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Campbell Government
changes Community
Living Act
regulations
to enshrine an I.Q
of 70 or below as
criterion for
receiving services
Faced with a
second petition
filed by the
Community Legal
Assistance Society (CLAS)
on behalf of a youth
who did not meet
CLBC's eligibility
criteria based on
I.Q., the Provincial
Government has
changed the
regulations guiding
the Community Living
Authority Act to
enshrine an I.Q. of
70 or below as a
criterion for
receiving services
from Community
Living BC (CLBC).
Click here to
read the BCACL press
release and see
below for media
coverage.
Article printed
in the Vancouver
Sun, the Province
and the Times
Colonist on July 24,
2008.
B.C. gives itself
right to deny
services based on IQ
PROVINCE OUTLINES
COMMUNITY LIVING ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
VICTORIA – The Province
has amended a regulation to the Community
Living Authority Act to
outline the criteria
currently used to determine if adults with
developmental disabilities are eligible for
services from Community
Living BC.
The amendment does not
change how Community Living BC assesses a
developmental
disability or determines
eligibility for their services and supports.
Previously, the act did
not identify specific eligibility criteria
for adult community living
services. The amended
regulation now matches the existing policy
that Community Living BC has
used to determine
eligibility for these services.
The regulation outlines IQ
70 as part of the definition of a
developmental disability. The
amendment also defines
“impaired adaptive functioning” in relation
to the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental
Disorders, Fourth Edition.
The amendment is an
interim measure while the Province
determines the best method to
provide services for
adults with developmental disabilities who
do not meet the Community Living BC
criteria. The government
will announce future steps as decisions are
made.
As Community Living BC now
reports to the Ministry of Housing and
Social Development, the
Province has created a
transitional team to ensure a seamless
transfer of services and will be working
toward broader solutions
in the way that services are delivered. The
team is composed of
representatives from
Community Living BC, Children and Family
Development and Housing and
Social Development.
Under the new ministry,
adults with disabilities have access to a
wide range of supports –
including
financial, shelter, medical and employment
supports.
http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2005-2009/2008HSD0031-001159.pdf
CABINET
SHUFFLE, COMMUNITY LIVING IN THE MEDIA
http://www.communitylivingcoalition.bc.ca/PDF/GovChanges2008.pdf
Times Colonist - Willcocks column –
June 30, 2008:
Shuffle leaves disabled community 'shocked,
betrayed'
Times Colonist - Response from
Minister Rich Coleman – July 3, 2008:
Families need not worry about shuffle
Vancouver Sun – Op Ed - by Michael
Prince and Tim Stainton – July 4, 2008:
B.C. should not abandon its disability
support system
|
http://www.voiceprintcanada.com/component/option,com_mtree/task,viewlink/link_id,10781/Itemid,99999999/
Speed skating
saw the winning
of Team BC’s
first medal of
the 2008 Special
Olympics Canada
Winter Games.
Michelle Lord of
Mission won a
gold medal in
the 1000-metre
race with a time
of 2.13:18!
http://www.osquebec2008.com/site.php?rubrique=8§ion=39
BCACL
CONFERNCE AND AGM JUNE 12 TO 14 2008 For
more information go to workshops
L'Arche home says it can't keep going without more provincial money
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 4, 2008 | 9:38 AM ET
A group of developmentally disabled adults may lose the only stable home they've ever known, and the group that runs the Burnaby, B.C. facility says the Campbell government is to blame.
 Trudi Shaw, board president of L'Arche Greater Vancouver, tells Go Public reporter Kathy Tomlinson, right, that the Campbell government is failing B.C.'s most vulnerable citizens.
(CBC)
"There's something going on in this province that people need to be aware of and it concerns all of us, as taxpayers and citizens," said Trudi Shaw, board president of L'Arche Greater Vancouver. "This government seems to be overlooking some of its most vulnerable and marginalized citizens."
L'Arche, an internationally recognized organization, is unique because it not only houses developmentally disabled adults, but strives to give them meaningful roles in the community. Its woodworking shop in Burnaby was one example — a thriving workplace for the disabled that L'Arche recently had to shut down, partially due to its budget problems.
"Without exception everybody [who lives there] has said they want to stay in a L'Arche community — and we have been told that is not possible," Shaw said.
'Disaster' feared for residents
Barry Thomson, one of two dozen people who live in the faith-based Burnaby residential care facility, has severe autism, and has been there for 24 years. For people like him, it's highly unusual to find such long-term stability in one home.
 Barry Thomson, who has severe autism, stands to lose the only stable home he's known for 24 years.
(CBC)
His brother Gordon says he has no idea how his family would cope if that suddenly changed.
"Oh, disaster," Gordon replied when asked what would happen if Barry had to move. "It would be an absolute disaster — unless there were some other place like L'Arche and I don't think there is."
L'Arche is a normally a media-shy organization, but the group decided to "go public" about its funding crisis because they feel they've exhausted all of their options.
L'Arche has gone without any budget increases for eight years, Shaw said, while its overhead, including salaries, has climbed. The group needs about a $1.5 million boost to their $2 million provincial allocation to make up for an historic shortfall.
 Gordon Thomson, Barry's brother, says moving him into foster care would be a disaster.
(CBC)
Without that funding, Shaw said, residents might be forced to move into adult foster care, where they move around frequently and sometimes don't get the love and support they need.
"We look at what is happening in the foster care system and we are really frightened," Shaw said. "I'm afraid that they will cease to have a sense of their own value and dignity. We're talking about people being isolated; we're talking about people ceasing to have a sense of value and purpose in their life."
