This holiday season, as you reflect on your annual end-of-year giving, where you want to make a difference and the organizations that are meaningful to you. Please consider how your gift to support the programs at ABLE2 will provide Changes for Life for people with disabilities in your community.
Programs are available to people of all ages, and types of disabilities including people living with physical, developmental, neurodevelopmental, intellectual, mental health, age-related and multiple diagnoses challenges.
ABLE2 believes in an inclusive community where all people are seen as able, respected, and valued. The programs and services empower persons of all ages across the disability spectrum and their families to build lives of meaning and joy in an inclusive environment as valued members of our community.
Thank you, we are grateful that you believe inclusivity matters.
Fetal Alcohol Resource Program
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) lasts a lifetime. There is no cure for FASD, but research shows that early intervention treatment services can improve a child’s development.
Recognized as a full-body, lifelong disorder, that affects individuals who have had prenatal exposure to alcohol, individuals with FASD require supports to manage their physical and mental health, motor, learning, attention, communication, emotional regulation, and social skills.
Support to the FASD program will provide Aidan, Hunter and Lily the support they need early on in their life and give them access to programs and services that will carry into adulthood.
Build Community Program
The Build Community program creates community ties, develops strong personal relationships that are safe and secure, fosters independence, builds skills, provides system navigation support and access to resources to create the future people with disabilities see for themselves.
“When Jonathan joined the Build Community program, his family did not have an established support network or plan in place for Jonathan’s future. As we began to reach out to Jonathan’s family, support workers, and others in his immediate and extended community, Jonathan’s network quickly formed and grew to more than 10 people! Now, after more than three years in the program, the network continues to meet regularly and individual members have stepped in to support Jonathan and his family in various capacities providing respite care, participating in emergency planning, and facilitating vocational and life-skills activities to increase Jonathan’s independence at home and in the community.”
But not everyone has the means like Jonathan’s family. Persons with disabilities struggle with the costs associated with living with a disability, such as home modifications, assistive technology, adaptive equipment and disability supports.
Matching Program
People with disabilities face many barriers to full social inclusion including isolation and loneliness; lack of access to healthcare, technology, and transportation; and discrimination and poverty, all resulting in social and health inequities. Social isolation is an important public health issue.
Every day, we see evidence of how personal relationships and networks help support and resolve personal and professional matters. We all rely on these rich personal networks and relationships to help ourselves and others.
But many people with disabilities don’t have the benefit of these relationships.
“Annika and Liv instantly hit it off! They discovered they had many things in common – they both like Starbucks, exploring downtown, music and trying new things. Together they go to the Museum of Nature, the Ottawa Art Gallery, a Halloween scavenger hunt in Westboro, the National Art Gallery, glow-in-the-dark mini golf, lots of libraries to play games on rainy days, and walks downtown. Anika and Liv have formed a bond and become true friends. Anika has really made an amazing impact on Liv’s life and social connections outside of her family. We are so happy that this program exists. Anika is such an amazing person and has become like family to us. I am sure they have many adventures to come!”
These one-on-one matches bring together two people for friendship, practical support, engagement and participation in community activities thereby improving their mental and physical health.
Reach Legal Services
The Reach Legal Services Program mobilizes a network of more than 200 volunteer lawyers, mediators, and paralegals in the Ottawa region. Clients referred receive free, confidential, and personal legal services.
“I was researching for an organization assisting people with disabilities to resolve legal issues or at least providing some advice/guidance in how to help oneself to resolve issues that many times are unjustified because there’s still a lot of ignorance about disabilities. I worked for a Crown Corporation and when I started having difficulties walking due to severe pain (I have spine stenosis) I went to the HR contact and inquired the number of handicap parking spaces available, the spaces closer to the building I worked, were already taken. After hearing my situation and the challenges I was going through, Reach connected me with a lawyer, issued me a certificate and I met with a lawyer free of charge.“
“What I value most about my relationship with Reach, is that they indeed care for individuals like me, they listen and act accordingly, after this, I went back a second time for another issue and again, I was helped.”
Your gift nurtures the creation of friendships, eases barriers and reduces isolation, increases social connection and engagement, supports the achievement of goals and fulfils dreams.
This holiday season please give generously to support people with disabilities in your community.
ABLE2 is a not-for-profit charitable organization that creates opportunities for people with disabilities to lead fulfilling lives by supporting them with programs, resources and services. Canadians who have a disability face many barriers to society, including stigma, discrimination, poverty, exclusion from education and employment, and inequities in the health care and legal systems.
ABLE2 provides direct-impact programming and services to facilitate growth, development and independence, reduce loneliness and isolation, build skills, remove barriers and improve mental and physical health for people living with disabilities in the Ottawa area.
- Matching Program – volunteers are matched one-on-one with people living with disabilities of all ages, across the disability spectrum.
- Build Community – aims to support the building of relationships with individuals living with a disability, by building a network of unpaid people who support the individual in their daily life.
- Person Directed Planning and Facilitation (PDPF) – for individuals and families – focuses on helping those living with disabilities to discover their dreams and aspirations, and then to develop a plan to reach their goals, based on their strengths, interests and abilities.
- Fetal Alcohol Resource Program (FARP) – draws together the resources, skills and knowledge that exists in Ottawa and provides support and community navigation for individuals with FASD and their families.
- Family Support – ABLE2 offers a series of educational workshops on a variety of topics and a Funding Brokerage.
- Reach Legal Services – mobilizes a network in the Ottawa region of more than 200 volunteer lawyers, mediators and paralegals and connects with community resources to assist people with disabilities in dealing with legal issues.