AIG’s Post

This is a very very critical concept. A concept that, unfortunately, our field fails consistently at. Let's use a real world example. Oswin Latimer, a dear friend and vocal advocate for disability justice, has been systematically targetted by Autism Partnership Foundation in papers and conference presentations. Because APF has significant power and funding, while Oswin is a disabled person who is fighting justice and systemic change. APF has also engaged in similar tactics towards anyone who seeks to change how things are done in our field. Why? Because Autism Partnership Foundation is not interested in any changes that threaten their bottom line. This can include money and influence. The disturbing thing to me about this is that APF's behavior across multiple people within the organization is public record. Yet APF is still welcome to present at conferences. There has been no meaningful consequences for this behavior. Now, the contrast. Oswin is at risk of becoming homeless if we can't raise enough money for their non-profit organization Foundations for Divergent Minds. Oswin and their team's work is the sort of we need to change how disabled people are treated! They even provide their courses for free! The power dynamics are very clear here. We have the ability to shift the power dynamics! Even donating $5 a month will help with addressing the uneven dynamics! Advocating for removal of support for APF because of their behaviors would be helpful too for addressing the power dynamics, but ultimately removal of support for a corrupt organization is not going to help the people who need help. So please donate if you can. Please share whether you can or can't donate.

Many people suffer from disabilities or illnesses that are not readily noticeable but limit their ability to do one or more everyday activities and they range from mild to very severe. These include arthritis, Crohn’s and colitis, diabetes, mental health issues, AIDS, autism, cancer, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell disease, all of which are supported by charities under the Federated Health umbrella. Partial blindness and deafness can also be included. Learn more about Invisible disabilities reading our latest blog post 👉 https://lnkd.in/eYKx__vC #disabilities #invisibledisabilities #health #canada #ontario #healthcanada #healthontario #charity #charities #fundraising #accessibility

In observance of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I'd like to spotlight the work of the great organizations helping to improve the lives of those living and thriving with disabilities. Please see the link to a Charity Navigator search in the comments. Here are two planning ideas which provide for those with special needs and disability. Special Needs Trusts These trusts are designed to help pay for some of your dependent’s supplemental expenses — outside of what is covered through government support — without jeopardizing government benefits. As with other trusts, you can fund a special needs trust with a variety of assets: savings, gifts from other family members, lump sum contributions or insurance. ABLE Accounts an ABLE account allows a person with a qualified disability (that they had before age 26) to have money in a tax-deferred account where it can grow and supplement the beneficiary’s government benefits. For more information on Advanced Planning follow the link in my profile to schedule a time to connect.

 International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) Today, December 3rd, we celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This day is dedicated to promoting awareness and support for the rights, dignity, and well-being of people with disabilities. It also highlights the immense benefits of including people with disabilities in all aspects of society. Let's take a moment to reflect on the actions we are taking in our own lives to drive change. If you haven't yet, I encourage you to use this day to educate and inform yourself about the importance and impact of this day. Disability affects all of us, directly or indirectly, and if not today, it will at some point in our lives. Let's continue to work collectively in our communities to make inclusion, diversity, and accessibility a priority, not an afterthought. Together, we can create a more inclusive world for everyone. I am beyond lucky to work for an organization like CCRW which is taking action each and every day to drive change in this space! #Collaboration #Accessibility #DisabilityAwareness

DGR status - W O O H O O | We are absolutely ecstatic to share that our platform has been granted DGR status. After being approved as a charity, this news is simply fantastic. DGR status qualifies us for special tax and GST concessions. It also qualifies us for some grants and philanthropic schemes we didn't previously qualify for. Perhaps the most significant consequence of having DGR is that we can now provide a tax receipt if individuals, businesses, trusts or foundations give us a donation. To say that we are bubbling with excitement would be an understatement. Having DGR and being a registered charity can only give our platform more credibility. We are very grateful for the generous and expert support of the terrific team at MinterEllison and our thanks to our good friends at MS Queensland who supported us in funding application before we had DGR status. Our platform is a disability-led and guided disability service and charity. The majority of our team has lived experience, the rest are family members, carers or old friends of Australians with disability. We are a charitable and not-for-profit capacity-building service that assists Australians with disability in establishing some form of business (whether a small business, a gig-based service, or a monetised hobby/craft). Our service assists Australians with disabilities in pursuing financial independence, dignity, agency, quality of life, social engagement, and mental health. We envisage a future where new entrepreneurs with disability are seen as future business leaders, tax contributors, and employers. Do you know an Australian with disability who wants to explore establishing their own endeavour, generating a bit more money or increasing their social engagement? Please encourage them to complete the short form below. Or they can contact us on enquiry@enabled.vip or 0436 480 769 if they have any questions. #Enabled_vip #disability #incubator #gigster #hobbyists #volunteer #ndisprovider

Whilst we’re cautiously optimistic about the pledged £600million investment into social care, Norwood remains concerned at the impact that the government’s budget announcements will have on us in the immediate term and our ability to continue to provide quality care for the people we support, while remaining a competitive employee in a sector that is increasingly struggling to recruit and retain its workforce. Our incredibly dedicated and caring staff are integral to our ability to support members of our community in a kind, loving and nurturing community, and we count our staff, alongside the people we support and their families as valued members of the Norwood family. With public funding under so much pressure, organisations like Norwood and its partners in the community and wider sector are having to step in to support vulnerable children and families, who either require our holistic support where a diagnosis is in place in lieu of available publicly-funded services, or struggle to have their needs scoped when faced with an extremely long wait for a diagnosis. As things stand, Norwood looks to raise £12million from its community each year to meet the cost of our existing service provision. The budget announcements risk further tying our hands in already trying circumstances, presenting us with an additional £1m staffing bill we are forced to balance whilst pursuing a dynamic growth agenda designed to fill the gaps in local authority provision and government funding for families struggling to cope with neurodiversity and neurodevelopmental disability. We look forward to hearing further detail on how the government will deliver on its commitment to redress inequality of care and pay for charities such as ours.