Request for more money denied
A statement by Community Living B.C., the Crown corporation that provides L'Arche with provincial funding, read in part: "Our first commitment is to those individuals with developmental disabilities and the families that L'Arche serves. CLBC supports the model of service delivery that L'Arche has been providing for the past 25 years … L'Arche has asked for a 75 per cent increase to their contract to provide service differently to the same number of individuals. CLBC does not support that request."
CLBC CEO Rick Mowles was not available for an interview.
Thomson said he doesn't understand why the Crown corporation would shortchange a place such as L'Arche to save money. He figures L'Arche saves millions of tax dollars in the long run by keeping its residents out of already overcrowded hospital emergency rooms.
 Laney Bryenton, of the B.C. Association for Community Living, says hundreds of organizations are starved for funding while hundreds of disadvantaged people remain on waiting lists.
(CBC)
"Barry had to go into the hospital about a month ago and the staff went down with him and stayed with him in the hospital," Thomson said of his autistic brother. "You wouldn't see staff from any other home doing that."
If Barry and the others had to move, Shaw said, they would not only lose their home, they would lose their second family.
"They've lived in this environment where they have been loved and where their gifts have been recognized and drawn out for years and years and years," Shaw said.
Similar shortfalls across the province
"[L'Arche] is very representative of organizations that have not had increases in their contracts," said Laney Bryenton, executive director of the B.C. Association for Community Living, an advocate for thousands of developmentally disabled people in B.C.
Each year, Bryenton said, the Campbell government fails to give CLBC the money it needs, so the Crown corporation has no choice but to shortchange hundreds of organizations such as L'Arche. In the latest budget for 2008-09, Bryenton said, the government gave CLBC $22.3 million for new services, when its service plan said it needed at least $35.5 million to shorten its waiting list.
Approximately 700 developmentally disabled adults are on currently on that waiting lists in B.C., unable to get various types of assistance, Bryenton said.
"We've got a lot of stories of families who have their 19-, 20-, 21-year-old [disabled child] simply sitting at home," Bryenton said. "We have stories of families who have had to quit work in order to look after their 19-year-old because when their child transitioned out of school, there was nothing for them."
When she hears Premier Gordon Campbell promise to make B.C. 'the best place on earth' for disadvantaged people, Bryenton said, she wants to see the proof: "We want them to make a substantive investment in those services. We want them to make good on that promise."
Tom Christensen, the minister responsible for funding CLBC, told CBC News the Crown corporation received a 6.5 per cent budget increase this year, and what it does with the money is not his decision.
"I have confidence that CLBC will work with different service providers to look at some of the challenges they face and insure that both the service provider and CLBC are focused on what they both should be focused on — and that is serving the clients that need their assistance," Christensen said.
He refused to comment on the future of the L'Arche residential care home
Robert Latimer
who got paroled
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/v5/content/features/focus/boyinthemoon/part1/chapter1
http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/speech/6568/
Governor
Schwarzenegger Congratulates Team
Canada Special Olympics
>>: Now, ladies and gentlemen, it
is a pleasure to introduce Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Applause)
The world knows Governor
Schwarzenegger as a famous
bodybuilder and a Hollywood action
hero. However, he is also a
successful businessman. Welcome,
sir.
GOVERNOR: Hello, how are you?
ATHLETE: Hi.
GOVERNOR: You did a great job
reading.
ATHLETE: Thank you.
GOVERNOR: I love it. Oh, man, how
did you learn all this?
>>: The Governor is also a very
successful businessman. He is a
generous philanthropist, and
California's 38th governor. You
know, you have to wait for the cue.
You know, you haven't been out of
the movies that long; you have to
wait for the cue.
GOVERNOR: This way I have more
chance to stand (Inaudible)
>>: Oh, okay. All right. As
governor he has been California's
most effective marketing tool,
traveling across the United States
and around the world promoting
California grown products, cutting
edge technologies, and the state's
diverse travel destinations. In
addition, using his background as an
internationally recognized athlete,
Governor Schwarzenegger has made
restoring health and fitness a top
priority. He signed legislation
making the state's school nutrition
standards the most progressive in
the United States, and continues to
promote healthy habits.
Governor Schwarzenegger's most
gratifying accomplishments are
rooted in public service, committing
his time, energy, and personal
finances to charitable organizations
around the world. (Applause)
ATHLETE: The Governor and his wife
Maria have stayed closely involved
in Special Olympics, an organization
founded by Maria's mother, Eunice
Kennedy Shriver. Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger was named Special
Olympics' International Weight
Training Coach in 1979, and serves
as a Global Ambassador. His many
achievements have earned him the
praise of many organizations, and it
is a great pleasure to ask the
Governor to please come to the stage
to address this crowd. (Applause)
>>: Welcome, Governor. Thank you
very much. We'd ask you to say a
few words.
GOVERNOR: Just joking. Well, first
of all, thank you very much for this
wonderful introduction, Emily. I
mean, I have to say that a lot of
politicians should be taking lessons
from you in public speaking. Isn't
she unbelievable? Isn't she
unbelievable? (Applause)
Fantastic. I am so proud of you,
this is really great. I want to
thank, first of all, Vic and Emily
for the great introduction, and for
being here today, and working so
hard to entertain all of you. And
it is great also to have Beverly
Hammond here, the Director of
Special Olympics Canada. Where is
Beverly? Is she in the crowd?
Wherever she is, I want to thank her
very much for being such a great,
great leader for Special Olympics.
