In 2005, PDD funded four projects. An abstract is provided for each.

"Legislation, Existing Protocols and Best Practices Training for Service Providers and Caregivers of People with Developmental Disabilities" Vocational Rehabilitation & Research Institute (VRRI)

This project is a VRRI and Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family (CRILF) initiative. The project will involve the development of a pilot project and the evaluation of a best practice training model for service providers and caregivers (family members/guardians) so that they can provide informed support on legislation and existing protocols to persons with developmental disabilities. The project includes a legislative review on current disability rights in Alberta in order to identify the gaps and propose recommendations for change. In addition, the project will review the current protocols and practices with respect to people with developmental disabilities involved with the justice system, in order to fully understand the process and to identify potential areas for development. Information from these sources will by synthesized to inform recommendations for changes in legislation and in the way the justice system responds to people with developmental disabilities. The project will also propose a model incorporating best practices in providing support to people with developmental disabilities involved with the legal system. [View Report]

"Experiences of Parents with Developmental Disabilities: Research on family support" Alberta Association for Community Living (AACL)

This project stems from more than five years work by AACL in partnership with Alberta Children Services, Calgary and Edmonton Child and Family Services Authorities to address children with developmental disabilities and their families who are at risk of entering the child welfare system or who are currently in the child welfare system. This work revealed that close to 20% of the parents were parents with developmental disabilities, most of whom were women who were single parents. There is little knowledge as to the most effective way to deliver high quality supports for parents with developmental disabilities struggling to stay together as a family. This research will provide knowledge and practical advise on how parents with developmental disabilities can be supported to stay together as a family and raise their children. Where this is not possible, the research will also provide information on how parents with developmental disabilities can sustain their relationships with their children who may be living outside the family home. The research will also seek to understand the experiences of parents with developmental disabilities as well as the experiences of parents who are isolated from both the self-advocacy and community living movements and the experiences of those who enjoy some connection.

"Project Vote" Vocational Rehabilitation & Research Institute (VRRI)

The project proposes to gather stories of people with developmental disabilities to determine why they may not vote and for those who do, what supports to vote are required and what resources to support the voting process that are currently available. The project will also explore how adults with developmental disabilities can be supported to be involved in political participation in general. The research attempts to examine questions raised by the disability community and has the potential to have an impact at both a local and national level. [View Report]

"Historical Perspectives on Inclusion: Working Towards a Model for On-Reserve Supports" Opokaa'sin Early Intervention Society

This project intends to consider the concepts of inclusion and their relationship to developmentally disabled individuals living on and off of reserves for First Nations Communities. It will include a historical perspective regarding the views of First Nations Communities towards persons with developmental disabilities. Portions of interviews with various groups of related stakeholders will be used to create presentations that can be used with focus groups intended to raise awareness regarding concepts of inclusion and the place of persons with developmental disabilities on First Nations Reserves. The feedback that is collected will be reported and implications with regards to models of service delivery will be discussed. This project builds on earlier research funded by the Community Research Program. [View Report]

In 2004, PDD funded four projects. An abstract is provided for each.

"Self-Advocate Groups Learn How to Do Good Research" - Kathleen Biersdorff & Christina Stebanuk

The purpose of this project is to help more self-advocates learn how to do good research on things that are important to them. Most self-advocates do not know what research is, and most people who know what research is, think only professionals can do research. The project team will work with members of self-advocacy groups in Alberta to explain research in plain language and help self-advocacy groups see how they can use research to be better advocates and make life better for others. This project is important because it will help more people with developmental disabilities understand how to answer questions they think are important and test to see if they work. [View Report and Handouts]

"A Community of Opportunity": Developing a Model for a Micro-Credit Institution for Albertans with Developmental Disabilities" - The Vocational and Rehabilitation Research Institute

The purpose of this project is to develop a model of a community-based micro-credit organization (a small financial institution which provides loans of all kinds to low-income clientele to promote community economic development), accessible to persons with developmental disabilities in Alberta. The project team will investigate the financial needs of adults with disabilities, and examine successes and failures of existing micro-credit programs, identify best practices for a micro-credit organization for persons with developmental disabilities, and propose a model for a micro-credit organization specifically suited to the Albertan situation. This is phase one of a multi-phased project. Future phases will build on the findings of this project with the view to ultimately implement a pilot model, which will be the first of its kind in Western Canada. [View Report]

"The Story of Inclusive Education in Alberta" - AACL Community Rehabilitation & Disability Studies

An impressive amount of unique knowledge and personal experience with inclusive post-secondary education is accumulating in Alberta. The purpose of this project is to document and analyze the models, experiences, successes, and challenges as described by students, families, facilitators and post-secondary institutions. Making this knowledge more accessible to others across the province who advocate for inclusive lives for people with developmental disabilities is critical to expanding the supports needed to enrich and broaden career options. [View Report]

"Self-Advocates Learn About PDD" - Kathleen Biersdorff, Paulette McGinnis, Janet Pringle

The purpose of this project is to find out what self-advocates want and need to know about the Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) system in order to have a strong voice in community governance. Learning about PDD strengthens the self-advocacy movement and self-advocates' ability to be part of community governance. The project team will organize focus groups in each region in the form of "information meetings" where individuals can ask what they want to know about PDD and how it works. PDD staff members will be available to answer these questions, and all questions and answers will be documented to share with others across the province in the form of peer workshops, presentations, booklets, and the PDD Website. Individuals with developmental disabilities will help direct the project and teach what is learned. [View Final Report with handouts].

If you would like a copy of the plain language training manual for this project, please contact Tim via e-mail with your request: Tim.Weinkauf@gov.ab.ca.

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