
VISION / Mission / Values / PRINCIPLES
VISION
All people, including children and youth with developmental disabilities, have full and meaningful lives as welcomed and contributing members of their neighbourhoods and the broader society.
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MISSION
In partnership with families and community, we build a life of belonging for children and youth with developmental disabilities. We focus on their unique gifts and contributions to facilitate friendships, community connections and valued social roles.
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VALUES
Diverse, caring relationships
Individual gifts and strengths
Participation in everyday community life
Respecting and honouring choice
Valued member in society
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PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORT
Supporting Families to Strengthen the Futures of their Children or Youth with Developmental Disabilities
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A Meaningful Life: Families are strong. Every family has the capacity to develop and pursue a meaningful life for their child or youth with a developmental disability. Sometimes, they need help to uncover or strengthen that capacity.
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Partnership with Families: We believe in the power of partnership with families and offer information, perspective and connections to help equip families to support their child or youth in building a meaningful life.
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Families are the Decision-Makers: Families typically offer the longest-lasting, most committed relationships in all of our lives. We respect the family members (which includes the young person with developmental disabilities) as the primary decision-makers in this partnership. At every step, we work to ensure families feel heard, respected, and valued.
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Family-to-family connections can promote important learning, motivation, support and courage. These connections happen through the sharing of family stories, invitations to meaningful conversations, discussion groups, shared workshops, brainstorming & problem-solving meetings, and more.
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Listen: When families feel supported and their immediate needs are addressed, they can more fully focus on what matters most: helping their child thrive. Even when EAF isn’t able to provide direct help for difficult situations, we continue to show up and listen.
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Creating Pathways to the Good Things in Life - Alongside Families
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The Good Things of Life: The good things in life such as belonging, purpose, relationships, and community participation should be within everyone’s reach.
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Vision: Creating pathways to the good things of life starts with a strong vision rooted in ordinary family, neighbourhood and community life.
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Valued social roles open doors to the good things of life.
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Unpaid Relationships: At the heart of a good life are natural, unpaid relationships such as those with family, friends, neighbours, and community connections. These relationships bring joy, belonging, rootedness and increased safety.
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Understanding a child or youth deeply— their hopes, strengths, interests, family and neighbourhood contexts —is the foundation for creating meaningful opportunities for their participation in ordinary community life.
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One Person at a Time: Planning for these things works best when it's done one person at a time.
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Life Domains: Valued social roles in all life domains (school, work, leisure, home, faith community, etc.) are important. If a valued social role is not available in one domain of life, we continue to foster them in the other life domains.
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