I want to thank also Ambassador
Wilkins for being here today. Where
is Ambassador Wilkins? He's
somewhere out there. (Applause)
Thank you very much for being here,
and also for representing the United
States so well. And also I want to
thank Karen Malone, who actually
organized this whole thing of
bringing all this together. A big,
big hand to her also. (Applause)
I just wanted to tell you that it is
great to be here, because I am here
on a trade mission from California.
And I have, of course, come to
Canada many, many times before, but
no matter where I go -- if it is to
Canada, or if I go Austria, or if I
go to Mexico, or to China, anywhere
in the world, if I'm in a movie
promotion, or if I go on business
tours or trade missions -- I always
meet with the Special Olympians no
matter where I go, because to me
that it is extremely important.
I've been involved with Special
Olympics now for 30 years. I
started way back at the University
of Wisconsin in a research program
where we studied what effect weight
training has on people with mental
disabilities, and it was a really
successful program. And since then,
of course, we've included power
lifting and weight lifting in the
Special Olympics, which has become
one of the very important programs
and competitions where kids and
grownups win a lot of medals. And
that has led me to become the
National Coach for Special Olympics
in the United States, and then
eventually I became the
International Coach of Special
Olympics and the Torchbearer and the
Ambassador, and everything else.
Now, it happens to be also that my
mother-in-law, Eunice Kennedy
Shriver, started Special Olympics.
And you always want to be on the
good side of your mother-in-law,
right? (Applause)
So she, of course, started that in
1968 when people said that it
shouldn't be done, you should never
take people with mental disabilities
out of their institutions, that will
be dangerous, it will be harmful.
That if you do sports with them,
that they could be hurting each
other and hurting themselves, if you
put them in the pool they will be
drowning, and all this drama they
have created, the experts. But my
mother-in-law is one of those women
that never believed in any of those
kinds of things, and she kept
plowing forward. That's the way she
is. Well now, with all of them
saying this is the worst idea, now
30-some years later, almost 40 years
later, she now has the organization
in 164 countries around the world,
and it is the No. 1 organization for
people with mental disabilities, and
that are mentally challenged.
And I have traveled all over the
world, and I have seen firsthand the
kind of great sports competitions
that they have, how everyone in
those countries is fighting for
tolerance and for equality for
people with mental disabilities.
And it's wonderful to see that,
because that is so important, for us
to be more inclusive. And that's
what Special Olympics is all about,
to include everyone is sports and
fitness activities, and to give
everyone a right to get a job and
equal opportunities for jobs, equal
opportunities for health care, equal
opportunities for dental care, equal
opportunities that you can live
wherever you want, that you can buy
a home anywhere you want, or have an
apartment anywhere you want, all the
same and equal rights. That's what
this is all about. And so to me it
is wonderful to be part of this
organization and to always think
about, wherever I go, to include
that in my activities. And so it's
great to be here in Canada and to
also, even though we are on a trade
mission, but trade mission means not
just that we are trading goods and
services, but also ideas, and I
think also when we talk about
Special Olympics we should also
include that.
So it is great to make this part of
my trade mission, and I want to say
thank you to the organizing
committee of Canada. I'm very proud
of you. When I think about the
amount of athletes that you sent
this year to China, to the World
Games -- China is going to host in
Shanghai the World Games, and you're
going to send an endless amount of
athletes over there. They're going
to bring back medals. I think you
can be proud of yourselves, you can
be proud of all the coaches. You
have over 30,000 athletes in
Canada. You have 13,000 volunteers
and coaches helping them and
training them to get over there to
China and to be great champions. So
I want to say congratulations to all
of you, and thank you very much for
being so tolerant. Thank you very
much. (Applause)
ATHLETE: On behalf of Team Canada
and everyone here today, thank you,
Honorable Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger, for your time and
well wishes. (Applause)
I hope you know that through your
support and the support of everyone
in this room, Special Olympic
athletes have the opportunity to
compete in sports programs on a
national and international level.
For that, we all thank you. Looking
out into the crowd, it is great to
see you out here, and I want you to
all know that it means a lot to me,
and all of the Special Olympics
Athletes, that you are here today.
Thank you for coming. (Applause)
At this time I would like to call
upon the Team Canada Athletes that
are here today to please come up on
the stage and join me in presenting
the Honorable Governor with a Team
Canada jacket. (Applause)
ATHLETE: It's for you. (Applause)
GOVERNOR: You like that, huh?
(Applause)
Thank you very much. Thank you.
ATHLETE: Thank you.
GOVERNOR: I like this jacket much
more than my own. I love it. I'm
going to come to China with you with
this one, okay?
ATHLETE: Okay.
GOVERNOR: All right.
ATHLETE: It is important for me to
have the opportunity to thank all of
you who have played such an
important role in supporting Special
Olympic Athletes. All of our
success requires hard work, skill,
and the dedication to meet our
goals. But they also require great
support, and you all give that.
Thank you. (Applause)
Thank you, Special Olympics Canada
board members, government officials,
supporters, volunteers, and family
members. You make a difference. I
also want to thank Deborah Bright,
President and CEO of Special
Olympics Canada for today, and for
all her hard work every day. Thank
you for being here. I hope you
enjoy the rest of the evening.
(Applause)
>>: Emily, thank you very much.
Governor Schwarzenegger, we thank
you very much for coming. Enjoy
your stay in Canada, sir. It's a
pleasure. Thank you very much.
(Applause)
|
pleasure to introduce Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger. (Applause)
The world knows Governor Schwarzenegger as a
famous bodybuilder and a Hollywood action hero.
However, he is also a successful businessman.
