Community Living Parry Sound (CLPS) is a non-profit community-based organization that supports children, youth and adults with developmental disabilities, their families and friends. We seek to improve the quality of life of people with developmental disabilities so they will:
• Be accepted and valued citizens;
• Accomplish personal goals;
• Benefit from the active involvement of family and friends; and
• Enjoy the best possible physical and mental health.
Our vision is one of full citizenship in which people lead good lives, have rich relationships with friends and family, financial security, choices in how they live their lives, employment opportunities and are accepted and valued as citizens.
Dedicated team
A very dedicated team of board members, management, front line staff, volunteers and self advocates work together to see our mission and vision to fruition. Regular program reviews and strategic planning sessions ensure we are on track and on the leading edge of developmental services in Ontario.
Management, staff and self-advocates have access to the most up to date training available. Partnerships within the community are built and maintained in order to encourage true inclusion and full citizenship.
Most importantly, people supported by CLPS have access to individualized planning to help them identify the life they want to live and the supports they need to achieve their goals.
Through the use of person centered planning tools each person is assisted to examine all areas of their life, then make decisions and document the directions they wish to take. The person may include whomever they choose in this planning process. The information gathered then helps to determine the supports that the person receives.
Determining best practices and next steps in supporting people with developmental disabilities is a continuous learning process. It has become evident throughout our 50-year history that services and best practices evolve almost daily.
With the wealth of research and organizations focused on developmental services, CLPS has access to and takes full advantage of every learning opportunity to improve our services and make them relevant and useful to the people we support, including the input of the community. We have changed the face of many of our services to reflect today’s best practices.
What was once a general drop-in program has become a senior services program.
A supported employment program, funded by the Ministry of Community and Social Services Ontario Disability Supports Program, is offered to those facing barriers to competitive employment. The Supported Independent Living Program has evolved into more community supports in which people are assisted with very specific daily living skills as necessary and are connected to community activities wherever possible.
Children and Youth Services provide advocacy and supports to children, youth and their families to encourage successful, inclusive futures where young people access community first and CLPS only as necessary. Accommodation services give people the opportunity to choose and personalize their living space as much as possible to create a true feeling of home.
As we move into the future, numerous opportunities to seek community input and involvement will arise, such as World Cafés, where we choose a specific topic and invite the public for discussion and action planning. One Page Profile workshops offered to students in local schools encourage everyone to see that all people have unique strengths, wants and needs, including those with developmental disabilities.
Funding oppporutnities
We continue to access all funding opportunities available to create internships to assist in furthering community inclusion. A focus on home planning ensures that people are given the opportunity to share their preferences around living spaces and homes.
CLPS sees people with developmental disabilities living quality lives just as the rest of society does; lives of their own choosing with the right balance of supports. We see people in respected roles, referred to as valued people and treated with age appropriate dignity. This is the future of CLPS and developmental services; a bright future for the people we support.