 utism BC Newsletter
April 2000, Volume
8, Issue 2
Recently the Autism Society's group for Parents of Adults
with Autism, invited Christine Gordon to speak about the new laws concerning the adult
guardianship system. Ms. Gordon is with The Community Coalition for the Implementation of
Adult Guardianship Legislation. For 10 years this group has sought to reform the
Province's outmoded and paternalistic adult guardianship system. As of February 29, 2000,
four new laws became in force.
1) The Representation Agreement Act
2) The Health Care (Consent) and Care Facility (Admission) Act
3) The Adult Guardianship Act
4) The Public Guardian and Trustee Act
The Representation Agreement Act is of particular
importance for individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism. Together the
four acts confirm the right of adults to self-determination. This offers more opportunity
for people to use family and friendship-based alternatives to guardianship, giving greater
legal status as "representatives".
Representative(s) may access medical, financial and legal
information that previously was held back, because of the disabled adult's right to
privacy. The 'Freedom of Information Act' protects an adult's privacy; a Representation
Agreement designates a 'representative' for the adult, to act on behalf of that adult,
therefore enabling access to private information. The court no longer is asked to appoint
decision makers or guardians.
The Representation Agreement - Two Types: Standard or
Enhanced
A Standard Representation Agreement
C overs routine financial matters, health and personal care, and some legal matters. The
Representative(s) may be authorized to give consent to residential placement, and surgery
or dental care. The Representative(s) cannot refuse life supporting care or treatment. A
lawyer is not required. However, you do require two witnesses and a Monitor for managing
financial issues. Only a spouse may act in place of the Monitor. The Monitor does not make
decisions.
An Enhanced Representation Agreement
I dentifies specific needs, including more complex financial and legal matters, and more
serious personal and health care concerns. A lawyer is required to make up an Enhanced
Representation Agreement.
How to be effective with a Representation Agreement
The Representative(s) need to have good communication skills and may benefit with other
appropriate knowledge. Time is required to carry out the responsibilities. They must meet
and talk regularly with the individual they represent. Representatives are entitled to be
reimbursed for expenses in implementation of the agreement.
What to do if the Representation Agreement is not being
upheld
Anyone can challenge an agreement if it is believed the Representative(s) are not
following the intended wishes and values of the individual. The person(s) who challenge
the agreemeent can contact the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee to make a
complaint.
For further information and/or assistance in making an
agreement call: The Representation Agreement Resource Centre 204 - 456 W. Broadway,
Vancouver, B.C. V5Y 1R3 Phone: (604) 875-0188 Or, call the Autism Society of B.C. (604)
434-0880. Lori Wall, Resource Worker and Facilitator for the Parents of Adults with Autism
Group, may be available to assist families with writing an agreemeent.
NEW COMMUNITY GROUPS IN
KITIMAT AND PRINCE RUPERT
ASBC has added two new community groups to its network
throughout British Columbia bringing our total number of groups to 30! We are particularly
pleased that families in Kitimat and Prince Rupert, both communities that are more
isolated geographically, have decided that they want to get together to discussed their
experiences, their needs and to educate themselves and their communities on autism
spectrum disorder.
Karen Jonkman will be facilitating our group in Kitimat and
Larissa Goruk will be facilitating in Prince Rupert. As Prince Rupert has a small
population, the group there will be made up of families with a variety of special needs.
Both Karen and Larissa are the mothers of young sons with autism and have the support of
other parents in their community who are equally keen and will help share the
responsibility. ASBC will be supporting them with funding, information and the support of
our network of facilitators and ASBC staff.
The Prince George support group meets monthly on the 2nd
Wednesday, at Rm. 105 P.G. Regional Hospital. The April 12th agenda will focus on
discussion pertaining to our participation in March 14th's Health Teleconference conducted
by BC Children's Hospital, IDP Programs of BC and the Family Support Institute.
If you would like to organize an ASBC Community
Group in your region, please contact Deborah
Pugh , ASBC's Program Director, to discuss what's involved.