Welcome, sir.
GOVERNOR: Hello, how are you?
ATHLETE: Hi.
GOVERNOR: You did a great job reading.
ATHLETE: Thank you.
GOVERNOR: I love it. Oh, man, how did you
learn all this?
>>: The Governor is also a very successful
businessman. He is a generous philanthropist,
and California's 38th governor. You know, you
have to wait for the cue. You know, you haven't
been out of the movies that long; you have to
wait for the cue.
GOVERNOR: This way I have more chance to stand
(Inaudible)
>>: Oh, okay. All right. As governor he has
been California's most effective marketing tool,
traveling across the United States and around
the world promoting California grown products,
cutting edge technologies, and the state's
diverse travel destinations. In addition, using
his background as an internationally recognized
athlete, Governor Schwarzenegger has made
restoring health and fitness a top priority. He
signed legislation making the state's school
nutrition standards the most progressive in the
United States, and continues to promote healthy
habits.
Governor Schwarzenegger's most gratifying
accomplishments are rooted in public service,
committing his time, energy, and personal
finances to charitable organizations around the
world. (Applause)
ATHLETE: The Governor and his wife Maria have
stayed closely involved in Special Olympics, an
organization founded by Maria's mother, Eunice
Kennedy Shriver. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
was named Special Olympics' International Weight
Training Coach in 1979, and serves as a Global
Ambassador. His many achievements have earned
him the praise of many organizations, and it is
a great pleasure to ask the Governor to please
come to the stage to address this crowd.
(Applause)
>>: Welcome, Governor. Thank you very much.
We'd ask you to say a few words.
GOVERNOR: Just joking. Well, first of all,
thank you very much for this wonderful
introduction, Emily. I mean, I have to say that
a lot of politicians should be taking lessons
from you in public speaking. Isn't she
unbelievable? Isn't she unbelievable?
(Applause)
Fantastic. I am so proud of you, this is really
great. I want to thank, first of all, Vic and
Emily for the great introduction, and for being
here today, and working so hard to entertain all
of you. And it is great also to have Beverly
Hammond here, the Director of Special Olympics
Canada. Where is Beverly? Is she in the
crowd? Wherever she is, I want to thank her
very much for being such a great, great leader
for Special Olympics. I want to thank also
Ambassador Wilkins for being here today. Where
is Ambassador Wilkins? He's somewhere out
there. (Applause)
Thank you very much for being here, and also for
representing the United States so well. And
also I want to thank Karen Malone, who actually
organized this whole thing of bringing all this
together. A big, big hand to her also.
(Applause)
I just wanted to tell you that it is great to be
here, because I am here on a trade mission from
California. And I have, of course, come to
Canada many, many times before, but no matter
where I go -- if it is to Canada, or if I go
Austria, or if I go to Mexico, or to China,
anywhere in the world, if I'm in a movie
promotion, or if I go on business tours or trade
missions -- I always meet with the Special
Olympians no matter where I go, because to me
that it is extremely important.
I've been involved with Special Olympics now for
30 years. I started way back at the University
of Wisconsin in a research program where we
studied what effect weight training has on
people with mental disabilities, and it was a
really successful program. And since then, of
course, we've included power lifting and weight
lifting in the Special Olympics, which has
become one of the very important programs and
competitions where kids and grownups win a lot
of medals. And that has led me to become the
National Coach for Special Olympics in the
United States, and then eventually I became the
International Coach of Special Olympics and the
Torchbearer and the Ambassador, and everything
else.
Now, it happens to be also that my
mother-in-law, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, started
Special Olympics. And you always want to be on
the good side of your mother-in-law, right?
(Applause)
So she, of course, started that in 1968 when
people said that it shouldn't be done, you
should never take people with mental
disabilities out of their institutions, that
will be dangerous, it will be harmful. That if
you do sports with them, that they could be
hurting each other and hurting themselves, if
you put them in the pool they will be drowning,
and all this drama they have created, the
experts. But my mother-in-law is one of those
women that never believed in any of those kinds
of things, and she kept plowing forward. That's
the way she is. Well now, with all of them
saying this is the worst idea, now 30-some years
later, almost 40 years later, she now has the
organization in 164 countries around the world,
and it is the No. 1 organization for people with
mental disabilities, and that are mentally
challenged.
And I have traveled all over the world, and I
have seen firsthand the kind of great sports
competitions that they have, how everyone in
those countries is fighting for tolerance and
for equality for people with mental
disabilities. And it's wonderful to see that,
because that is so important, for us to be more
inclusive. And that's what Special Olympics is
all about, to include everyone is sports and
fitness activities, and to give everyone a right
to get a job and equal opportunities for jobs,
equal opportunities for health care, equal
opportunities for dental care, equal
opportunities that you can live wherever you
want, that you can buy a home anywhere you want,
or have an apartment anywhere you want, all the
same and equal rights. That's what this is all
about. And so to me it is wonderful to be part
of this organization and to always think about,
wherever I go, to include that in my
activities. And so it's great to be here in
Canada and to also, even though we are on a
trade mission, but trade mission means not just
that we are trading goods and services, but also
ideas, and I think also when we talk about
Special Olympics we should also include that.
So it is great to make this part of my trade
mission, and I want to say thank you to the
organizing committee of Canada. I'm very proud
of you. When I think about the amount of
athletes that you sent this year to China, to
the World Games -- China is going to host in
Shanghai the World Games, and you're going to
send an endless amount of athletes over there.
