HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-05-27, Page 4Page A4 - Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Community Living going strong after fifty years
Photo by Dominique Milburn
OSAID rocks the message
The East Gym at Goderich District Collegiate Institute was
transformed into a trendy rock club Friday night as the school's
Ontario Students Against Drunk Driving chapter hosted its first
{A}live night of music. Students and music lovers poured into
the dim gymnasium where they were treated to four local music
acts, including crowd pleasers Boy In December, Odium, Blind
Eye Era and Remember Us Always. OSAID members took in $5
a head at the event, which will go towards future initiatives of
the chapter. Right, OSAID members Pheobe Aitken and
Jessica Adams cozy up to thier fuzzy counterparts, while Boy
In December singer Mark Hussey belts out one of the bands
original compositions.
Gerard Crsoss
signal -star staff
Fifty years of dignity, of cooperation and
of inclusion - Community Living Central
Huron is celebrating a milestone anniversary
this year, and with it celebrating the leaps and
bounds society has made in overcoming the
stigma surrounding those with mental and
physical disabilties.
From humble beginnings to a province -wide
network of support services and independent
living homes, the organization has grown sig-
nificantly over the past five decades.
True to the region, the evolution of the
agency now known as Community Living be-
gins as so many other things in rural Ontario
- around the kitchen table.
At a time when the only treatment for those
syith.. disabilities was seclusion, parents and
caregivers took it on themselves to begin the
process of change.
"Really, families started the movement,"
said executive director at CLCH, Rosemary
Foran. "In the fifties, doctors advised insti-
tutionalization and families didn't agree with
that."
And so, in church basements, in commu-
nity centres, and in family homes, the God-
erich and District Association for Retarded
Children began putting into practice their goal
of education for disabled kids.
"Parents were pushing for their children to
have the same, rights as other children," said
Foran.
In an age where it is mandatory for students
to be in school until age 18, itis hard to imag-
ine the Ministry of Education had to declare
disabled students had the right to go to school
in the 1960s.
Community Living, however, was well
ahead of the game. Volunteers, service clubs
and church groups made time, space and care
available to children well before the province
came on board.
But what to do after gradutation?
It was a question parents needed an answer
to and so CLCH began soliciting businesses
in the area to provide jobs for those with dis-
abilites. The response was a positive one.
"That provided a variety of opportunities
for getting integrated into the community,"
said Foran. "More and more people knew
what we do."
But, not everyone wanted to commute to
the 00elch antlF491 Mekrentint
Photo by Gerard Creces
The gang at Community Living's activity centre take a minute to smile for the camera.
From left to right: Back row (standing): Marlene Mousseau, Kevin DeGraaf, Mary
McNeil, Linda Reid, Kelly Appleton, Barb Maxwell and Ed Flaherty sitting on chair) Kyle
Johnston, Penny Hasson and Janet Scott.
fices and employers expanded across the re-
gion, offering more choice than ever before.
As mental institutions finally .began dos-
ing in the 1980s, Community Living began
expanding. Services offered differed based on
the needs of communities,- and with funding
from the Ministry of Community and Social
Services, the idea of integration also became
more prominent, and the first group homes
were opened in Huron.
This allowed a new level of independence
for clients, as well as offered families a break
from the constant care they were giving:
Kevin, who has been with CLCH for six
months, is 45, and loves sports. He said he
enjoys his work cleaning windows and. doing
odd jobs, as well as the employment support
he gets through Community Living. He lives
in an independent living residence, and as his
parents will testify, loves every minute of it.
"Our son Kevin lives in a group home,"
said Kevin's mother, Dorothy Degraaf. "He
comes home every Saturday and by Sunday
at six, he's ready to go"
She and her husband Peter are retired and
Dorothy said they just didn't have the energy
anymore to keep up with Kevin. Community
Living provides not only a place to live for
their son, but job training, employment and
v i 1 i/ t r 1 A 1 r
• 11 1 4 • gr. 4041.40,1.10 01 1i ♦ • • • 4 • •i Ar a' • • • • • 1
a:�+►:.�i�0.• 4 4• 644.144044K44411•a•:i.S0:i►•4
• •.
most of all independence.
"They do things for him we could not do
anymore;" she said. "It's peace of mind."
"I'm sometimes amazed at how indepen-
dent he is," Peter added.
At the activity centre, Linda is busy making
a rug. Not one to follow a beaten path, she's
more interested in bright colours than uniform
squares.
"I've got a new one on the go," she said,
motioning to another project in the works.
She said she loves to garden, and a walk
around the Community Living building pro-
vides proof -positive of this.
"I like working outside," she said. "Doing
flowerbeds in the front yard, the back yard...
Tulips, daisies, roses..."
Her favourite are roses, both red and yel-
low, and when she's had enough of the gar-
den for one day, she said she loves to visit the
Snoezelen Room.
Added in 1999 and funded in part by Mc-
Donalds, the Snoezelen Room is a sensory
experience like no other. White, padded floors
and walls, colourful lights, music, button -acti-
vated sounds and sights allow a person to ex-
plore their senses or just lay back and relax.
It is definitely a favourite at Community
Living. ,
Mary is a self -professed "busy girl". Join-
ing the Community Living group just seven
months ago, she has already found her place
in the activity centre, and said she enjoys the
workshops.
A star in the making, she's quick to point
out her photo in a recent newspaper.
"That's me, deary," she said, describing the
photograph. "I'm here a lot."
Barry is familiar with the kitchen side of
things, and works hard to keep the dishes,
sinks and floors clean.
A little more shy, he doesn't feel like talking
about himself.
"There's Kevin," he said. "Ask him."
Penny meanwhile plays a mean tambourine
in Rock Band, and enjoys cooking and exer-
cising. A big fan of Richard Simmons, when
she's breaking a sweat, she's doing it to the
oldies.
While they all share the same challenges,
none of them are apparent as they go about
their days at Community Living. Between •
impromptu games of Rock Band, learning the
ins and outs of computers, crafts or getting
ready for a job, their days are filled with activ-
ity and very much looked -forward to.
Again, the inclusive and patient atmo-
sphere at Community Living is a complete
turnaround from the decades of isolation pre-
viously endured by those with disabilities.
Like one of Linda's flowers, that extra care is
sometimes all it takes to allow CLCH's clients
to bloom.
The DeGraafs have noticed the change as
well.
"There is way more understanding than it
was 20 years ago," Peter said. "They can do
a lot of things. Just take your time with them,
you know?"
"Kevin loves to come here," said Dorothy.
"He's happy where he is."
There are 85 employees at Community
Living supporting 95 adults in Central Huron.
The county -wide program supports 240 and
there are seven residential locations through-
out Goderich and Clinton.
From /a kitchen table discussion 50 years
ago to an agency that provides employment,
acceptance and independence for those who
need it most, Community Living Central Hu-
ron continues to enrich the lives of not only
those they support, but the communities they
grace._
I