By Michael Bach and Laurie Beachell

(This article first appeared in the Ottawa Citizen (14 April 2014).)

Disability was first and foremost a very personal matter for Jim Flaherty. In an article for the Canadian Association for Community Living’s newsletter he wrote about his son with an intellectual disability:

27 March 2014

April 10, 2014

27 March 2014                                           

For Immediate Release

By
Jim Derksen

I am not ashamed, have learned not to be,
of my body, being different  in shape and function:
large head and stomach, crooked fingers,
thin arms and legs.

I am not embarrassed to ask for help:
to cut the meat on my plate, put on my clothes,
wash my body, lift me in and out of bed,
on and off the toilet, wipe my bum - all things I know
I can no longer do.

Some of our provincial member groups are celebrating their 40th anniversary.  This year, the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities and the PEI Council of People with Disabilities hit the big 40!  In 2013, Alberta Committee of Citizens with Disabilities and the Saskatchewan Voice of People with Disabilities passed this milestone.  So, it is time to celebrate, reflect on our roots and consider our future.

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© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, 2014
Catalogue No. CH37-4/19-2013E-PDF
ISBN 978-1-100-21419-1

For Immediate Release

12 February 2014

With Action Plan 2014, the Conservative Government continued to address the employment barriers of people with disabilities, particularly people with developmental disabilities – a long overlooked pool of potential workers.  Significant is the fact that the Conservative Government will be providing $15 million over three years to the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) for their Ready, Willing and Able initiative, an important new jobs strategy. 

Preparation of this booklet was made possible with support from Assiniboine Credit Union.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Tony Dolan, National Chairperson of CCD