Having access to decent, productive and meaningful work is a human right. Diversity creates a strong workplace. In 2018 in Australia: - 53.4% of people with disability were in the labour force, compared with 84.1% of people without disability. - Just over one quarter of people with profound or severe disability were participating in the labour force, compared with just over half of all people with moderate or mild disability. The unemployment and underemployment rates are worse for women with a disability. I've added a link in the chat for you to read the ABS statistics on disability employment rates in Australia Charities like Cerebral Palsy Alliance help to create decent and meaningful employment opportunities for people living with a disability. It's a tough economic time, but if you can afford to donate, please do.

I am grateful to Paula Attfield for letting me know about this Leadnow petition on the #CanadaDisabilityBenefit. The petition addresses the issue of how little will be paid to disabled people. This is a starting point, but the #CDB is deeply flawed in other ways. The CDB is only available to people who qualify or will qualify for the Disability Tax Credit. That is a minority of disabled people. It will also be tied to household income. There is also the provincial element in the CDB plan. Will the provinces claw back any of the funding? If the amount was to increase to $1,000 a month, that's $500 more each month than ODSP would allow before reducing the amount they pay. This is not a partisan issue. All parties in the federal legislature voted to introduce a CDB. Charities who serve disabled people will need to add their voices to all of things that need fixing, not just the amount. There is also space for professional organizations like Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP Global) Canada and Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP) to advocate for an improved CDB. Many of their members work for organizations that work with people with disabilities. https://lnkd.in/gzM6S3t6?

30 days to raise the remaining $700 of the $2500 for people with disabilities through the Ability Experience Empire State Ride. I got a nice article in the paper today to help. A special thank you to all my sponsors this year. Pedal power NORTHFIELD — Covering 200 miles in three days on a bike might sound daunting to some, but it sounds like last year to Illari “Lar” Vihinen. Vihinen, whose day job is teaching mechanical engineering at Norwich University, completed the first-ever Empire State Ride — a Journey of Hope route that runs between New York City and Albany, New York, last year while raising $2,600 for The Ability Experience, a nonprofit charity that raises money and awareness for people with disabilities. Now, Vihinen is readying to make the same three-day trek in late September and is within $700 of his $2,500 fundraising goal. Vihinen, who knows how adaptive equipment can help people, like his father, who had ALS, and a family friend who has a severe case of cerebral palsy, is a big believer in The Ability Experience (AbEx) and Journey of Hope. How big? So big that 30 years ago, Vihinen completed a cross-country Journey of Hope bike ride that made the one he’s now preparing for seem like a ride around the block. It’s one that spanned 62 days, covered 3,530 miles in 80-mile chunks, started in San Francisco and ended in Washington, D.C. Vihinen raised $5,600 for AbEx during that 1994 ride and remains committed to the cause, even if pedaling from coast to coast isn’t easily squeezed into a schedule that involves teaching students at Norwich and conducting energy audits for Efficiency Vermont on the side. However, three days and 200 miles is something Vihinen can do, did last year, and plans to do again — though he’s hoping to avoid the epic rainstorms that dogged last year’s trek. For the moment, Vihinen is firmly in fundraising mode and has been spreading the word about The Ability Experience and Journey of Hope in an effort to drum up donations. Perhaps we can help, by letting you know how to help an organization, which improves access to facilities by building handicapped-accessible entrance ramps, boardwalks pavilions and playgrounds, and improves awareness of people’s abilities rather than their disabilities. If that cause hits close to home, as it does with Vihinen (and even if it doesn’t), online donations can be made by visiting: https://lnkd.in/en6ks8UH and will be credited toward Vihinen’s $2,500 fundraising target.

Little Eden is a non-profit organization and PBO dedicated to providing lifelong care for 300 individuals with profound intellectual disabilities across two facilities: Domitilla and Danny Hyams Home in Edenvale, and Elvira Rota Village in Bapsfontein.  The organization upholds the belief that every person, regardless of the severity of their disability, is a complete being with a body, mind, spirit, and soul. Little Eden emphasizes the valuable lessons that can be learned from those with profound disabilities, such as the strength of the human spirit and the joy found in simple achievements.  While the average physical age of residents is 27, intellectually, most are comparable to a one-year-old, with some functioning at a newborn level requiring extensive care. Residents are grouped by ability and behavior to ensure they are comfortable and safe, including those who also face mental illnesses, disturbed behavior, and multiple physical disabilities. ▶️ Learn more about Little Eden :Visit www.littleeden.org.za 🔵www.detectunit.co.za ➡email us on ✉enquiries@duicoa.co.za or call us on 📞0105348820 or 0114534115 👍Like, share and Follow us #inspectionservices #detectunitinspection #ndt #nondestructivetesting