IDEA Regina A grassroots alliance...
 

What's New?

What’s New? Is IDEA Regina’s current events section. Stay tuned to this page for important updates on IDEA Regina initiatives, new website features, and hot topics in the disabled community. If you want to talk to us about any of these issues please click here to send us an e-mail message. We will get back to you as soon as possible.


The Annual General Meeting of Individuals with Disabilities Equity Alliance, Regina, Inc will be held June 18, 2013 in the lobby of 2240 Albert Street.   The meeting will begin at 1:00 p.m.

 

I have attached the following for your information.

 

·        Proposed Agenda

·        Draft of the minutes of the 2112 AGM

·        Directors Report

·        Resolution to waive the audit

·        Nominations report.

In the next years IDEA will be focusing it attention on two important issues:  the Transportation in Regina and the Government of Saskatchewan work to develop a new disability strategy.   If these are issues that are important to you then you should be involved in IDEA Regina. 

We need your help and support. We will be electing a new board at the AGM and there are, as of this date, two positions yet to be filled and if there are more people interested then seats we will have an election.  We are planning a fund raiser for the fall and we need help with that.  We need help with people who would like to contribute to our website and internet presence.   Perhaps you have an idea of how you can help.  We hope you can make the meeting on June 18, 2013.

John Coflin, President

 

AGM Agenda

2013 Board Report

Nomination Report

Resolution to Waive Audit

2012 Minutes

May 19, 2013

IDEA Regina 2013 AGM
 
You are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting of IDEA Regina has been tentatively set for, Tuesday June 18th at 1:00 pm in the lobby at 2240 Albert Street.
2013-14 memberships will be available at the meeting. 
Stay tuned for updates.  Further information will be posted shortly.

 

April 1, 2013

IDEA Regina input to City of Regina Comprehensive Housing Strategy

This input is being made on behalf of Individuals with Disabilities Equity Alliance of Regina (IDEA Regina).  IDEA is "a grassroots alliance dedicated to full citizenship for individuals with disabilities".

By way of an introduction we wanted to make note of the following article that appeared in the March 16th edition of the Leader Post.

 Universal Design ensures a home is for life

 A growing trend when consumers are purchasing a new home is incorporating universal design. Universal Design is another way to look at how the features in your home add comfort and convenience not only for today, but into the future as well. Universal design is useful and marketable to people with diverse or changing abilities. This approach ensures reach, manipulation, and use regardless of the user's body, size, or mobility. This type of home is designed with products and environments to accommodate all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. The perfect way to incorporate these design features into your life is through the building of a new home.

When a home is designed in such a manner, it thoughtfully takes into consideration design ideas that benefit everyone in the home at different ages and stages of life, which is why it is considered to be universal design. Sometimes this can be misunderstood as design that accommodates disabilities. Though this is taken into consideration, it is really about achieving accessibility.

Wide entrances that accommodate a wheelchair also make it a lot easier to manoeuvre a child sleeping in a stroller, through the front door. Another example of universal design is levered handles on doors. Whether you have some form of arthritis in your hands, are bringing in groceries, or are a young child with small hands, levered door handles are easier to open.

Inside the home, accessibility is enhanced when there is one level construction, with no sunken rooms or steps. Non-slip floors in the front entrance and bathrooms, combined with good lighting, and light switches and electrical outlets that are not too high or too low, are easy and inexpensive adaptations. An open-plan design minimizes hallways and doorways and therefore maximizes mobility and sight lines. If you need a hallway make sure it is wider, and in the living/ dining/family room ensure there is enough turning space for a wheelchair.

Outside the home, well-lit walkways and as few steps as possible to enter the home are potential ways to improve accessibility. In our weather conditions this is safer in wet or icy conditions, easier to clear snow, ice, and leaves, and repairs are simpler and less expensive. In addition, covered entranceways and easy to operate door locks, like push pads or fingerprint identification rather than keys, should be considered. Low-maintenance vegetation and raised planters and flower beds can add outdoor style and make the yard easier to maintain years into the future.

Including the option to age in place, into the initial design of your newly built home, can have significant benefits and save costs down the road. This is in part why mature home buyers are finding these design principles so attractive when moving from an older home into a new home.

I am not suggesting an existing home cannot have many of the universal design principles incorporated into the home through renovations. This can be done, though it may be costly to make the changes that will accommodate your needs when you are older. However if you are thinking of building a new home and want to "future proof " your home, we suggest you plan ahead and talk to your builder about getting the right features and products included right from the outset. This will allow you to build a home that is retirement-ready. Building a home that is retirement-ready, that can accommodate mobility challenges, if necessary, can save you a considerable amount of money later on. It also adds to the comfort, convenience and safety of your home today.

