role)

• Peer support occurs in the natural environment. Rather than being peers because of shared experiences with mental illness, individuals become peers based on shared interests … they become friends and engage in that friendship outside the mental health system.
• It is at this point that some people in recovery seek support though relationships with others in their community, including their place of employment.
• Individuals at this stage are the givers of support. Providing support becomes a meaningful role!

Adapted from: Reneé Kopache, Thelma Rist, and Lisa Oswald. Peer Support & Recovery: What Helps, What Hinders – When and How? Alternatives Conference Presentation, October 28, 2005.

The From Recovery to Discovery Peer Support Group is organized as a partnership between the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia and the Healthy Minds Cooperative. For further information contact Stephen Ayer at ssns@ns.sympatico.ca
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contributed by E. Anne MacRae

Here is the first World Disability Report. Before you read the report, click here on video of Stephen Hawkings. It is very good and it is captioned!


Click here on REPORT to read it. It is a lengthy document so it may take a minute or so to load.


Editor’s note: Anne MacRae is Executive Director the Nova Scotia Disabled Persons Commission (...continued) which has its office in Dartmouth and receives mail at P.0. Box 222 CRO, Halifax, N.S. B3J 2M4 Telephone: 902-424-5105, Toll free: 1 (800) 565-8280, Fax: 902-424-0592, TTY: 902-424-2667

Readers of this report will find an enormous amount of relevant both text and data and can locate information that is specific to Canada on pages 33, 44, 108 and with regard to assistance and support 139, 143, 152–153, 154, to education 219, 220, to enabling environments 176, 187, 189–190 and to work and employment 238, 240, 244.Here is the beginning of my post.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 6, 2011

Jasmin Simpson is a young deaf-blind woman with lupus. While at university, she experienced unbelievable threats to her education due to elements of the Canada Student Loan Program (CSLP) that discriminate against students with disabilities. Through sheer will power and determination she overcame these challenges and completed her post-secondary education with B.S.W. and M.S.W. degrees. However, because she is disabled she graduated with 60% more student debt than would a non disabled student graduating with comparable credentials.

With help from the federally funded Court Challenges Program (CCP) she brought a Charter challenge asserting the Canada Student Loan Program (CSLP) discriminates against students with disabilities by imposing higher CSLP debt on them. All subject to a confidentiality clause, (...Continued)
the federal government quickly agreed to cancel 100% of her personal student debt and indicated that they would introduce positive changes to the student loan program. They wanted the case ended quickly and quietly.

Ms. Simpson was unwilling to accept a “sweetheart deal” or “buy a pig in a poke”. In the “conditional” agreement she reached with the government, she reserved to herself the right to review the changes and determine if they addressed her concerns about discrimination before deciding whether or not to terminate her case.

Some changes were eventually made to CSLP, but, after careful review, Ms. Simpson felt they didn’t address the discriminatory elements in the CSLP. There were actually some changes which actually made things worse for severely disabled students. After reviewing the new regulations in detail she was hesitant to agree to have her personal debt erased when another disabled student, in precisely her circumstances, wouldn’t receive a scrap of relief as a result of the changes. She was particularly concerned since the government had cancelled the CCP, meaning no one else could take up the cause if she were to bow out.

Before making her decision, and without violating the confidentiality agreement, Ms. Simpson consulted with the leadership of national disability groups, who confirmed her view that the changes did not address the discrimination in the CSLP. This confirmed her perception and she exercised her right under the “conditional” agreement to resume her case, even though it was at great cost to her personally.
…/2


The government expressed disappointment, but accepted Ms. Simpson’s decision. The government offered her more money if she would withdraw her objections and hinted that it was prepared to offer her still more. Unwilling to give in, Ms. Simpson remained resolute and turned down the government’s blandishments.

The litigation had recommenced for almost a full year when the government changed lawyers and changed its position. It now claimed that Ms. Simpson could not continue with her case because it had been finally settled by what it acknowledges was a “conditional” agreement. As a result of having brought this motion to have a Court decide that Ms. Simpson had lost her right to continue with her case, the government has put all the confidential documents and communication onto the public record.

A government motion to stop Ms. Simpson’s case will be argued in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, 393 University Avenue, Toronto, 6th floor on June 9th, commencing at 10:00 am. It is possible the case will be moved to a larger courtroom so call in advance or come early. The hearing is expected to end around 2:30 pm.

Representatives of national disability groups are available for comment now and will be at the courthouse [see contact info below]. Ms. Simpson communicates through an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. She will be available to speak to the media, with an interpreter, after the hearing.

Laurie Beachell, National Coordinator of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities states, “Ms. Simpson’s case clearly demonstrates there are built-in headwinds for persons with disabilities in the Canada Student Loan Program. If persons with disabilities are to enjoy equal opportunity in post-secondary education this discrimination needs to end”.

Chris Kenopic is President and CEO of the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) and is himself Deaf. He states, “Unless you are disabled you can have no idea how challenging it is for us to secure the education necessary to achieve independence and dignity in this country. CHS calls on the federal government to stop litigating against Ms. Simpson and address the discrimination in the CSLP.”
                                             -30-

Contacts:

David Baker, Legal Counsel (416) 533-0040 Ext. 222

Laurie Beachell, Council of Canadians with Disabilities (204) 947-0303

Gary Malkowski, Canadian Hearing Society, gmalkowski@chs.ca
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