Transitional services for adults with disabilities were the topic of a roundtable discussion Monday evening.
Ontario Minister for Child, Community and Social Services Todd Smith sat down with some of these adults and their advocates in a roundtable meeting at Roots 2 Wings in Windsor, an organization that provides support and enrichment for people with disabilities. The roundtable came after Smith visited two other agencies in Windsor-Essex on Monday -- Back to Life Rehabilitation and Women's Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor (WEST).
The roundtable was set up in conjunction with the Ministry and Windsor West MPP Lisa Gretzky, the NDP's critic on community and social services. Gretzky has been working on getting her private members' bill, Bill 64, through the Conservative-controlled legislature. Bill 64, also known as Noah and Gregory's Law, would eliminate any stopgap in provincial funding for families of disabled people once they reach their 18th birthday, as long as they were receiving support as children.
The roundtable was closed to the general public and reporters, but Smith told media afterwards that this was an issue he is willing to address at Queen's Park.
"Those are all things that we're going to take back to the table and have full discussions on," said Smith. "Clearly there's some anxiety for parents of adults now living with disabilities, and ensuring that they're going to be [taken care of] after they're gone."
Concerns have been raised over the past year from parents and caregivers of children who have grown into adults, as to what may happen to them once their caregivers pass away or are no longer able to handle the burden that comes with this kind of care. Gretzky said her bill, which has support from all parties, would be the important first step toward alleviating those fears.
"I believe that [Smith] heard what the families were saying," said Gretzky. "He seems to understand some of the struggles that they're facing, and he acknowledged that there are problems with the system, that when people are getting cut off of support and services just because they turn 18, then that's not a system that's working."
Mary Beth Rocheleau organized the Monday roundtable and attended with her 19-year-old son Gregory, who is severely autistic and one of the namesakes of Gretzky's bill. Rocheleau began a letter-writing campaign last year to drum up support for Bill 64. Rocheleau said now, more than ever, attention needs to be paid to all people with disabilities, not just children.
"Nobody was really listening to us," said Rocheleau. "Nobody was paying attention to the adults. It's all been focused on children with autism. There's an autism program, there've been autism roundtables, there have been autism townhalls. But all disabilities are in crisis."
Bill 64 passed second reading in February and has since been in standing committee.
