Initiatives highlight intellectual disabilities

The Manitoba government is undertaking two new initiatives to help improve services for adults with intellectual disabilities in the province, Families Minister Heather Stefanson announced Tuesday.

The first initiative is a new provincial task force dedicated to reviewing and improving policies that impact adults with intellectual disabilities. The second initiative is the appointment of a special adviser to Stefanson.

“Our government is committed to making Manitoba a better place, which includes ensuring that Manitobans with disabilities have as much independence and ability to make decisions as possible,” Stefanson said in a statement.

The task force will tackle a number of projects related to increasing independence and autonomy for adults with intellectual disabilities, strategies to support decision making and a two-year action plan to help lessen the reliance on substitute decision-makers.

Much of the task force’s work will focus on updating the Vulnerable Persons Living With A Mental Disability Act, a piece of legislation passed in 1996 and last reviewed in 2007.

Jessica Croy has been appointed by Stefanson to serve as her adviser on issues that impact those with intellectual disabilities in the province.

Croy, who has an intellectual disability, is president of the Selkirk chapter of People First and first vice-president of People First Manitoba. In the statement, Croy said she is excited about the opportunity to share her experiences and have input on issues that affect people with intellectual disabilities.

“There are a lot of things to discuss about living with a disability, and they are important to many people in Manitoba,” Croy said. “People with disabilities are the experts about our lives and have a lot to share.”