What We Do
In July of 2011, Community Living Essex County received funding through Green Shield Canada’s Community Giving Program to develop a peer training model for the prevention of abuse of people who have intellectual disabilities.
Partners for the project were Community Living Windsor, Community Living Chatham-Kent, Christian Horizons and Vita Community Living Services.
A Steering Committee consisting of self-advocates and representatives from each agency began to meet in August 2011.
What does Advocates Against Abuse accomplish?
- Supports advocacy by enabling Self-Advocate Trainers to lead the training sessions
- Increases collaboration and connections between people supported and service provider agencies
- Connects different agencies together to provide the same training on abuse prevention
- Creates a training that is straightforward and easy to understand
- Provides training to help people to live a safe life without abuse
- Shares information with people so that they are able to identify different types of abuse
- Teaches how to report and to know who to report to if someone felt they were being abused
- … and MAKES LEARNING FUN!
For people who are not able to sit in a class room situation.
3 Classes, One Day
The curriculum for classes specifically for people with a significant disability,
taught by direct support professionals focused on
- Respectful Gentle Care –demonstrating respectful gentle care and information about rights.
- Respectful Gentle Communication – demonstrating respectful tone and use of words
- Respecting Boundaries – during daily routines identify respectful boundaries so each person feels safe and comfortable.
Boundaries, Routines and Communication
A Booklet that outlines a process for daily training while employees are providing very intimate personal care, standardizing routines in a respectful manner that provides a voice for the person to communicate abuse or any change in routine.
“It has been amazing to see how AAA has grown and continues to grow over the years.”
- Jackie, Helper with AAA
