There has been an increase in discussion around parents and caregivers seeking guardianship for their adult child with a developmental disability. This webcast will help families understand the implications of guardianship and how it is usually unnecessary. It will also delve into decision making alternatives in Ontario and different ways to think about a person’s rights and ability to make their own decisions.

This webcast will:

• Help people and families better understand where guardianship would be necessary and where it probably isn’t
• Explain decision-making alternatives in Ontario
• Provide alternative ways of thinking about a person’s ability and right to make their own decision
• Explain the drawbacks to guardianship

Imagine bringing together a small group of family and friends to create a non-profit board to help your loved one with a disability to plan and manage their life — today and long into the future. This is the concept behind Microboards.

The key principle of a Microboard is that every person has the capacity to express their will and preferences in some way. As a result, people with a disability can be involved in directing their life and take charge of key decisions with support from others.

What's in it for you:

• Definition, overview, and core values underlying microboards
• Steps involved in creating and operating a microboard
• First-hand experience from parents engaged in the process
• Related online resources for further information and inspiration

The Disability Tax Credit (DTC) is a special credit for people with a disability and those that support them. On its own, the DTC can help reduce income taxes in order to offset some of the extra costs people living with a disability may incur. But perhaps an even greater benefit are the other programs you may be eligible for once you have been approved for the DTC. Programs like the Registered Disability Saving Plan (RDSP), which can provide you with up to $90,000 of bonds and grants from the Government of Canada, or the Child Disability Benefit, which is a tax-free monthly payment to families with a child with a disability, are available to people that qualify for the DTC.

DSO Housing Navigators are holding their 3rd Annual Virtual Developmental Service Housing Strategy Forum.

This year, the focus will be on Creating Opportunity Through Community Collaboration.

If you are an autistic adult who enjoys tabletop games, join us for an evening of excitement, snacks, and board games!

This is an excellent opportunity to meet some new friends in your community. You are also welcome to bring a board game of your own to share!

Caregivers or support persons are welcome and must stay if the adult requires support. This is not a transfer of care program.

Join the Algoma Youth Wellness Hub for a cooking classes for adults aged 18-25 at a variety of dates. Learn to make breakfast, lunch, snacks, and a homemade dough.

Caregivers or support persons are welcome and must stay if the adult requires support. This is not a transfer of care program.

Join Autism Ontario's Adult Social Club while we go on a Ghost Walk at Fort George!

This event for autistic adults 18+ who do not require 1:1 support (individual support is not provided, there will be 2 staff present to sign participants in and stay for the duration of the event).

This month, we will be meeting for a ghost walk to explore the scariest aspects of haunted Fort George.

Caregivers or support persons are welcome and must stay if the adult requires support. This is not a transfer of care program.

This month, we will be visiting Tilt, Canada’s largest retro arcade. Come challenge yourself and friends to arcade, pinball, and console games. You will get access to Tilt Arcade and your choice between the OG hamburger, hot dog, or chicken strips. All items come with fries and a pop.

Caregivers or support persons are welcome and must stay if the adult requires support. This is not a transfer of care program.

This monthly gathering engages autistic adults (18+) who do not require 1:1 support (individual support is not provided, there will be two staff present to sign participants in and stay for the duration of the event).

Join us this month for an evening of excitement at Superbowl Lanes for a game of bowling and pizza.

Please note: Socks are required for this event.

Caregivers or support persons are welcome and must stay if the adult requires support. This is not a transfer of care program.

Autistic adults (18+) are welcome to putt through 18 holes of mini golf! Northern Adventure Mini-Putt has 18 holes packed full of fun with unusual twists and turns. Putt past a moose, down the runway of a crashed plane, and an abandoned railway track!

We'll play a round of mini putt and eat a meal on the patio. Registration includes one round of mini golf and your choice of hamburger or sausage and a drink.

Caregivers or support persons are welcome and must stay if the adult requires support. This is not a transfer of care program.

Autistic adults (18+) are invited to join us for a guided ghost walk at the Georgina Pioneer village, using state-of-the-art ghost-hunting equipment, where you'll be introduced to ghostly history about some of the encounters experienced onsite! We'll be led throughout four of the historic buildings on site and greeted by members of the Georgina Paranormal Society who will share ghost-hunting techniques and past experiences on site and throughout the community.

Caregivers or support persons are welcome and must stay if the adult requires support. This is not a transfer of care program.

Autistic adults (18+) are invited to join us for an Italian-themed cooking class. This program will allow autistic adults to participate in a hands-on cooking lesson, socially interact with others, and build their confidence while learning to cook a meal they can prepare all on their own. We will make homemade pizza (dough and sauce from scratch), Caesar salad, and tiramisu.

The cooking class will consist of an introduction, cooking, and eating the meal we prepared together.

Caregivers or support persons are welcome and must stay if the adult requires support. This is not a transfer of care program.

What began as free legal services for low-income residents of Windsor-Essex and the GTA living with an intellectual disability, the I Decide Law Program has now grown into a province-wide pro bono initiative.

Pooran Law advocates for the decision-making rights of people who have intellectual disabilities. Through legal education and direct services, they aim to promote self-directed decisions and future planning.

Services include:

• Decision-making rights
• Making Powers of Attorney
• Challenging Guardianship
• Consent and capacity for healthcare treatment
• Preventing and reporting abuse and exploitation (including financial abuse and human trafficking)
• Person-directed planning
• Reduced rates on Wills
• Legal education training sessions

How would you feel if you had no say in where you live, who you spend time with, what you wear, what you eat, who you visit, or what you can spend your money on?

That’s what can happen to people with disabilities when someone else has the power to make choices and decisions for them. We believe that everyone has the right to make choices, and we always assume that a person can make their own decisions.

Supported decision-making is a way that people with disabilities can make their own decisions and stay in charge of their lives, while getting the help they need to do so.