Helping people with intellectual disabilities
By David Willberg

 

Family and Friends supports people with intellectual disabilities. Among its board members and participants are: (back row, L-R) president Carol Cundall, participants Sharon Steffensen, Sarah Laub, Sherry Morden and Edward Slabick, and board member Marilyn Graham. Front row: participants Luanne Jackson, Angela Brokenshire and Pauline Tuchscherer.

Individuals with intellectual disabilities in the Estevan area have been receiving support from a relatively new organization named Family and Friends.
Family and Friends has about 75 participants, president Carol Cundall said. Those participants come from all ages, and they have a wide range of disabilities. The organization is governed by a 12-person board.
Cundall said Family and Friends has three main goals: provide quality of life opportunities for those with intellectual disabilities, advocate for the rights of the disabled and educate the public.
"Primarily, we believe that people with intellectual disabilities have the same rights and freedoms as everybody else," said Cundall. "A lot of times, we have a forgotten sector of society. So what we want to do is educate the public."
Individuals with intellectual disabilities go to school in the community, Cundall said. They buy groceries, work, visit doctors and attend churches in the Estevan area.
"They really are a part of our community," Cundall said.
They volunteer in the community too.
"I see our clients volunteering in churches, and honestly, the Estevan churches have been phenomenal in accepting them and welcoming them," said Cundall.
"We also have a group of our population who volunteer at all the Bruin games. We have a group who volunteer with the Estevan United Way telethon."
When the United Way of Estevan had their Day of Caring in May, Cundall said several Family and Friends participants were among those who assisted with the community projects.
People with intellectual disabilities can be easily forgotten, Cundall said. They aren't necessarily politically active, and they aren't always demanding. Somebody needs to advocate on behalf of those with disabilities.
Cundall cited the current rental situation as an area where support is needed. Adequate housing is tough to find right now, she said, and it's even more difficult for those on a limited budget.
Family and Friends also has a social component. Last December participants travelled by bus to Caronport's Christmas musical. Cundall said participants still rave about the outing and the performance they witnessed.
They also travelled to a Saskatchewan Roughriders game last year. Many participants are Rider fans, Cundall said. The Orpheum Theatre is going to air a Rider road game this year, on the big screen, for Family and Friends' participants, Cundall said.
Other activities included a campout last year and a performance by the Souris Valley Theatre.
Family and Friends awards a scholarship to a Grade 12 student at the Estevan Comprehensive School each year.
"What we ask is that the students write an essay about individuals with intellectual disabilities," said Cundall. "And it's a way of promoting who we are within the high school community. And we have fabulous essays written."
Plans for the future include possibly creating a mural or completing a video series. Cundall wants people to know who the people are with intellectual disabilities. And she wants people with disabilities to know their rights and where they can go to access services.
Cundall said that Family and Friends is different from her employer, Estevan Diversified Services (EDS). EDS offers the residential and vocational programs for adults with disabilities. While some of the Family and Friends participants are also part of EDS, others are not.
Family and Friends provides "quality of life opportunities," Cundall said. They have advocating and educating components.
"I'd like to see us go into the high schools, talk to the classes there, and explain about the role of people with disabilities in our community," Cundall said.
Family and Friends is targeted to all age groups, she said. Several of their participants are young people.
Cundall said a lot of progress has been made in how people view individuals with disabilities. It's better than it was when she first started working at EDS 20 years ago. And it's "100 times" better than it was in the 1950s.
But progress must continue to be made, she said, and the public can't sit back when it comes to the rights of people with intellectual disabilities.

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