BANK OF MONTREAL SUPPORTS
PARENTS GROUP
Recently at the Bank of Montreal, Haney branch Leigh Ann Knight and Carol MacNeil were
presented with a cheque for $900 by manager Dan Zizek. Carol, a bank employee and regular
attendee at the Ridge Meadows parent information group, applied for the funds to help the
group sponsor workshops and clinics. Said Carol, "We are thrilled to receive this
money, it will help all our parents by giving them access to information on how to help
their child." Autism Society of BC's Newsletter welcomes stories, articles, poems,
and personal accounts from its readers. The next deadline for submissions is May 4th,
2000.
VANCOUVER ISLAND
OFFICE UPDATE
The new millenium has certainly meant lots of excitement on Vancouver Island. Entire
families are getting to know each other thanks to our new family buddy program called
"Get Real" Each month we have a scheduled activity in a facility or location
with arrangements made for the groups' exclusive use. To date we have been swimming, ice
skating and will be snow tubing on Mount Washington March 26th. Parents have reported that
it is a fun social event, virtually stress free, a wonderful opportunity for siblings and
not to be missed. Attendance has been averaging around 45 bodies and growing steadily. All
ASBC members are welcome but pre-registration IS ESSENTIAL! For more information, please
call Gayle Anderson at the Vancouver Island Branch office. To make the office more
accessible, we now have a toll free telephone number for the Nanaimo office. You can now
reach us at -1-877-714-0802
SUMMER
REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM
ASBC will once again be offering its popular summer reimbursement program for families who
would like extra support in summer programs for their child with autism. Reimbursements of
up to $250 will be available to members applying for this program. Information and
applications will be available after April 17, 2000, and deadline for submitting
applications will be June 16, 2000. To receive an information sheet about the program and
an application, contact Kelly Munro at the Vancouver office. The final amounts available
for reimbursements and the number of reimbursements will be determined by the amount of
dollars successfully raised for the program.
NEW
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Thanks to the generosity of the Harris Family, the BC Autism Foundation has established an
Advanced Education Fund for students with autism and autism spectrum disorders who wish to
pursue post-secondary education programs. The Advanced Education Fund will provide
tuition, books, and other costs associated with higher education. For more information or
to apply for the 2000 year, please contact Chris Dowling at the ASBC Vancouver office.
LIBRARY
HELP FROM CURE AUTISM NOW (CANADA)
Ivan and Sarina Kier presented President Darleen Abbott with a cheque for $11,000 from the
Cure Autism Now Foundation (Canada). The money will be used to buy new books and videos
for the library and also to purchase extra copies of in demand books and videos. This
generous gift will be used over the next five years.
Individuals
Ms. D. Calder, Dr. R. Walter & Dr. J. Calder, Ms. L.
Carter Szewan Chan, Ms. D. Donovan, Dr. V. Dua, Dr. A. El Sabbagh, Ms. R. Garside, Ms. J.
Gould, Mr. A. Greaves, Ms. L. Greaves, Aggie Gyongyosi-King, Cecilia John, Brian T.
Kennedy, Sandi McIntosh Kocaba, Mr. & Mrs. G. La Flam, Ms. S. Lerchs, Ms. P. McCrate,
Ms. M. Miller, Ms. M. Namazi, Ms. B. S. Pamandanan, Ms. C. Saxton, Ms. E. Sparling, Mr.
& Mrs. J.L. Stephens, Ms. B. Szaeranie, Barry Tucker
Corporate
Bank of Montreal,
Grey Advertising (Vancouver),
Ken Hildebrand Masonry Service
Clubs - Employee Funds
Canadian Progress Club - Evergreen
Dewdney Chapter - IODE
Hydrecs Fund - EmployeeDesignated Donation
Kiwanis Club of Nanaimo Sunrisers
Ladies Auxiliary Taurus 298
In Memory of Mrs. Edith Toombs
British Columbia Lottery Corporation
Mr. & Mrs. M. Buliziuk
Ms. I. E. Crowson
Mr. & Mrs. A. Desrocher
Mr. & Mrs. G. Donnan
Mr. & Mrs. G. Haslop
Mr. & Mrs. H. Langstaff
Mr. & Mrs. N. Norgaard
Overlander Women's Institute - Kamloops
Mr. & Mrs. J. Schuuman
Staff - Coopers Grocery Store
Shared
Information
WANTED
After school care giver required for special needs child who is very active and autistic.
