It’s About What People CAN Do — Not What They Can't
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Leola Purdy's second son, Bobby, was born with Down Syndrome in the late 1940s and suffered further brain damage from delivery forceps. Leola had hoped that when Bobby reached school age, he would at least be admitted to the Vancouver School Board's special classes for "slow learners." What she found out, however, was that the schools only accepted "educable" children, and under their definition, that did not include Bobby.
After visiting several doctors and being told Bobby should be sent to an institution, Leola brought together 12 people to form what would be known today as the Developmental Disabilities Association, one of the largest charities of its kind west of Toronto. The Developmental Disabilities Association (DDA) has been operating for over 55 years to date, thanks to the original resolve of founder Leola Purdy. DDA provides services to over 1600 individuals each year at over 50 different sites throughout Vancouver and Richmond, and strives to enable people with developmental disabilities to achieve their full potential. Although today there has been significant gain in equality, services, and awareness for people with developmental disabilities, there is still much to be done in the community living sector. With BC's Ministry for Children and Family Development announcing a future of budget cuts (to budgets that were already slashed when the economy was good), children, and particularly children with special needs, will be faced to endure the repercussion of such a decision for years to come. |
Budget cuts and funding aside, public awareness for the community living and social services sector is generally disregarded amongst other looming concerns. The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, health care, the education system, each of the above have their own pertinent issues that impact everyone in BC, whereas niches like community living and social services are often neglected in the overall scheme of government planning.
As part of the Developmental Disabilities Association's ongoing goals, we endeavour to bring awareness and attention to the people we support. They're not simply people with a disability — many of them have been recognized by their municipalities and by other associations as contributing members of society, volunteers, and employees, much like you and me. Too often people let the term "disability" and the stigma it carries overshadow the abilities of an individual. Individuals with developmental disabilities should be recognized as a person first, and not be characterized by their disability. It's about what people can do, and not what people can't do. Written by Victor Tang
Communications & Marketing Manager
p: 604.233.5407 / f: 604.273.9770
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