Community Living Ontario

Taking the lead from families is ongoing priority
Wednesday September 8, 2010 -- Lisa Bailey

A mother’s words from years ago gave Community Living Algoma’s Kevin Reid an even deeper understanding of the challenges faced by families of people who have an intellectual disability.

Reid had been working with the woman’s family when she shared what it was like to be called when situations involving her family member arose at the congregate home where the person was living.

“You can’t believe how many restless nights I’ve had thinking about my child and what’s happened or what’s going on,” Reid says, recounting the mother’s words.

Sharing that story many times with co-workers as his role at Community Living Algoma changed over 20 years, Reid told it again for Community Living Leaders’ series on engaging the next generation of families.

Now the manager of organizational research and development, Reid says the mother “really helped me understand what families go through and to be a lot more mindful in how to deal with families.”

This includes being “the bearers of as much good news as you can.”

Sharing positive developments and information is important when engaging parents and families as they envision and plan for the future.

Reid says he’s “always in awe” of families’ relentless and ongoing commitment to advocate for their child.

“They just want the best for their family member,” he says.

“They’ve got everything that everybody else in the world deals with and then they have a child in the system the needs all the support,” Reid notes.

Community Living Algoma works to provide as much information as possible to parents on innovative supports and “see what other people (elsewhere) are doing.”

Networking with organizations is challenging in the small and isolated community, Reid says, so the Algoma association brings in people to work with families and share information.

Last year, for example, an inclusive education conference took place and representatives of Brockville’s Community Involvement Legacy Homes visited twice to discuss housing options.

This fall, a session on building support circles and related topics led by Families for a Secure Future is planned.

Reid also notes that the Algoma association holds Family Week every November, with past sessions focused on everything from wills and trusts to assistance completing paperwork.

Families can also raise issues with a subcommittee of the association’s board.

A survey, first done this past spring with plans to repeat it within the year, seeks input on what the association should stop doing, continue to do and do in the future.

The uniqueness of each family’s situation, coupled with the complexities and fullness of living their lives, makes engaging families a challenge. However, Reid notes, engaging families must be an ongoing priority if people are to reach their full potential.

“It’s a holistic process,” he says, adding the “person doesn’t benefit if the family and organization are not working together.”

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