They're going to bring back medals. I think you
can be proud of yourselves, you can be proud of
all the coaches. You have over 30,000 athletes
in Canada. You have 13,000 volunteers and
coaches helping them and training them to get
over there to China and to be great champions.
So I want to say congratulations to all of you,
and thank you very much for being so tolerant.
Thank you very much. (Applause)
ATHLETE: On behalf of Team Canada and everyone
here today, thank you, Honorable Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger, for your time and well wishes.
(Applause)
I hope you know that through your support and
the support of everyone in this room, Special
Olympic athletes have the opportunity to compete
in sports programs on a national and
international level. For that, we all thank
you. Looking out into the crowd, it is great to
see you out here, and I want you to all know
that it means a lot to me, and all of the
Special Olympics Athletes, that you are here
today. Thank you for coming. (Applause)
At this time I would like to call upon the Team
Canada Athletes that are here today to please
come up on the stage and join me in presenting
the Honorable Governor with a Team Canada
jacket. (Applause)
ATHLETE: It's for you. (Applause)
GOVERNOR: You like that, huh? (Applause)
Thank you very much. Thank you.
ATHLETE: Thank you.
GOVERNOR: I like this jacket much more than my
own. I love it. I'm going to come to China
with you with this one, okay?
ATHLETE: Okay.
GOVERNOR: All right.
ATHLETE: It is important for me to have the
opportunity to thank all of you who have played
such an important role in supporting Special
Olympic Athletes. All of our success requires
hard work, skill, and the dedication to meet our
goals. But they also require great support, and
you all give that. Thank you. (Applause)
Thank you, Special Olympics Canada board
members, government officials, supporters,
volunteers, and family members. You make a
difference. I also want to thank Deborah
Bright, President and CEO of Special Olympics
Canada for today, and for all her hard work
every day. Thank you for being here. I hope
you enjoy the rest of the evening. (Applause)
>>: Emily, thank you very much. Governor
Schwarzenegger, we thank you very much for
coming. Enjoy your stay in Canada, sir. It's a
pleasure. Thank you very much. (Applause)
|
>>: Now, ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to introduce
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Applause)
The world knows Governor Schwarzenegger as a famous bodybuilder
and a Hollywood action hero. However, he is also a successful
businessman. Welcome, sir.
GOVERNOR: Hello, how are you?
ATHLETE: Hi.
GOVERNOR: You did a great job reading.
ATHLETE: Thank you.
GOVERNOR: I love it. Oh, man, how did you learn all this?
>>: The Governor is also a very successful businessman. He is
a generous philanthropist, and California's 38th governor. You
know, you have to wait for the cue. You know, you haven't been
out of the movies that long; you have to wait for the cue.
GOVERNOR: This way I have more chance to stand (Inaudible)
>>: Oh, okay. All right. As governor he has been California's
most effective marketing tool, traveling across the United
States and around the world promoting California grown products,
cutting edge technologies, and the state's diverse travel
destinations. In addition, using his background as an
internationally recognized athlete, Governor Schwarzenegger has
made restoring health and fitness a top priority. He signed
legislation making the state's school nutrition standards the
most progressive in the United States, and continues to promote
healthy habits.
Governor Schwarzenegger's most gratifying accomplishments are
rooted in public service, committing his time, energy, and
personal finances to charitable organizations around the world.
(Applause)
ATHLETE: The Governor and his wife Maria have stayed closely
involved in Special Olympics, an organization founded by Maria's
mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
was named Special Olympics' International Weight Training Coach
in 1979, and serves as a Global Ambassador. His many
achievements have earned him the praise of many organizations,
and it is a great pleasure to ask the Governor to please come to
the stage to address this crowd. (Applause)
>>: Welcome, Governor. Thank you very much. We'd ask you to
say a few words.
GOVERNOR: Just joking. Well, first of all, thank you very much
for this wonderful introduction, Emily. I mean, I have to say
that a lot of politicians should be taking lessons from you in
public speaking. Isn't she unbelievable? Isn't she
unbelievable? (Applause)
Fantastic. I am so proud of you, this is really great. I want
to thank, first of all, Vic and Emily for the great
introduction, and for being here today, and working so hard to
entertain all of you. And it is great also to have Beverly
Hammond here, the Director of Special Olympics Canada. Where
is Beverly? Is she in the crowd? Wherever she is, I want to
thank her very much for being such a great, great leader for
Special Olympics. I want to thank also Ambassador Wilkins for
being here today. Where is Ambassador Wilkins? He's somewhere
out there. (Applause)
Thank you very much for being here, and also for representing
the United States so well. And also I want to thank Karen
Malone, who actually organized this whole thing of bringing all
this together. A big, big hand to her also. (Applause)
I just wanted to tell you that it is great to be here, because I
am here on a trade mission from California. And I have, of
course, come to Canada many, many times before, but no matter
where I go -- if it is to Canada, or if I go Austria, or if I go
to Mexico, or to China, anywhere in the world, if I'm in a movie
promotion, or if I go on business tours or trade missions -- I
always meet with the Special Olympians no matter where I go,
because to me that it is extremely important.
I've been involved with Special Olympics now for 30 years. I
started way back at the University of Wisconsin in a research
program where we studied what effect weight training has on
people with mental disabilities, and it was a really successful
program. And since then, of course, we've included power
lifting and weight lifting in the Special Olympics, which has
become one of the very important programs and competitions where
kids and grownups win a lot of medals. And that has led me to
become the National Coach for Special Olympics in the United
States, and then eventually I became the International Coach of
Special Olympics and the Torchbearer and the Ambassador, and
everything else.
