Disabled face numerous barriers

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Disabled Natives face major financial problems if they want to access higher education or independent living, a government report concluded.

The Premier's Council report, Removing the Barriers: An Action Plan for Aboriginal People with Disabilities, found the majority of disabled Natives were concerned with shortages in adequate financial support for education and daily living.

The report, released Oct. 6, found that financial support topped the list of complaints. Sixty-two per cent of disabled respondents said that the financial support they receive is not enough to allow them to live independently.

Unlike others in their communities, disabled Natives are not able to supplement their food supply through hunting or fishing. Existing housing in First Nations communities and Metis settlement is also substandard and not equipped to accommodate special needs. An absence of ramps, indoor plumbing and inadequate heating are only some of the problems mentioned.

Post-secondary education and training for Aboriginal people with disabilities have also been limited because federal funding assistance does not include the flexibility to accommodate some of their needs, such as a longer time to complete a program to time off for medical reasons.

The report also concluded:

- Health concerns are a major problem. When any Aboriginal person is in a hospital, there is often reluctance or even refusal by the hospital to have traditional healing methods used. The report also said transportation benefits were inadequate for Aboriginal people who are required to travel away from home to access doctors and hospital services. A lack of Native health workers was also a common concern.

- Personal support services are inconsistent and there are many gaps in home care services in First Nations communities compared to provincial home care services. This is because the responsibility for those services is split between the Medical Services Branch of Health and Welfare Canada and Indian Affairs.

- There is a shortage of community health workers to assist people to access the needed supports, obtain repairs to equipment and provide the liaison between service and deliveries and recipients.

- Accessibility was also a problem. Forty-nine per cent of study participants said they have some difficulty gaining access to community or public buildings due to a lack of basics such as ramps and handrails.

- Transportation is a problem for many. Only 23 per cent of the people surveyed can get about by themselves. More than half (56 per cent) need help and almost as many said they need special transportation.

- Cultural activities and recreation, which usually take place in First Nations communities or Metis settlements, are often difficult for the disabled to attend because appropriate transportation within these communities is often unavailable. Washroom access is also a problem for wheelchair users.

- Many service providers said the needs of disabled children are not adequately

met in the school system. The most urgent need is for reliable transportation to school.

- Disabled Aboriginal people have problems getting information about services

and programs to help them. An Aboriginal Disability Society of Alberta, whose mandate might include individual and group advocacy and information and support services, was recommended.

The report, which was produced over a two-and-a-half year period at a cost of approximately $75,00, failed, however, to address the issue of employment.

The project was jointly funded by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Medical Services Branch of Health and Welfare Canada, the Alberta Government Native Services Unit, the Alberta Indian Health Care Commission and the Premier's Council on the status of persons with disabilities.

"It's the fist time this type of study has been done at the provincial level and it involved the three levels of government - provincial, federal and Aboriginal," said task force Chairperson verette Soop. Soop, a member of the Blood band in southern Alberta, has multiple sclerosis.

Problems were identified by interviewing 77 disabled people in 50 communities.

A copy of the report has been sent to all reserves in Alberta, Friendship Centres, Metis Organizations and government departments that will be affected. Some1,500 copies were printed.