Sunday, 19 October 2025

Inclusion

‘Quest is a warehouse, I stand by that,’ parent tells human rights enquiry

And another day at the human rights inquiry into the lack of supportive housing for people with disabilities. Two mothers talked about the horrors of institutionalization, in particular the circumstances at Quest in Lower Sackville. Wendy Lill mostly talked about policy issues relating to the disabilities roadmap, a government policy document written at that brief point in time when community advocates had some real hopes that things would get better, only to be disappointed once again.

Residents of psychiatric ward could have come home, human rights enquiry hears

Today’s update on the NS Human Rights Commission’s enquiry into the lack of supportive housing for people living with disabilities. We learn that their former supportive housing provider wanted the folks languishing at Emerald Hall to come home, and we hear one parent talk about her worries that at some point in time she will no longer be able to take care of her son.

Many stuck at East Coast Forensic Hospital for years because of lack of housing supports, human rights enquiry hears

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Another day at the NS Human Rights Enquiry into the lack of supportive housing for people with disabilities. We learned that people conditionally discharged from the East Coast Forensic Hospital can’t leave because Community Services cannot provide them with the supportive housing options that they require. Waits can be longer than six years, averages are around 840 days.

How Canada’s mainstream autism organizations ignore non–speaking autistics

Oral speech may not be the best method of communication for the non-speaking autistic, writes Alex Kronstein. “Mainstream autism organizations are unwilling to admit that they are choosing to ignore non-speaking autistics.  Non-speaking autistics have always been around, just like autistics who do use oral speech. And everyone – the medical and psychological professionals, the non-autistic parents, the mainstream media – needs to STOP pathologizing non-speaking autistics and using functioning labels.”

Letter: It’s time to build affordable and inclusive neighborhoods

“Exclusive lifestyles are profoundly antisocial. They lead to the creation residential and commercial ghettos. Inclusive culture makes space for and welcomes people of all cultures, abilities and income levels,” writes Kimberly Smith. We need more of the latter, and thinking about cohousing may get us there.

The exploitation of disabled workers

More people who live with disabilities are unemployed, and that opens the door to all kinds of exploitation. Throw some preconceptions about these workers in the mix (so loyal, so productive, menial jobs only) and what we end up with is a complicated mess, writes Alex Kronstein.