The Government of Saskatchewan is currently developing a needed disability strategy.
Part of that process involves touring the province, meeting with interested stakeholders to discuss the plan and shape the policies going into the future.
Mark Docherty, legislative secretary for disabilities, recently made a Yorkton stop. He says the government is looking for solutions, so the goal of the consultation process is to find out what concerns of people actually are and how they can be addressed.
"It's one of the most important strategies we're going to undertake, because the disabled community is a very vulnerable sector and hasn't had a strong voice. This is an opportunity, one of many, for people with disabilities to come forward and have their voices heard."
The process after will involve looking at the all the information, including public consultations and online submissions, Docherty explains. The consultations are key, because citizens need to be involved in order to make an effective strategy that meets their needs.
Ian Wilkinson, part of the citizen consultation team, says that they designed the process to connect and comment on the different priority areas. Those priorities are accessibility and availability of housing, education, employment, transportation, support for caregivers and community inclusion. Wilkinson says that the priority areas were chosen based on what they believed was key for people with disabilities, though they also want to hear what the public's priorities are. Wilkinson says that hearing from as many people possible is the way to get a quality, made-in-Saskatchewan solution.
"It's very collaborative and good for all of us," Wilkinson says.
The consultations in Yorkton are the second so far, after the first consultation in Swift Current. Docherty says that the process was thought provoking, and people came with a clear direction of what they wanted to say.
"People came prepared and with a good idea of what they wanted to say and how to make their voices heard."
The final strategy will come together in 2015, and the recommendations will be put together before the end of the year.
