Manitoba making investments to promote inclusiveness; help disability support sector

Janet Forbes, executive director of Inclusion Winnipeg, speaks at a news conference on Feb. 16, 2022.

The Manitoba government is investing $775,000 to help the disability support sector and promote projects aimed at inclusiveness.

Families Minister Rochelle Squires announced the investment at a news conference on Wednesday, noting the funding is in response to a report by the Vulnerable Persons Living with a Mental Disability Task Force that was released at the end of last year.

“One of the key messages that I took from the report was the need for government to empower community,” Squires said.

“There is a lot of experience and knowledge in our disability sector, but community agencies need assistance from government to help build capacity.”

The funding will be split between a few projects, with $100,000 going to Inclusion Winnipeg – a charity aimed at making life better for children and adults living with intellectual disabilities. This grant will help the charity deliver training on person-centred planning for the disability support sector.

“Person-centred planning is a way of offering services that focuses on the goals, dreams and wishes of supported individuals,” Squires said.

The other $675,000 grant will go to a community organization to develop peer support programs for families, and increase the use of assisted decision-making among vulnerable Manitobans. The organization will be selected through an expression of interest process.

“We are supporting the sector to develop community-based networks that will provide information, advice and support when requested by an individual,” Squires said.

“This important project will help reduce the reliance on substitute decision-making with the right support networks and assistance from community networks.”

The province noted that the Vulnerable Persons Living with a Mental Disability Task Force’s recommendations include creating pilot projects, and providing funding to community organizations to help people with intellectual disabilities and their families.