Building our Commitment to an Inclusive Nova Scotia

By Kendall Worth

Regular readers of my BLOG will know that the track record of the Houston Government is not encouraging for members of my community, the poor and disabled who struggle to survive while living on provincial benefits under the Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) program.

While continuing to advocate for change and improvements in the program, I have had to repeatedly warn people that we cannot get our hopes up.  Even our most basic questions to the Minister and Premier about policies and programs have gone unanswered.

Nonetheless, I continue to argue, as in my most recent BLOG post that as the Government drags its feet with regards to the reform of the individual policies and programs that make up ESIA, perhaps NOW is the time to step back and revisit the proposed transformation process for Nova Scotia’s Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) program.  That was an initiative launched under the previous Liberal Government and then cancelled when the PCs came into office.

On Community Inclusion

One component of the ESIA Transformation initiative that I have not discussed much is that of Community Inclusion, so this is the focus of my BLOG today.

By community inclusion, we mean the efforts of agencies, institutions, communities and people to ensure that people with disabilities are able to lead an engaged life alongside people in community spaces. Community inclusion means belonging and participating, NOT just being present.  It emphasizes genuine relationships and discourages segregated programs and spaces, providing individuals with disabilities access to opportunities for meaningful connections and participation.

To be fair to the Houston Government, the Inclusion component of the original Transformation initiative had not really launched by 2021 when the PCs were elected.

But in his second term as Premier, it has become clear that Tim Houston has decided to focus political attention and taxpayer resources not upon vulnerable Nova Scotians but upon gas, oil and mining development as potential “drivers” of the provincial economy. This will inevitably be to the detriment of different groups in Nova Scotia, and from my perspective, most notably the Disability Community.  This sense of alienation was recently captured by Suzanne Rent in an article titled “Does Tim Houston Even Like Nova Scotians?” in the Halifax Examiner.

In my Community, there is a growing doubt that the Premier really cares about the struggles of Nova Scotians with Disabilities. Disability activists in Nova Scotia and beyond have long been making that case that Disability Rights are Human Rights!  But this claim has only had modest impact upon policies and programs.   

To secure their full rights as citizens in our society, Nova Scotians with disabilities have been arguing for a combination of both focused policy reforms (see my BLOG here) as well as a much more comprehensive social and economic strategy for inclusion that will include:

•        Basic Guaranteed Income

•        a Social Prescribing Approach; and

•        reform of NS’s Career Seek program

I have made that case in this BLOG here.

On Addressing Developmental Disabilities:

While recognizing the wide diversity of disabilities that people in our community live with, I now want to say a specific word on the challenge of addressing developmental disabilities. 

It is my impression that Governments are just not looking seriously at the science behind developmental disabilities. Nor do they have a clear understanding of how many Nova Scotians on Income Assistance live with those types of disabilities. I am particularly concerned by the number of adults living with developmental disabilities who were never diagnosed when they were young. And to this day are not well recognized or treated within the NS health or community services systems. I have shared cases of this situation in my BLOG before.

It often happens that questions around community inclusion for persons with developmental disabilities are framed in economic terms – do ESIA clients have enough disposable income to socialize and participate in community events? While the presence or absence of cash in pocket is often a major determinant of an individual’s capacity to actively engage in community life, it is not the sole determinant.

(For those interested in the financial discussion, I have provided the necessary numbers in this BLOG as well as many others, showing how in the face of steadily increasing prices for rent and groceries, there is never really any disposable income left at the end of the month for ESIA clients.)

But community inclusion is about much more than income alone.  

At this point, I will turn to the words of another disability activist to make the compelling case for re-thinking our understanding of programs for those with developmental disabilities. I have found this article and the accompanying video to make a compelling case for a new, improved approach to developing programs for those with developmental disabilities.

The author emphasizes that community inclusion should mean having real choices. People with developmental disabilities should not simply be placed into a segregated program, workplace, or activity. Some people may want to go to the gym, others to volunteer, learn new skills, meet new friends, etc. TRUE inclusion means having the support, respect, transportation, income, and encouragement needed to make those choices possible.

The science around developmental disabilities tells us that these disabilities affect how a person learns, processes information, communicates, solves problems, and develops social and emotional skills. That does not mean the person has less value, less dignity, or less right to a meaningful adult life. It means that society needs to provide the right supports so the person can live as fully as possible.

In Conclusion:

The basic question we need to pose to politicians and policy-makers is: What supports, opportunities, and community attitudes are needed so people with developmental disabilities can live with dignity, safety, inclusion, and a better quality of life?

My great hope is that together, we can do the necessary advocacy and education that will nudge the provincial Government towards a more enlightened approach to supporting our community.

My great fear is that this Government will only move forward on this agenda when it is forcibly directed to do so through legal judgements such as the Human Rights Remedy ordered by the Court with regards to de-institutionalization of people with disabilities.

Surely, we are better than that!

 

Kendall Worth is an award-winning anti-poverty activist who lives with disabilities and tries to make ends meet on income assistance.