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Ron's Story

Like the old Cheers theme says, ‘sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.’ Peterborough resident, Ron Bowman, knows what that’s like when he visits his local Tim Hortons. He’s definitely well-known there.

Life was very different for Ron when he lived in Huronia Regional Centre – the institution he called ‘home’ for many years. Ron, who has cerebral palsy, was admitted to the facility at the age of 12 in 1959. While there he was regularly treated with barbiturates to control his epileptic seizures, often leaving him heavily sedated. The doors to the facility were always locked, meaning Ron wasn’t free to go where he pleased.

Today, and nearly 20 years after leaving the institution, Ron is enjoying life in community with support from Community Living Peterborough and the Kawartha Participation Project. He lives in his own apartment, but visits with his family regularly during the year. He uses his scooter to get around while running personal errands. He does his own banking and shopping, making his own decisions about what he needs for his place.  He meets friends for coffee and socializes with other tenants in his building. Ron really cares about his home. He insists on shoveling snow in the building’s parking lot and is quick to let property managers know when an elevator isn’t working or something needs fixing up.  It’s plain to see, Ron lives an active life, with the freedom to make choices.

Jessica's Story

Carpe diem or ‘seize the day’ is a fitting motto for Jessica Elias’ life. This engaging young woman is full of personality and has a real passion to change the world – and she’s doing it!

Jessica proves, every day, that having an intellectual disability can’t stop you from pursuing your goals. She loves her job at Mark’s Work Wearhouse in Mississauga, and recently said, “It’s my passion that everyone is treated equally and is a member of society…At Mark’s they treat me as a contributing member of the team and, oh, how I’ve longed for that!” 
 
An ardent advocate for inclusion, Jessica is a board director with Community Living Mississauga where she has been a dedicated volunteer for more than six years. She has been a member of several committees there, including the Education Committee, which works to build inclusion in the school system; and, the Executive Committee for “The Club,” a social group for young adults who have an intellectual disability.

Jessica is an accomplished public speaker who has brought her message of inclusion to the community-at-large through numerous media interviews and, at fundraisers or other community events. Somehow, she also finds time to volunteer at PJ’s Pet Store in Mississauga, where she provides care and grooming to animals – another personal passion.

‘Labels belong on jars, not people,’ says Jessica, who believes people shouldn’t be seen by their disability alone. All people are capable of achieving personal success.

Alannah's Story

Last year, my daughter’s grade 4 class went to a recreation centre for swimming lessons. My husband and I have always felt very strongly that Alannah be included 100% in all activities. This meant everything from ensuring that Alannah change in the same change rooms as her classmates, to having either my husband or I support her in the water so she could participate fully in the swimming lesson.

When the kids were there for the first day, my husband and I both went up and spoke to the swimming instructors as they were arranging children into groups. I spoke about Alannah, and what her swimming abilities were, and that I would be supporting her in the water. After I finished, I turned to walk away, and one of the instructors said, “Which one is she?”
I turned around to see Alannah’s wheelchair on the deck, empty.  Alannah was sitting with all of her friends on the ledge surrounding the pool. I realized at that moment, that to the instructors, Alannah was not the child who had cerebral palsy, and who used a wheelchair – she was just one of the kids.

So I said, “Oh. She’s the girl with the orange and red bathing suit sitting on the ledge,” and I pointed to her. That’s when I knew that all the planning, and all the efforts that went into including Alannah, really did mean something, because Alannah was no longer seen by her disability first – she was a person first. I had to identify her by an attribute that other kids would be identified by; the colour of their bathing suits!

This story was written by Alannah’s mother. It was published in a 2006 newsletter by Community Living Simcoe.

Stan's Story

When it comes to keeping a big department store in tip-top shape, Stan Williamson is the “go-to” guy. For the past two years, he’s been a big part of the team at Wal-Mart in Kenora, where he collects carts, keeps things clean, and looks after customers who need help navigating the store’s maze of aisles and departments.

Stan is as much a part of Kenora as he is of Wal-Mart. He’s a walker and a talker, and loves chatting with the many friends and acquaintances he meets around the city.

Stan also loves living independently. He and his friend, Gloria, share one half of a duplex, where they take care of themselves and each other. Stan helps Gloria with the medications she takes for diabetes, and makes sure she’s comfortable. Stan’s Community Living Employment Consultant checks in with him monthly, but otherwise he’s on his own and doing great.

Ed's Story

Ed Swayne has a special connection to Community Living. His parents were instrumental in creating Kingston’s local organization in the 1950s.

More than 50 years later, Ed is a regular at the Community Living Kingston office. In fact, he spends almost every day there, cleaning the building, showing visitors around, and taking care of recycling. If there’s a job to be done, Ed is the guy to do it, and the office staff really appreciate his help!

Ed is equally valuable to Princess Street United Church, where he helps conduct Sunday services, a responsibility he is proud to bear for the congregation.

Six years ago, Ed chose to live with a homeshare family in Kingston. After considering several living options, he decided to move in with a host family, which gives him a comfortable place to live and the freedom to be active in the community.
 
As the son of a prominent municipal politician, Ed is very interested in politics, and is up for any discussion of the local political scene.