This document provides information from a workshop about intellectual disabilities and supporting newcomers. It defines intellectual disabilities and learning disabilities. It discusses the needs of newcomers with disabilities for supports. It outlines recommendations for establishing relationships between disability service organizations and settlement agencies. The document recommends providing services in families' first languages and educating communities about disabilities and available services. It discusses partnership examples with specific cultural communities. The workshop aimed to help settlement workers access disability services and consider collaboration strategies.

1. Intellectual Disability, Culture and
Service Engagement for
Newcomers
Community Living Toronto
April 24, 2009

2. Agenda
1. What is an intellectual disability
2. Community Living Toronto video
3. Stats: Need for access and supports
4. Results and Recommendations from the United
Way/Roeher/Community Living Toronto report
4. How to Access Services and Supports
5. ConnectABILITY workshop
6. Questions
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3. Workshop Objective:
To Bridge the gaps between settlement and
disability services by:
a) Settlement Agencies getting to know the
disability services in Toronto/Ontario and
how to access them.
b) Start to think about strategies on how
settlement workers and Community Living
staff can work together.

4. Intellectual Disability vs.
Learning Disability
• Intellectual Disability: A person may learn new
skills at a different rate. It is life long and can
affect a person’s emotional, and daily living
skills. For example Down Syndrome and Autism
• Learning Disability: A person learns and
understands instructions in different ways;
therefore the way a teacher teaches needs to be
changed or modified to accommodate the
person’s learning style.
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5. Newcomers with Disabilities
Need for Supports
• 87% needed help accessing community/recreation
activities
• 84% needed a modified work schedule in order to
provide care
• 81% needed help with information and referral to
supports and services
• 78% needed life/social skills development
• 78% needed respite care
• 65% needed child care
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6. Access to Supports
• 33% of respondents reported receiving no help from
friends, neighbours, or service agencies
• 70% indicated difficulty participating in activities with
other families because of a lack of special supports
or equipment
• 38% had difficulty participating in activities because
they felt they “were not wanted”
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7. Community Living and the
Developmental Services Sector
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8. Disability, Culture and Service
Engagement
• Established our starting
point
• Provided key Findings
and Recommendations
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9. Process
• Literature Review of all relevant materials
• Community consultations with members of the groups
studied
• Interviews with service providers who work with
members of these groups
• In-depth surveys and focus groups with persons with
disabilities, their families, members of the three
communities and ethno-specific social service
organizations
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10. Somali Community
• Confusion about the difference between mental health
issues and intellectual disability
• Little discrimination between types of illness/ chronic
health issues/disability
• Somali culture relies on the verbal exchange of
information
• “Too many taboos”
Somalis suffer from multiple forms of exclusion (e.g.
employment, housing, administration problems related
to a lack of official citizenship documentation), therefore
the problems associated with intellectual disability may
not be seen as a primary service need.
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11. Chinese Community
• There is a great deal of diversity among the
Chinese community in Toronto and Canada
• Families may feel that they should take sole
responsibility for the provision of care
• There is great value in “keeping face,” (i.e.
maintaining strength of character and the
position of one’s family) and great possible
loss in “losing face” (i.e. seeming weak or
bringing shame to one’s family).
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12. Tamil Community
• Families may not acknowledge the presence of disability
• Children with disabilities may be excluded from social
gatherings, hidden from the community
• Families may feel marriage prospects of children are
compromised by the presence of a person with a
disability in the family – points to widespread negative
beliefs within the community
• Two major barriers to Tamil community use of support
services are (1) lack of knowledge about what services
are available, and (2) lack of English language
skills/shortage of information in the Tamil language
• Tamil individuals and families may be more comfortable
looking outside their ethnic community for help and
support.
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13. Recommendations
Establish ongoing relationships between
Community Living agencies, ethno-cultural
organizations and settlement workers.
Work with ethno-cultural organizations to
establish support groups for individuals with
disabilities and their families. This would
allow those touched by disability to “come
out of hiding” and connect with others facing
similar situations in a safe environment
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14. Recommendations
As much as possible, offer service coordination in the first
language of the family, either through interpreters or
employment of staff fluent in languages other than English.
Community Living agencies to strengthen connections with
schools in their area. Relationships with newcomer families
can be started and maintained through connections to
principals, teachers, guidance counselors, etc.
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15. Recommendations
Community Living organizations can work
together with settlement agencies to
educate families on intellectual disabilities
and services available to them
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16. Outcome Statements
• Community Living Toronto will outreach to all
communities in Toronto so all people who have
an intellectual disability and their families will
have equal knowledge and access to our
services and supports.
• Community Living Toronto’s staff will have the
skills, knowledge and resources to support
individuals and families from the various
backgrounds and cultures within the City of
Toronto
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17. Access, Resources and Services

