Community Living Ontario develops policy solutions and advocates for changes that increase the community participation, inclusion and belonging of people labelled as having an intellectual disability. For insight on our policy positions and priorities for our advocacy work, please see the recent posts and resources below.
We work alongside people who have intellectual disabilities and their families as well as government to shape public policy that is practical and progressive. We bring a collective voice to the developmental services sector. Community Living Ontario advocates for the full inclusion of people who have intellectual disabilities in all communities.
If you are looking to learn more, reach out to Shawn Pegg, Director of Social Policy & Strategic Initiatives below.
Direct Funding for Developmental Services in Ontario: A Path Forward
The Government of Ontario’s new strategy for developmental services, Journey to Belonging: Choice and Inclusion, includes a commitment to allow people to receive funding directly and manage their own supports. It is crucial that this change be implemented in a way that actually works for people and families.
This document contains five Policy Snapshots published by Community Living Ontario in the past year. Each snapshot offers direction and guidance on how we can finally make direct funding a reality in our province.
Learn more by downloading the guide below below
Policy Snapshots
Direct Funding In-Depth: Learning from New York State’s Self-Directed Services
New York State’s Self-Directed Services is a program that provides funding directly to people and families, so they can manage and control their own disability-related supports. The program provides a helpful case study and offers several lessons for Ontario
Learning from Direct funding in Alberta and British Columbia
Alberta and British Columbia have long-standing and well-developed direct funding programs for people who have an intellectual or developmental disability. As Ontario develops its own stream of direct funding, it is important to learn from the experience of other
Community Living Ontario’s Recommendations for Direct Funding for People Who Have Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Many stakeholders in Ontario have advocated for direct funding – where people manage and pay for their own supports rather than choosing options offered by a service agency – for several decades. Community Living Ontario supports the growth of
Recent Posts
If Inclusion Means Everyone, Why Not Me?
This report identifies barriers that students labelled with intellectual disabilities and their parents and guardians face in Ontario’s public school system and sets out some key insights into their experiences. The authors identified various factors that
The Importance of Our Autonomy
Volunteering with various organizations to flame the social change movement, Joyce Balaz has been advocating for persons living with disabilities to have equitable access to the supports necessary to live an everyday ordinary life in the community. Joyce
Position: The Right to Live in the Community
People First of Canada (PFC) believes that no person, regardless of disability, should live in any kind of situation that promotes or practices congregation, segregation, or isolation. It is our belief that all people, regardless of