Now, it happens to be also that my mother-in-law, Eunice Kennedy
Shriver, started Special Olympics. And you always want to be on
the good side of your mother-in-law, right? (Applause)
So she, of course, started that in 1968 when people said that it
shouldn't be done, you should never take people with mental
disabilities out of their institutions, that will be dangerous,
it will be harmful. That if you do sports with them, that they
could be hurting each other and hurting themselves, if you put
them in the pool they will be drowning, and all this drama they
have created, the experts. But my mother-in-law is one of those
women that never believed in any of those kinds of things, and
she kept plowing forward. That's the way she is. Well now,
with all of them saying this is the worst idea, now 30-some
years later, almost 40 years later, she now has the organization
in 164 countries around the world, and it is the No. 1
organization for people with mental disabilities, and that are
mentally challenged.
And I have traveled all over the world, and I have seen
firsthand the kind of great sports competitions that they have,
how everyone in those countries is fighting for tolerance and
for equality for people with mental disabilities. And it's
wonderful to see that, because that is so important, for us to
be more inclusive. And that's what Special Olympics is all
about, to include everyone is sports and fitness activities, and
to give everyone a right to get a job and equal opportunities
for jobs, equal opportunities for health care, equal
opportunities for dental care, equal opportunities that you can
live wherever you want, that you can buy a home anywhere you
want, or have an apartment anywhere you want, all the same and
equal rights. That's what this is all about. And so to me it
is wonderful to be part of this organization and to always think
about, wherever I go, to include that in my activities. And so
it's great to be here in Canada and to also, even though we are
on a trade mission, but trade mission means not just that we are
trading goods and services, but also ideas, and I think also
when we talk about Special Olympics we should also include
that.
So it is great to make this part of my trade mission, and I want
to say thank you to the organizing committee of Canada. I'm
very proud of you. When I think about the amount of athletes
that you sent this year to China, to the World Games -- China is
going to host in Shanghai the World Games, and you're going to
send an endless amount of athletes over there. They're going to
bring back medals. I think you can be proud of yourselves, you
can be proud of all the coaches. You have over 30,000 athletes
in Canada. You have 13,000 volunteers and coaches helping them
and training them to get over there to China and to be great
champions. So I want to say congratulations to all of you, and
thank you very much for being so tolerant. Thank you very
much. (Applause)
ATHLETE: On behalf of Team Canada and everyone here today,
thank you, Honorable Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, for your
time and well wishes. (Applause)
I hope you know that through your support and the support of
everyone in this room, Special Olympic athletes have the
opportunity to compete in sports programs on a national and
international level. For that, we all thank you. Looking out
into the crowd, it is great to see you out here, and I want you
to all know that it means a lot to me, and all of the Special
Olympics Athletes, that you are here today. Thank you for
coming. (Applause)
At this time I would like to call upon the Team Canada Athletes
that are here today to please come up on the stage and join me
in presenting the Honorable Governor with a Team Canada jacket.
(Applause)
ATHLETE: It's for you. (Applause)
GOVERNOR: You like that, huh? (Applause)
Thank you very much. Thank you.
ATHLETE: Thank you.
GOVERNOR: I like this jacket much more than my own. I love
it. I'm going to come to China with you with this one, okay?
ATHLETE: Okay.
GOVERNOR: All right.
ATHLETE: It is important for me to have the opportunity to
thank all of you who have played such an important role in
supporting Special Olympic Athletes. All of our success
requires hard work, skill, and the dedication to meet our
goals. But they also require great support, and you all give
that. Thank you. (Applause)
Thank you, Special Olympics Canada board members, government
officials, supporters, volunteers, and family members. You make
a difference. I also want to thank Deborah Bright, President
and CEO of Special Olympics Canada for today, and for all her
hard work every day. Thank you for being here. I hope you
enjoy the rest of the evening. (Applause)
>>: Emily, thank you very much. Governor Schwarzenegger, we
thank you very much for coming. Enjoy your stay in Canada,
sir. It's a pleasure. Thank you very much. (Applause)
Not just a
girl in a chair
By
Sheena
Jackson
-
Abbotsford
News
-
November
13,
2007
Brenda
Van
Boven
with one
of her
two
wheelchairs.
The
charismatic
20-year-old
talks
openly
about
her
struggle
dealing
with
muscular
dystrophy.
by
JOHN
VAN
PUTTEN
/
The
Abbotsford
News
A peek
inside
Brenda
Van
Boven’s
bedroom
won’t
give
away any
telltale
signs
that
there’s
anything
different
about
her.
It’s
a
typical
girly
room.
Clothes
are
scattered
on the
bed and
a
plethora
of
accessories
lay on
the
dresser.
There’s
pictures
of her
on the
walls –
one of
Brenda
all
dressed
up in a
blue
silk
dress,
hair and
make-up
done for
her
graduation.
Another
shows
her in a
wet
suit,
face
scrunched,
kissing
a
dolphin
in
Florida,
and
there’s
one of
the
whole
family –
Brenda
in the
front
row,
wearing
jeans
and a
floral
top,
posing
for the
camera.
To
look at
her, she
is just
another
20-year-old
young
woman,
into the
latest
fashions
and
obsessed
with
showbiz
gossip.
But
when
Brenda
was just
eight
years
old,
something
happened
that
would
change
her
life.
Crushing
news
It
was just
another
normal
day at
elementary
school,
around
lunchtime,
and
Brenda
was
walking
back
with
classmates
from the
school
library.
She
was
chatting
and
laughing
– kids
stuff –
when all
of a
sudden
her legs
gave way
and she
fell in
a heap
on to
the
floor.
