The province is rolling out changes to persons with developmental disabilities (PDD) services, which is creating some unease among users of the Drumheller and Region Transition Society (DARTS).
    The non profit organization, that helps person’s with developmental disabilities, is currently waiting for their contract with the Province of Alberta to be finalized. To date, there isn’t any indication of what the new contract will entail.
    On Thursday, June 6, the Associate Minister for Persons with Disabilities, the Honourable Frank Oberle, discussed the issues at a meeting at the Badlands Community Facility.
    One of the biggest concerns is $42 million being pulled out of community access funding.
    “There are concerns at this point because there are a lot of unknowns at this time tied to funding and support needs. We do not have anything in writing yet. We had an extension on our contract until July 1, but I still do not have any details,” said Lorelei Martin, executive director of DARTS.
    “The reduction does not imply people will be alone during the day. People with higher needs still need staff in their homes if they are not engaged in the community all day.”
    Oberle assured those present at the meeting the $42 million was not lost, but instead reallocated to give front-line staff a 10 per cent wage increase. It was felt the money could be spent more efficiently.
    “My budget went up. That $42 million stayed in the budget...it is being consumed by a wage increase for front-line workers,” said Oberle.
    “We do those things (community access) and still get low marks on social inclusion. We want to do better and focus more on activities that allow people to be independent as possible...with the right kind of support.”

Associate Minister for Persons with Disabilities, the Honourable Frank Oberle (left), outlined the changes taking place in services for persons with developmental disabilities at a meeting at the Badlands Community Facility on June 6. The goal is focus on employment and Oberle assured those present anyone needing services would receive them.

    The roughly 80 staff who work for DARTS had expressed concern over their futures.
    “We’ve been purposely not filling some of the vacant positions that were not mandatory and using other staff to cover those positions. We’ve been looking at how we can best utilize the manpower we have,” said Martin. “We are telling our staff not to go looking for other jobs. The intent of the roles may be changing, but we still need staff.”
    The province is emphasizing a change in focus of its programs from community access to community engagement. The goal is to focus on programming that helps persons with disabilities find employment and volunteer opportunities.
    “They’re in the process of a transition they’ve been looking at for the past three years. It includes a shift from community access to community engagement. The provincial perspective and influence is motivating us to move more in that direction, which aligns with our philosophy,” said Martin.
    The transition could take time. A lot of the details regarding how the change will occur have yet to be determined, but Oberle explained PDD service providers and individuals would be involved.
    “We have to have conversations with every service provider in the province and every individual and their family or guardian. It’s a very personal, local exercise,” said Oberle.
    “There’s a lot of work to do. It’s not going to be on July 1 we flick a switch, it’s a work in progress. The vision we have, I’m convinced, is right. It’s the process to get there and the anxiety it creates. But, if you need services, you’re going to get services.”
    The transition is part of the province’s new result-based funding mantra. Oberle feels there is room for improvement in PDD services.
    “We want to start contracting based on outcome. If someone wants to be employed, what do you we need to do to support them,” said Oberle.
    “There are some macro level measures, too. In our PDD community we have about a 20 per cent employment rate. In Washington State, it’s over 60 per cent. I’m not target their model or employment numbers, but there is a clear indication. There is an opportunity for us to do better.”
    The results they will analyze will also include the progress of individuals using PDD services.
    “We measures some results already, for example through quality of life surveys. We want to help people achieve their personal goals. Once you have those conversations with individuals, you’ll be able to go back to their goals and compare it to the outcome,” said Oberle. “I want a system where I can say, this is the need, this is what is costs to provide, and that’s my budget.”
    Martin was glad Oberle paid a visit to Drumheller, but acknowledged there still are unanswered questions.
    “The vision is clear and confirmed, which is great. Some of the details on the how are unknown. What is clear, is we’ll all need to work together to figure that out,” said Martin. “I’m glad it was confirmed that there won’t be strict time constraints. It was great to hear it’s not going to be budget-driven decisions, it’s going to be based on people, so we can continue to provide the support we always have and pilot some different programs to promote independence.”