18. Access to Services and Supports
• Community Living Toronto
www.communitylivingtoronto.ca
Our Access numbers: 647-426-3219 (3220)
• City Kids www.mothercraft.ca 416-920-6543
• Developmental Services of Toronto
www.dsto.com
• Respite Services www.respiteservices.com
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19. Resources
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20. Community Living Toronto
Family Support
• Mom’s Support Groups
• Pilot Parents
• Sib Shops
• Person Directed Planning
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21. Individualized Government Funding
available to families
• Special Services at Home
• Ontario Disability Support Program: Income Supports
• Passport Funding
• Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities Program
www.mcss.gov.on.ca
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22. Toronto Parks and Recreation
• Adapted Programs / Integrated Services
• Adapted Programs:
Recreation programs promote both social and skill development. Qualified staff gives
encouragement and support to meet the individual needs of the participants. Staff are
18 years or older and are selected based on positive attitude, experience working
with individuals with special needs, enthusiasm and compassion.
• Integrated Services:
Participating together in recreation programs enhances the quality of life for
everyone. People with disabilities/special needs are encouraged to participate in
diverse recreational opportunities within their community, at a level of participation
suitable to their ability, program choice and facility access.
• For detailed program information refer to the district of your choice.
• Adapted & Integrated - North York
• Adapted & Integrated -Etobicoke York
• Adapted & Integrated -Toronto/East York
• Adapted & Integrated - Scarborough
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23. Web-site
• French: Les gens sont importants
• Portuguese:O importante são as pessoas
• Shrilankan:
இைை அைைததம மககைைபறறியைை
• Spanish: Todo por las personas
• Somalian: Dadka ayeey ku saabsan tahay
• Italian:Si parla di persone
• Mandarin: 為智障人士提供創新的支援服務，我們在這方面一直站在領導的地位。
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24. Why we need to work with the
Settlement Sector
• Settlement workers are one of the first contacts for
newcomers upon their arrival in Canada
• There is a trust level established already between the
families and the settlement workers
• The Settlement and Ethnic specific organizations have
the skills and resources to support the language and
cultural barriers
• Community Living has been more successful when
partnering with the Settlement Sector in providing
supports for newcomers with an intellectual disability
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25. Results from the Survey
N/A, 3
• Have you encountered
challenges when providing No, 34
service/support to individuals and
families from diverse
Yes, 74
backgrounds and cultures?
General Admin
Gender Issues
Family Resistance
Religious Dif f erences
Cultural Dif f erences
Language Barriers
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
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26. N/A, 10
• Do you utilize any internal
or external resources to No, 41 Yes, 60
support you with these
challenges?
Training
Literature
Translator
Outside Agency
Professional
Internet
Family/Friend
Co-worker
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
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27. • We have developed a partnership plan to
educate the Somali Community on intellectual
disabilities and access to services and supports
• Developed a working relationship between
Midaynta and Community Living Toronto Family
Support Workers to support Somali families
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28. • Information sessions on Services and Supports
in English, Mandarin and Cantonese
• Support with (and distribution of the results) of
our research study on Culture, Disability and
Service Engagement
• Support with Mandarin and Cantonese
translations of information on ConnectABILITY
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29. • We have connected Working Women
Community Centre’s child care supports to
Community Living Toronto’s Early Childhood
Services
• Working Women Community Centre connected
us with OCASI (Ontario Council of Agencies
Serving Immigrants)
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30. Interactive Discussion Session
• A newcomer parent told you that she would like
some information on health services in order to
“cure” her son (15 years old) with Down
Syndrome. The mother also told you that she
would keep her son at home, out of the sight of
the community until her son “felt” a little bit
better. She also asked you not to call Children’s
Aid.
What are some options and strategies that you do
with the family.
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31. Information
Available Electronically
• Report on Disability, Culture and Service
Engagement (in 5 languages)
• This Power Point presentation (with all of it’s
web links)
• Information on Community Living Toronto, the
Developmental Service Sector of Toronto and
Community Living Ontario
• Developmental Services Branch information
from the Ministry of Community and Social
Services (Spotlight on Transformation)
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32. Thank you
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