One thing we are anticipating is that as baby boomers continue to age, demand for more accessibility in home design will only rise. Universal design is a practical leap forward in the evolution of residential home design and home building that can accommodate this demand.

Stu Niebergall is president and CEO of the Regina and Region Home Builders Association. Email s.niebergallreginahomebuilders.com

© Copyright (c) The Regina Leader-Post

The IDEA board was gratified to see that at least some of what we have been preaching concerning accessibility and universal design appear to be taking root, even if much more needs to be done.  We would contend that since anyone can become a person with a disability in seconds the issues of equitable access are issues we should all be concerned about.

The Comprehensive Housing Strategy

The background material to the Strategy appears to recognize that having a disability is closely associated with the likelihood of living in poverty and that more needs be done to “encourage the creation of affordable and accessible housing”.  This material also seems to recognize that when disability is added to the challenges faced by other special groups such as aboriginal women the likely-hood of living in poverty increases considerable.  However, in our opinion the Strategy could go much further in promoting the principles of accessibility, universal design, trans-generational housing and providing leadership and direction as to how these goals could be accomplished in a timely manner. 

IDEA has strongly advocated for the development of plans based on the principles and guidelines laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and we will continue to do so.  Since the CRPD obliges all levels of government in Canada, including civic government, to develop implementation plans we feel that the City of Regina would be well served in taking the CRPD into consideration when undertaking initiatives such as a Comprehensive Strategy.  We would encourage the City to consult with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission (SHRC) regarding its potential obligations under the CRPD.

We have taken the liberty of including several attachments related to the CRPD and accommodation issues.  Within our very limited resources we would be more than willing to provide further input to ensure the specific plans developed by the city adequately reflect our issues.

United Nations Enable is the official website of the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) and a good source of information on the CRPD and related issues.  One of the goals of the Secretariat is to share best practices from around the world.http://www.un.org/disabilities/index.asp

IDEA strongly believes that only a comprehensive approach to disability issues can truly address the issues being faced by people with disabilities.  To this end we have previously shared the following document (found on the IDEA web site) with Design Regina in 2011 and 2012, but have received no acknowledgment or response.

DRAFT MONOGRAPH FOR AN INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE SOCIETY FOR ALL United Nations Expert Group Meeting on accessibility Innovative and cost-effective approaches for inclusive and accessible development, World Bank Headquarters, Washington, DC, 28 - 30 June 2010 http://idearegina.ca/fileadmin/idearegina/storage/egm2010_draft_monograph.pdf

See Appendix Links  

_______________________________

It's Election Time!

and that means it's time for another IDEA Regina "We Love Regina, but..." candidate survey. Click here to see what candidates had to say on the accessibility of our city.


February, 2012

Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID)

The SAID program was announced in the last provincial budget.

SAID,designed in collaboration with members of the disability community, provides an income for persons with significant and long-term disabilities separate from the Saskatchewan Assistance Program (SAP).

For further information see the related links below or call the SAID program at 1-888-567-SAID (7243) or TTY 1-866-995-0099 [in Regina call 798-SAID (7243) or TTY 787-1065]. You can fax information to (306)787-9993.

http://www.socialservices.gov.sk.ca/SAID

More information on other provincial initiatives can be found at.

http://www.socialservices.gov.sk.ca/disabilities

The Saskatchewan Disability Income Support Coalition (DISC), which includes IDEA, was and is heavily involved in promoting SAID.  More information on DISC can be found at.

http://www.saskdisc.ca/


 

August 12, 2011

Design Regina

IDEA has provided the following input to Design Regina.

The Individual with Disabilities Equity Alliance of Regina (IDEA Regina) has already provided preliminary input concerning full implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).  The CRPD obliges all levels of government in Canada, including municipalities, to move towards full implementation and thus needs to be incorporated on future City planning.  IDEA Regina is currently negotiating with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission (SHRC) regarding promoting a full understating of the CRPD.  Timing simply does not allow us to participate in the "citizen circle" process at this time however we have attached a document prepared by the United Nations entitled An Inclusive and Accessible Society for All.  We hope this background proves useful.  We can provide other material on request.

Click here to read the document.


August 1, 2011

On June 20th  IDEA hosted a presentation, in Regina, on the Convention on the Rights of Person’s with Disabilities (CRPD).  The guest speaker was Vangelis Nikias, CRPD Implementation Coordinator for the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) and was entitled The CRPD: Compliance, Implementation and Monitoring.  The stated purpose of the presentation was to help people “learn how they can be part of the effort to move the CRPD forward”!

The following represents the highlights of the presentation:

June 20, 2011

On the 20th IDEA is hosting a presentation by Vangelis Nikias, Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The presentation is scheduled for 7pm at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre Auditorium.  Please see attached poster for more information.


 
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