My name is Terri-Lynn Langdon, I use nurturing assistants (attendants for parents with disabilities and their young children) in Ontario which is supported by Direct Funding. Self-Managers were given a one-time funding for PPE in April of 2020 and this funding is now gone.
The Ontario Government has not committed to securing PPE for disabled people and their attendants/ nurturing assistants going forward. The Government has only made PPE a requirement to receive assistance and/or perform job duties without an ongoing PPE budget for folks that use direct funding for these and other purposes.
We request secure PPE funds for disabled people and their attendants/nurturing assistants who do not have access to this in order to protect their lives and the health of the people who assist them.
This petition requests that the government meet with disabled people about their needs for PPE. A working group of disabled people and their allies is imperative to help implement these requests in an informed capacity.
Why is this important?
I have already reached out to Toronto Public Health, Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Government Services, The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, all without a response or a plan to address this issue.
Although there is a requirement for PPE for disabled people to receive personal support and assistance, no individuals should be paying for PPE out of pocket, and yet, this is happening. I have talked to many non-profits, that have shared the concern that there is no commitment or funding for PPE for disabled people who need access to it for their activities of daily living where physical distancing is not possible.
This petition requests that all levels of government work together to ensure that Attendants, Nurturing Assistants and people with Disabilities in Ontario are PPE secure. It appears that the government has forgotten about disabled people and the folks that support us. This lack of action is unacceptable. This lack of action puts lives at risk. Regards,
Terri-Lynn Langdon, MSW, RSW
Ontario Institute for Studies In Education, Social Justice Education, University of Toronto