First,
she was
embarrassed.
Who
wouldn’t
be?
Nobody
enjoys
falling
down in
front of
their
friends,
but when
she
couldn’t
pull
herself
back up,
the
humiliation
turned
to fear.
“This
is
sooooo
scary.
What the
heck?
Why
can’t I
stand
up?” she
looked
up at
her
friends,
anxious
and
huddled
around
her.
“Brenda
what’s
wrong?
Brenda
get up!”
they
cried.
Somebody
must
have
called
Brenda’s
mother,
Tammy,
and an
ambulance
because
they
were
both
there in
what
seemed
like
minutes.
The
ambulance
took
Brenda
to
hospital
in
Vancouver
where
she
stayed
for two
months.
Doctors
poked
and
prodded
at her
legs,
doing
test
after
test.
They
operated,
leaving
Brenda
with a
huge
scar
below
her hip,
on her
left
leg.
She
had a
form of
muscular
dystrophy,
a
disease
that
causes
the
body’s
muscles
to
weaken.
At some
point
Brenda
won’t be
able to
walk,
the
doctors
said.
Eventually,
she will
be
confined
to a
wheelchair.
To
hear
that
word –
wheelchair
– was
crushing.
She’s
only
eight
years
old,
Tammy
thought.
The
news was
devastating
for the
family,
but they
would
cope,
somehow,
but
Brenda
was just
a little
girl.
She had
a
million
fears
running
through
her
young
mind.
“How
will I
tell my
friends?
Will
they
still
like me?
I won’t
be able
to run
around
and play
and
discover
things.”
When
Brenda
did go
back to
school,
to begin
with,
she was
still
walking,
but
things
started
to go
downhill
quickly
and the
day she
dreaded
finally
arrived.
Brenda
was the
only
person
in
school
to have
a
wheelchair.
She felt
embarrassed
and
humiliated.
Some
mornings
she
would
beg her
mother
to let
her stay
at home,
but she
would
always
get the
same
answer.
‘No.”
It
took
time,
but
eventually
Brenda
got to a
point in
her life
when she
didn’t
dread
getting
up in
the
mornings
for
school.
She made
friends
again,
and
graduated.
Her
mind was
fine. It
was just
her
body.
Moving
on
It
was hard
for
Brenda
watching
her two
younger
sisters
Katelyn
and
Danelle
grow up
normal.
Here she
was, set
back,
while
they
were
going
off to
sports
club and
drama
club and
all
sorts of
things.
As
difficult
as that
was,
Brenda
was
realistic.
She
needed
special
transportation
and not
everywhere
was
wheelchair
accessible,
including
her
home.
Tammy
and her
husband
Tony
spent
$30,000
to make
their
two-storey
home in
Matsqui
Village
wheelchair
friendly.
The
family
still
went on
vacation
and
carried
on as
they had
before,
but some
things
had to
change.
Brenda’s
bedroom
used to
be
upstairs,
beside
her
sisters,
but now
she’s on
the
ground
floor,
with her
own
bathroom,
specially
equipped
for her.
She
misses
the
company
sometimes,
but when
she
feels
left out
her
sister
piggy
backs
her up
the
stairs.
As
for
going
out to
parties
and all
the
usual
things
teenagers
do,
Brenda
closed
the book
on that
part of
her
life. It
just
wasn’t
going to
be
possible
and
plus,
she
wasn’t
into the
party
scene
that
much.
Five
years
ago,
Brenda
was
given a
whole
new
lease of
life
when she
got
braces
for her
legs.
Pulling
up the
leg of
jeans,
she
makes a
fist and
wraps
her
knuckles
on the
hard
plastic
case
keeping
her legs
in
place.
They are
what
help her
walk.
The
first
time she
put them
on she
ran all
the way
down the
long
corridor
at the
physiotherapist’s
office.
“Yeah I
can do
this!”
she
squealed
at her
mother
in
triumph.
She
can’t
walk for
long as
she
tires
easily,
and uses
her
wheelchairs
– one
mechanical
and one
electrical
– most
of the
time.
The
braces
and
wheelchairs
have
given
Brenda
what was
snatched
from her
when she
was just
a little
girl -
her
independence.
Now she
has it
back,
she’s
making
full use
of it.
Change
for the
better
Not
too long
ago,
Brenda
persuaded
a local
bank
near her
house to
install
automatic
doors
and a
proper
ramp.
Before,
the
doors
were too
heavy to
open and
the ramp
was too
steep
for her
wheelchair.
Now,
she
leaves
the
house in
her
wheelchair
and
whizzes
along to
the bank
all by
herself.
It
feels
sooooo
good.
However,
there
was one
other
thing
she
really
wanted
to
change.
The bus
she
catches
into
town
didn’t
have
wheelchair
access,
so every
time she
saw the
bus
driver
she’d
discreetly
ask if
there
was
anything
he could
do to
get
officials
to
install
ramps
for
wheelchair
users.
When
she
started
her new
job in
Abbotsford
last
week,
she
decided
to take
the bus
to work.
When
the bus
pulled
up it
had a
ramp for
wheelchair
users.
Now
Brenda
can go
off on
her own
and
Tammy
doesn’t
have to
worry
about
how to
get her
there.
She goes
to work
by
herself,
to the
movies
with her
friend
and
shopping,
just
like
anybody
else.
What
a
feeling.
Then
and now
There
are
still
days
Brenda
feels
sorry
for
herself,
or gets
a little
down –
but no
more
than
anyone
else.
Doctors
say her
condition
has
stabilized,
that it
won’t
necessarily
get
worse.
