Not PDD Eligible? Now What?

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Not PDD Eligible? Now What?

Feb
17

Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 7 PM - 9 PM MST

There are a growing number of young individuals with disability that do not meet the eligibility criteria for Persons with Developmental Disability (PDD) supports. Foremost on mind of caregivers is the question “What do we do next?”. Transitioning into adulthood is not always limited to transitioning to adult services. It takes a vision with ideas, community resources and tools for community building, to co-develop a meaningful and inclusive life for the individual- the transition resource fair aims to facilitate just that.

Upcoming Events:

January 20, 2021 – Not Eligible for PDD, and your adult child wants to move out?

Guest: Boyle McCauley Housing

Let’s hear about some housing and life management resources out in the community of Edmonton.

February 17, 2021 - What do we know about AISH? Part 2

With the help of four Albertans who are AISH and Income Support recipients, Marie Renaud MLA for St. Albert and opposition critic for Community and Social Services tried keeping her living expenses under $1,685 (AISH maximum benefits) for the month of October. The purpose of this exercise was to try and better understand the struggles AISH recipients describe and share.

Since doing her AISH Reality Check challenge in October, Marie Renaud has been meeting regularly with a small group of self advocates from across the province. Meeting every two weeks, Tarah, Ian, Don, Julie, Kavin, and Ben reach out into the disability community and report back what’s been happening with people on AISH, and Income Support.

Part of the panel’s efforts now include a survey they developed for AISH and Income Support recipients. Open until January 11th, 2021, the survey seeks to collect information to better understand how people on those programs are living among the changes to the program, and during the pandemic. Once the survey closes, the data will be compiled and a report written. A Plain Language version will also be available.

Marie and some of the advocates are pleased to join Gateway Association to discuss the process, compiled results of the survey, and next steps.

March 17, 2021- Did you know about the Edmonton-based INCLUSIVE performance art collective?

CRIPSiE (The Collaborative Radically Integrated Performers Society in Edmonton) are an Edmonton-based collective of artists that include people who experience disability and their allies. They challenge dominant stories of disability and other forms of oppression, through high-quality performance art, video art, and public education and outreach programs. Find out how your loved one can get involved.

April 21, 2021- Not eligible for PDD? What resources do you need?

April, May and June is dedicated to assisting caregivers whose loved ones are not eligible for PDD. Our guests are Edmonton’s Integrated Transition Specialists Deb Bildfell and Avril Frost. They work for Children’s Services and their role is dedicated to assisting individuals living with barriers but not eligible for many government programs. They have ideas, resources, strategies and can continue the conversation offline to continue assisting your family.

May 19, 2021- Not eligible for PDD? What resources do you need?

June 16, 2021- Not eligible for PDD? What resources do you need?

Past Events - Recorded and Put Gateway Association Website:

May 6th - Guardianship and Trusteeship

Wendy King is the CEO and the dedicated compassionate force behind Aim Nursing Services. Aim offers a unique approach to managing future health needs and supports individuals with Guardianship and Trusteeship Applications, AISH applications, AISH appeals, FSCD to PDD funding etc. Wendy will make a short presentation on Guardianship and Trusteeship - differences between private and public, types, application process, things to look out for, problem solving, etc. A Q&A will follow the presentation.

May 13 - Mental health and Addiction Resources

With over 20 years of continuous service in the Human Services sector, Jenan Nasserdeen has extensive experience supporting and advocating for Alberta’s most vulnerable population. She specializes in the areas of trauma, addiction, gang affiliation and sexual exploitation. Jeanan will share Mental Health and Addiction Resources in Greater Edmonton Area that are available to individuals not eligible for PDD. Jenan will tackle each resource individually: What is the resource? What platform is the resource available on? What is the target audience/demographic for the resource? What is the organization's process previously and now during Covid?

May 20 - Wills and Estates

Estate planning includes the use of RDSPs, discretionary trusts, as well as considerations for providing for other children. What is the role of Guardianship and Trusteeship Orders for Represented Adults and how do those orders impact the Estate? What are Represented Adult Wills and what happens upon an intestacy (dying without a valid Will)? Stacy Maurier from Estate Connection Law Firm will provide a session on all that and more. There is opportunity for Q&A following the presentation.

May 27 - Banking, Identity Cards and Status Cards

Margaret Archibald is the Agency Manager of Four Directions Financial Bank (ATB) housed in Boyle Street Community Services. She is also the Manager of ID Services. Both the banking services and ID services are designed for individuals receiving AISH or Income Support. This means that the services have taken into account accessibility, education, empowerment, 1:1 supports, transient lifestyles, social distancing, interpretation services, etc. Margaret will also cover how one can obtain Status Cards if they identify as First Nations, Metis or Innuit. Q&A will follow the presentation.

June 3 - Not eligible for PDD? Meet GOA's Integrated Transition Specialists

Deb Bildfell and Avril Frost are Integrated Transition Specialists that work for Government of Alberta. Although under Child Welfare, they collaborate with FSCD, PDD, Alberta Supports, AISH, and other government departments. In their role, they assist individuals that are not PDD eligible to identify resources needed and more importantly, help them connect to those resources. In this session, you will find out more about their role, what motivates them, how any Albertan can access them and hear some select scenarios that will describe the range of situations they support. There will be time for Q&A throughout the conversation.

June 10 - Why and how to teach your loved one about advocacy?