Good compensation. Care to be provided any two days a week, between 2:30 and 6:30 pm, with
more hours available/required during summer vacation. Qualifications: Good references,
patient and caring. Experience preferred but not required. Willing to learn and apply
different solutions creatively, flexibility and adaptability also required. The child is
an 11-year-old boy with developmental delay/disabilities. Requires constant supervision
and teaching from caregiver in toileting, social skills, and other activities in daily
living. Please contact (604) 420-4979 or (604) 606-7239 for more information. Great Job
Opportunity - we are looking for people available to work with a team to provide intensive
one-on-one therapy to a wonderful 3 ½ year old boy with autism. Experience working with
autistic children would be helpful but is not required. Therapy will take place in our
home located in Whalley in Surrey. We need people who can commit to 5-10 hours per week
and a minimum of one year to provide consistency to this intensive program. If you are
interested, please contact Anna by phone at (604) 581-8363 and/ email me your resume at
anna_mcconnell@hotmail.com .
AUDITORY
INTEGRATION TRAINING IN VANCOUVER
Canadian Digital Auditory Aerobics, based in Calgary, Alberta, is planning a session of
Auditory Integration Therapy in Vancouver June 9-18, 2000. These practitioners are
certified in the Berard Method. For more information on the Vancouver session or future
sessions that may be convenient for you, contact CDAA at (403) 252-0289. You can also get
an information packet emailed to you by contacting jkoehler@telusplanet.net .
PROGRESS CLUB GIVES
Canadian Progress Club - Evergreen is a group of women who believe in making a difference
in their community. There may not be many of them but they have big hearts. They donated
$4,000 to the Autism Society to help with the library. The progress club's motto is "
It's great to be a Canadian." Something these ladies truly show by their generosity.
Thank you a thousand times. Without support from service clubs such as the Canadian
Progress Club it would be hard not just for the Autism Society but for many other
charities to provide the help they do to the community. Their generosity allows agencies
to provide services to those in need.
WELLNESS AND
DISABILITY INITIATIVE
The British Columbia Coalition of People with Disabilities (BCCPD) recently announced the
Wellness and Disability Initiative. Offering consumer health information in plain language
and alternative formats, the new program expands on the 11-year-old AIDS and Disability
Action Program. The initiative establishes a Resource Centre for Wellness and Disability.
This Resource Centre is moving the BCCPD's focus away from sickness and crisis management
toward wellness and prevention. It will provide information in a variety of formats to
people with disabilities, their families and caregivers, as well as healthcare
professionals. To contact the Resource Centre, write them at WDI Resource Centre, BCCPD,
204 - 456 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1R3 or call toll free 1-877-232-7400, fax
604-875-9227, or email wdi@bccpd.bc.ca Find them on the web at www.bccpd.bc.ca/wdi
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utism BC Newsletter
April 2000,
Volume 8, Issue 2
Table of Contents
B.C.'
s NEW ADULT GUARDIANSHIP LAWS
NEW
COMMUNITY GROUPS IN KITIMAT AND PRINCE RUPERT
BANK OF
MONTREAL SUPPORTS PARENTS GROUP
VANCOUVER
ISLAND OFFICE UPDATE
SUMMER
REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM
NEW
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
LIBRARY
HELP FROM CURE AUTISM NOW (CANADA)
THANK YOU FOR YOUR
SUPPORT
WANTED-
AFTER SCHOOL CARE GIVER
AUDITORY
INTEGRATION TRAINING IN VANCOUVER
PROGRESS
CLUB GIVES
WELLNESS AND DISABILITY INITIATIVE |