Tammy
hopes
one day
– maybe
in five
to 10
years –
her
eldest
daughter
will
move out
of the
family
home and
live on
her own.
She
knows
her
daughter
can do
it. She
knows
her
daughter
has to
do it.
Brenda
is in
the
process
of what
she
calls
conquering
her
condition.
Sharing
her
story
with
people,
telling
them a
wheelchair
hasn’t
stopped
her from
living,
helps.
Brenda
wants to
make
people
think.
She
doesn’t
want
pity.
She
doesn’t
need it.
She is
thankful
for
everything
she has.
Muscular
dystrophy
has
shaped
Brenda
into a
courageous,
ambitious
young
woman.
She is
good
friend,
a loyal
friend,
something
she
knows
the
value of
from
when she
was a
child
and from
her
family.
Her
dream is
to
become
famous
and be
an
actress.
She
might
have
missed
out on
drama
club as
a child,
but
she’s
making
up for
it. She
starts
acting
classes
at
Vancouver
Film
School
in
January.
She
can’t
wait.
–
Brenda
Van
Boden is
one of
several
speakers
scheduled
to share
their
story at
a
Dialogue
on
Cultural
Diversity
at
Abbotsford
Community
Services
tomorrow
(Wednesday)
starting
at 5:30
p.m.
A golden win
in the worlds
By
Carol
Aun
-
Mission
City
Record
-
November
08,
2007
Mission’s
Bryce
Schaufelberger
proudly
holds up
the gold
medal he
won at
the
Special
Olympics
World
Games in
China.
by
JASON
ROESSLE
PHOTO
It was a
homecoming
that had
Bryce
Schaufelberger
smiling
for
days,
even
weeks
maybe.
The
soccer
player
was
already
on cloud
nine
after
winning
the gold
medal
with his
team in
Shanghai,
China
last
month at
the
Special
Olympics
World
Games,
and the
reception
he
received
when he
walked
into the
arrivals
lounge
at
Vancouver
International
Airport
left him
speechless.
Friends,
family
and his
supporters
all
cheered
as he
walked
through
the
glass
doors.
They
were
waving
flags,
and
holding
up
posters
and
banners
that
congratulated
him and
welcomed
him
home.
It
was
quite
the
excitement
after a
12-hour
plane
ride.
As
things
started
to
settle
down,
Schaufelberger
told The
Record
this
last
competition
was the
most
high
profile
of his
career.
And he
had been
waiting
four
years
for this
opportunity.
“The
team was
selected
four
years
ago,”
explained
Schaufelberger.
Players
were
selected
based on
their
ability
to
dribble,
kick,
pass and
play as
a team.
They
were
also
marked
on their
conditioning,
defence
skills
and
endurance.
Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run in
Mission and Abbotsford
 
Special Olympian Mike Palitti and Deputy Chief Rick
Lucy head the Abbotsford leg of to the B.C. Law Enforcement Torch Run on
Tuesday morning. The annual four-day run involves law enforcement members
and agencies across the Lower Mainland who work to raise funds and awareness
for Special O. Over the last 16 years, the torch run has raised more than $2
million.
Mission’s Bryce
Schaufelberger holds the torch high as he and Rogine
Battel from Mission’s RCMP detachment office make
their way across town from the police office to the
Tim Hortons on First Avenue in the final leg of the
run last Thursday. Law enforcement officials
throughout the Lower Mainland began the Torch Run on
June 24 to raise awareness and support for B.C.
Special Olympics. Since 1980, Special Olympics B.C.
has provided sports programs and competitions for
individuals with intellectual disabilities.
CAROL AUN PHOTO
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Community_Living_Call_to_Action//
“Bryce
is one
of the
better
players
on the
team,”
commented
Stuart
Coates,
one of
the
coaches
with
Team
Canada,
who has
been
working
with
Schaufelberger
for
nearly
12
years.
Although
Schaufelberger
was
selected
for the
team,
the team
didn’t
qualify
for the
Worlds
until
last
year.
“We
have a
good
group of
guys,”
said
Schaufelberger
,
w
Congratulations Arlene on
your award
Arlene Schouten got a award for her hard and dedication to the self
advocates and CLBC
http://www.wowclbc.ca/
http://www.endwaitlists-now.org/ho
spent thttp://www.endwaitlists-nohttp://www.endwaitlists-now.org/whttp://www.endwaitlists-now.org/.org/http://www.endwaitlists-now.org/he past
year
training
and
counting
down the
days
until
the
event.
The
trip was
interesting,
he
noted.
According
to
Schaufelberger,
the
experience
was
overwhelming
at
first,
but the
hospitality
the team
received
was
excellent.
Schaufelberger
admitted
he was a
bit
nervous
in the
first
match
against
Great
Britain,
but at
the same
time, he
was
excited.
And his
play
came
through,
contributing
two
goals in
Canada’s
8-0 win.
Canada
dropped
its
second
game to
Peru by
a tight
2-1
score,
but won
the
third
game
against
Chinese-Tai
Pei 3-0.
The
gold
medal
match
against
Peru had
Schaufelberger
on the
edge as
the game
went
into two
overtimes,
then a
shootout.
Eventually
Canada
took the
win, and
has the
team
hoping
to play
again in
the next
World
Championships.
Schaufelberger
played
each
game
with
determination
and
enthusiasm,
despite
a sore
back,
noted
Coates.
Schaufelberger
has been
playing
soccer
with
Special
Olympics
since
1991. He
is also
involved
in floor
hockey,
baseball
and
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