Caregivers are engaged in continued learning to build a community for their children, and if one were to analyse that, it is clear that caregivers see themselves as their young person's advocate. But, can we be our child's advocate forever? What about teaching your child to advocate? What about teaching your child to advocate for others? In this session, we talk to Self Advocacy Federation in Edmonton about caregiver fears, resistance, importance of advocacy, how to support a new and young advocate, and the cascading impact of learning how to advocate for oneself. It is never too late or too early to teach advocacy. There will be time for Q&A throughout this session.

June 17 - Pre-Employment and Lifeskills Resources

Quite often, individuals on the autism spectrum do not meet eligibility to PDD due to IQ. Today’s session is aimed at resources available for 14+ as they prepare for adulthood. Ewa is the Supervisor of Teen and Adult Services at the Center for Autism Services Alberta, and Desiree Pawluck is the program coordinator for Quest and Employment Works. They will share the different programs that they offer for lifeskills and pre-employment. In this conversation we will get a bit deeper into the design of the programs, the reasoning behind that, what are some hurdles youth experience, how to overcome those hurdles, and lastly explore what caregivers could do to emulate this in their homes to the best of their ability (during covid-related limitations and while on waitlists). There will be ample opportunity for Q&A.

June 24 - What is 211? How to best utilize 211?

Intro to 211. How can individuals optimize the use of this resource ? How accomodating/accessible is 211? what are the different resource lists that are available? How often are they updated? Tell us about housing, income supports related resources.

July 8 - Our adult children want to move out. Now what?

Scenario 1: The young adult is eligible for AISH and wants to move out out. What are the considerations and resources?

Scenario 2: The young adult is NOT eligible for AISH and wants to move out. What are the considerations and resources?

In this session, we will talk to two folks from Boyle Street Community Services on how to plan for both scenarios.

July 15 - Not eligible for PDD? Meet GOA's Integrated Transition Specialists

July 22 - Employment Readiness While on Wait lists

It's not uncommon to be on a wait list with an Employment agency. What can job-seekers do while they wait and what would job search look like? Gateway Association's Employment team will do a presentation on strategies and resources, and be available for Q&A to address individual questions. Also find out the new pre-employment training Gateway has started offering.

July 29 - Post-secondary Education

Adults with disabilities wanting to pursue post-secondary education have a few different options in Edmonton. In this session, we will explore whats happening at University of Alberta. Dr. Wendy Doughty is the Assistant Dean of Student Access. We will talk to her about the application process, program options, accommodations, and resources that are available at the University.

August 5th - GET-Work : School to Work Transition

The Gateway Employment Transitions Project (GET-Work) helps youth to identify, prepare for, seek, acquire and retain the employment that matches their interests and abilities. GET-Work provides person-directed services tailored to meet the unique needs of youth with disabilities

Tune in to learn more!

Online Conversations will commence in September!~ As those dates are confirmed we will notify participants from previous events for Not PDD Eligible ? Now What?

September 9th - Health and Mental Health Care for Adults with Autism

Anisha Badoni is a mental health navigator at the Edmonton Oliver Primary Care Network who refers youth to the Transitions: Care & Support for Adults with Autism. Transitions provides autism-friendly support, health care and mental health services for adults with ASD. Anisha will discuss what the program provides and how individuals can access the service.

September 16th, 2020 - Guardianship and Trusteeship

We are bringing Guardianship and Trusteeship Conversation back again and this time have invited Shelley McGowan who used to work at SAGE as the Guardianship and Trusteeship Coordinator. She has also worked at Edmonton Community Legal Centre and is well versed in legal documentations and processes. Currently Shelley is self-employed and offers education on the topic and support to complete the application. In the first hour, Shelley will present on decision making options, pros and cons of the options, role of family members, disputes and hearings, legal requirements and common issues. The second half is for Q&A.

September 23rd, 2020 - Queer Disability Intersection

How are schools supporting students with disability that also identify as LGBTQ2S+ (Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Queer 2 Spirited ++) ? What are GSAs? What is "Right To Love"? Come listen to Cassandra Ainslie- community advocate, Heath Birkholz- Self Advocacy Federation and Kerry Maguire- Diversity Consultant at Edmonton Public Schools on their viewpoint.

September 30th, 2020 - Voice of Albertan's with Disabilities

Since 1973, Voice of Albertans with Disabilities has been a provincial, cross disability organization of individuals with physical, mental, sensory, learning and intellectual disabilities. VAD staff have specialized expertise and knowledge on services, supports and application forms for persons with disabilities. Individualized (one-on-one) appointments are available at the VAD office.

October 21, 2020 - Townhall and Status on transition during Covid

Guest: Avril Frost from Edmonton Region’s Integrated Transition Specialists associated with Children’s Services and Disability Services.

Join us to hear how Avril has been assisting those that are not eligible for PDD during Covid and increase waitlists. Additionally, Gateway wants to hear from caregivers on what resources, discussions and topics you’d like us to explore in this series.

November 18, 2020 – What do we know about AISH?

Guest: AISH Recipients

There are a lot of news about AISH changing or not changing. In this session, we will talk to two AISH recipients who are also avid advocates in the area to share the history and what an imagined future could be like.

Dec 16, 2020 – too close to Christmas and is hence cancelled.

Who could attend?

 Parents

 Family Members

 Foster Parents

 Guardians

 Kinship Supports

 Professional Caregivers

Where can I get more details?

 See attached poster

 Eventbrite

 Gateway Association Newsletter for an updated agenda (email [email protected] to subscribe)

#developmentaldisability