WHAT IS CLAS?
CLAS is an agency that helps you to find places to live, work and have fun. It helps families get support when they need it. It can also help you to have a say in things that matter to you. You must be 18 years old or older and a client of Calgary PDD to be in the program.
What does CLAS believe about people with disabilities?
CLAS believes that people with disabilities should be treated the same as anybody else.
We believe that you should be treated fairly and with respect and be able to plan what you would like to do. We think that you should pick who you want to do things with and when you want to do them.
What does CLAS do?
CLAS will help you and your family to make choices in your life such as:
- Help you find a place to live or someone to live with
- Help you make new friends
- Help you to do new things such as cook, shop, clean your house and look after your own money and buy your own clothes
- We can also help you find the right person to assist you
- Help you make good choices so you won’t get hurt
- Help you if others don’t treat you right
- Help you to find a new doctor or dentist
- An unwanted touch to a private part of your body
- Unwanted sexual comments and motions
- If they hit, slap, kick, push, burn shake or bite you
- Say they can or will hit, slap, push, burn or shake or bite you
- When a person calls you a name or picks on you
- If a person says mean things to you or about you If a person yells at you when they are mad
If you do not get help with these things:
- Have proper food
- Get your medicine
- Dress for the weather
- Go to a Doctor when you are sick or hurt
- Stay in good health
- Keep you safe
- If someone asks you to take things from a store that have not been paid for
- If a person steals from you
- Make you do things you do not want to do
- If a person makes you eat food you do not like
Staff could also stop you from doing things that are not good for your health. For example, if you are diabetic, staff may not let you eat sugar.These are some of the ways your rights can be taken away, if:
- a person goes into your private space, like your bedroom and you do not want them to
- you do not get to pick how to spend your own money
- others take away the telephone
- others take away your belongings
- others keep your medicine when you do not want them to have it or make you take it when you do not need it
Right to Information
The agency keeps files on all Individuals accessing services at CLAS These files are private. You can look at the parts of your file that CLAS. writes after you ask in a letter to see it. You, your guardian, or your advocate can do this.
If you find that the information in your file is not correct, you have the right to ask staff to correct it. You also need to put this in a letter. The Program Coordinator (the boss of the program) will help change this.
The information in your file is only used to help the staff to plan services with you and your family.
CLAS also uses a computer and a program to store your information and to write your Service Plan for PDD. This computer is at the CLAS office. A copy of the information is also stored in Calgary. Your personal information is kept is very safe. Only your staff and managers from CLAS can see your personal information after using two different passwords. The computer will be able to put information about your goals and our services into reports that will tell us if we are doing a good job or not. None of your personal information will ever be on these reports.
If you have a concern or a problem with services being given to you at C.L.A.S., there is someone to talk to. Here is the list and how to do it in the proper order.
- Support Worker (CRF, Outreach, Key-worker, Roommate)
- Supervisor
- Program Coordinator
- Executive Director of C.L.A.S.
- PDD Client Services Coordinator
Each person will try to fix the problem. If they cannot, the next person will help out. This is done in a meeting. The meeting will be held within 10 days after the complaint has been made. Both the Individual accessing services and their guardian can have a support person attend the meeting. The Individual accessing services and their guardian will get a letter that will tell them what the final answer is.
People with disabilities are also protected by laws made by the government. Some of the laws are:
- Alberta Individual Rights Protection Act
- Canada Charter of Rights and Freedoms
There are other papers that talk about your rights like the:
- V.R.R.I Bill of Rights
There are other services that will help you with your rights like:
- Alberta Association of Community Living
- Disability Action Hall
Your support staff can help you to learn more about your rights and these services.
Helps people with disabilities to learn work skills. Some of the jobs that the Cochrane Community Program does are to help clean up the Cochrane area parks, clean up parking lots, deliver flyers and newspapers. This is paid work. Some jobs can also be with private companies.
Each day, there may be different jobs to do. Clients can work alone if they can or with a group.
The Cochrane Community Program also helps people with recreation. On Fridays, there is a fun day activity. During the year there are dances, camping trips and parties.
The Community Support Program is a program that helps you with skills that you use every day.
It can help you with things like:
- Learn to do things on your own
- Live in the community
- Find your own doctor
- Understand your money
- Buy things that you need (ex. bus pass, food, clothes, medicine)
- Deal with life problems
If you need support for a few hours a week the Community Support Program can help.
We believe that you will have better health if you are with other people learning and staying active. The Day Alternative Program is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Just about everyone comes every day to the program. Activities are held in the community and in our building. You spend most of the time with other people in a group with a staff person. You choose up to 2 activities each day. Some activities you can go to again and again and others only some times. You get to community activities by walking, taking the Calgary Transit or by a car driven by staff.
The kinds of activities are:
- Educational and General Interest: math, American Sign Language, reading, computers, world geography, current events, French, beauty club, volunteering and tours like city hall, radio stations, SPCA, Zoo, police & fire stations, libraries, Bragg Creek, Elbow Falls, Tyrrell Museum, Cochrane and more
- Recreational and Leisure: swimming, camping, bowling, darts, billiards, power walking, palates, Wii, Karaoke and more.
The staff of this program will help you and your team to write a plan to give to PDD. The staff will then help you to find the services in the plan.
Some of the services could be:
- Supported Living Arrangements – roommates that help you learn how to:
- buy groceries
- pick what you want to wear
- spend your money
- cook meals
- learn how to get along with others
- Community Outreach Supports – staff help you to learn new skills such as
- Organize your home
- Plan and cook meals
- Choose good foods
- Help you live on the money you have
- Volunteer
- Go to school and classes
- Find places and people to have fun with
The Residential Support Program is located in the City and in the country around Cochrane. This program offers Group Living Arrangements – staff work with the Individuals in the home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This program is for people who need a lot of help with their problems. Staff teach people how to get along with others.
