Provincial Self-Advocates’ Advisory Committee - Meeting Summary

April 20, 2011

1. Welcome and introductions:

All committee members were welcomed to the meeting and each member introduced themselves.

2. Talk about the Terms of Reference of the committee:

The committee members talked about why the committee meets and what the committee is going to do. This is called the Terms of Reference of the committee.

The committee members talked about how self-advocates will share ideas from their regional self-advocacy groups with the committee.

Committee members may be invited to the Provincial Advisory Committee meetings and/or the CEO Forum to talk about their ideas about how to improve the PDD program.

The committee members talked about the role of allies. All members agreed that:

• Allies will not be members of the committee.
• Allies will help committee members get to and from the meetings.
• Allies will help committee members prepare for meetings.
• Allies will help committee members to understand information and be understood.
• Allies will help committee members share information with other self-advocates in the regions.

Committee members asked if the Minister would be told what the committee talked about at each meeting.

• Once all committee members have approved the meeting summary, the summary will be given to the Assistant Deputy Minister, the Deputy Minister, and the Minister.
• The meeting summary will be general. It will not record who said what.
• The meeting summary will be posted on the PDD program’s website.
• The meeting summary will be written in plain language.
• The PDD program will look into making an audio clip of the meeting summary that could also be posted online.

Committee members were asked to choose a co-lead (and a back-up) for the committee who would work with the Executive Director of the PDD Program Branch (co-lead) to organize the meetings.

• Committee members can talk to the co-leads about ideas for future meetings (agenda items).
• The co-leads will finalize the agenda together.
• The co-leads will run the meetings together.
• The co-leads will work on the meeting summary together.
• The self-advocate co-lead will change every two meetings.

A co-lead was chosen for the next two meetings. A back-up co-lead was also chosen.

3. Talk about PDD program mission and core businesses:

The committee members split up into three groups to talk about the PDD program’s mission and core businesses. The committee members were asked to talk about the things that PDD does and the things PDD does not do.

4. Ideas for future meetings:

The committee members split into three groups to talk about ideas for future meetings. Ideas included:

• Getting, training and keeping good support staff
• Places to go and meet with other people who have disabilities
• Relationships and the right to love
• Dignity and respect for all including people with developmental disabilities
• Supporting people with developmental disabilities who are getting older
• Helping the public understand what “inclusion” means
• Training for self-advocates
• Plain language communication
• Concerns about people living in institutions
• Employment for people with developmental disabilities
• Celebrating what self-advocacy groups are doing across Alberta
• Options for meeting with the Minister and the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) from each region

Committee members also asked for some presentations from the PDD program:

• How is the PDD program structured?
• Who are the Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) and Deputy Minister (DM)? What are their jobs?
• What does the PDD Program Branch do?
• What does the PDD program fund?
• What are the results of the Administrative Review?
• More information on the Supports Intensity Scale
• More information on family managed services
• Using IQ testing for program eligibility
• How can complaints be made?
• How does the appeals process work?

5. Next meeting: June 23, 2011

Members who are not able to come to a meeting can send someone else. The names of the person must be sent to the committee co-leads at least 3 days before the meeting.