Self-advocacy conference receives government grant
LETHBRIDGE – A local organization that works with people with developmental disabilities is receiving funding from the province for its upcoming self-advocacy conference.
“Weaving your own path” is the theme for the conference, which is being held at the Sandman Hotel in Lethbridge May 29-30. Mark Davids, executive director of the Southern Alberta Individualized Planning Association (SAIPA), said it’s about giving people tools to help them become more independent.
“The idea that we work under here is to work ourselves out of a job,” Davids explained Friday, Feb. 23. “So, to provide the individuals we serve with the tools they need to be their own self-advocates, to be able to have their own voice, to be able to contribute to the community in the way that they feel that they have the best tools and the best means to do.”
He added that people at the conference will hear from national, regional, and local speakers who will illustrate the examples set by others. He also said SAIPA is helping give individuals a voice during a government review of its PDD (people with developmental disabilities) program.