Real Inclusion can thrive in Parry Sound!

This blog post is part of a collaborative campaign between Community Living organizations in Almaguin Highlands, Huntsville, Parry Sound, and South Muskoka. Help us celebrate Community Living Month by learning about the important work that we do in our region!

Who is Community Living Parry Sound? Glad you asked! We are a not-for-profit Developmental Services organization that empowers people with developmental disabilities at home and in the community. We believe people with and without disabilities deserve to live together as respected, included, and contributing community members.


Founded in 1962, Community Living Parry Sound and our team of 60 staff support 207 people and their families in the district of West Parry Sound (from Mactier to Britt). Our services support children and adults who have developmental disabilities, which can include autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, and more.


How do our services help? We champion skill-building and choice so people can live with independence and dignity. We advocate alongside people, families, and community partners for disability rights and equal opportunity. We assist people and families to navigate systems to better access the support they need. We promote real community inclusion so people with and without disabilities can live side-by-side as neighbours, coworkers, and friends.

Real inclusion lives here.

But it hasn’t always been this way…


Reader’s discretion: please be advised that the next few paragraphs mention the traumatic history of institutionalization and systematic abuse of people with developmental disabilities.

People with developmental disabilities have experienced a long history of discrimination and mistreatment at the hands of the systems and structures built to protect us. Often from the moment people were labelled or diagnosed with a developmental disability, the only pathway they were presented was to move away from the communities in which they were born, separated from their loved ones, and live in the confinement of government-run treatment centres.


For over 130 years, families, including those in the Parry Sound area, were counselled to send their children to facilities like Orillia’s Huronia Regional Centre to receive ‘specialized education and treatment’. During this time, a staggering number (50,000) of children and adults were systematically segregated, and often abused in these overcrowded, dehumanizing institutions that that robbed people of their autonomy, dignity, privacy – and for far too many, their lives. At institutions like Huronia Regional Centre, those who died were buried in graves marked with numbers instead of names (if they were marked at all), further robbing people of their dignity, even after their untimely passing.


It was not until the 1950s when families and people with disabilities began to question (read: courageously refuse) the status quo that real change started to take place. The belief that people with developmental disabilities can make their own choices and live independently in their community with the right support is now widely held thanks to those brave families and parents who championed the community living movement. In 1962, a group of parents created what eventually would be Community Living Parry Sound and sparked an ongoing movement toward community inclusion in our region! By 1981, people with lived experience would launch Ontario’s self-advocate group, People First:

“The demands of the members were clear. They did not want to be sent away to institutions. They wanted the right to be educated in regular schools. They wanted to make their own choices about where and with whom they lived. And they wanted real jobs for real pay.”

-Community Living Ontario, A (Not So) Complete History of Community Living Ontario: Celebrating 70 Years of Possibilities, 2023)

The community living movement created a shift in societal attitudes toward welcoming and including people with developmental disabilities in community life. In 1987, the Government of Ontario committed to closing its institutions for people with developmental disabilities. The last three – including Huronia Regional Centre – finally closed on April 1, 2009.


The decision ended an era of segregation and institutionalization that had ripped holes in people, families, and communities for over 130 years. There is much still to be done – and everyone has a role in supporting the progress of the community living movement, so history does not repeat itself.

Real inclusion matters here.

Today, Community Living Parry Sound provides services and support to people with developmental disabilities in their community - children, teens, adults, and families. We serve families who have children with developmental disabilities, developmental delays, or risk of developmental delays, youth who are transitioning from children’s services to adult services, adults who live independently in the community, adults with more complex health needs, and people who are looking for support with accessing and participating in the community.


All our services and support add value to the lives of the people who access them – they open doors to opportunities that may not otherwise be available because of existing (and persisting) barriers.


Developmental Services are different from health care and personal support work. Our services focus on empowering people to develop the skills, confidence, and relationships that every citizen needs to live an authentic life in the community. Our staff might coach people on self-care practices, building skills for communication, employment, and social interaction while supporting the development of personal plans, promoting participation in meaningful work, volunteering opportunities, recreational activities, education, and self-advocacy. An increasingly important part of our work is repairing the harm caused by pandemic-era social isolation by encouraging real relationships with fellow community members who may or may not have disabilities.

Our skilled and highly trained staff members also work cooperatively with community partners and service providers so people can navigate systems and receive complete and thorough support to meet their evolving needs. We also advocate alongside people and families to understand their rights and why their full inclusion in community life matters. This means promoting access to education, employment opportunities, housing, and community resources, protecting a person’s legal rights and ending discrimination.


Our support can be short-term or lifelong. Depending on the person and their community, someone may need support only at certain times or continuously throughout their life. Our services are necessary because Statistics Canada states that, as of 2022, roughly 27 percent of people in Canada – more than 1 in 4 people – have a disability. Of those, ~ 5.7 percent – about 623,300 people – live with a developmental disability. The Developmental Services sector and service-providing agencies like Community Living Parry Sound work to promote equal rights and opportunities for growth for everyone - especially the 100,000 people in Ontario who have a developmental disability.


Ultimately, we support communities and people alike to reach their full potential!

Real inclusion belongs here.

There are many factors at play that, when combined, threaten to slow the progress of the community living movement, and even undo the work that has already been done. Before we can hope to address these factors fully, we must first acknowledge that the social structures and systems meant to support everyone equally can sometimes cause more harm than good. This is why, while advocating for or learning about community inclusion, it’s crucial to use an equity lens to see the full picture. Remember that equity is the fair distribution of resources based on people’s uniqueness; everyone has different wants and needs because they have different life experiences.

As was mentioned, the dark history of institutionalization is alarmingly recent and, unsurprisingly, not well known. If this is the first you are hearing about Canada’s inhumane and unjust treatment of people with developmental disabilities, know that you’re not alone and that we are grateful for your willingness to learn and to be an advocate for change. Maya Angelou’s powerful words reaffirm our shared commitment to building a more inclusive community: “Do the best you can until you know better, then, when you know better, do better.”

The image to the right proves why our continued efforts are needed. It shows us how effective institutionalization was at isolating and segregating people, and how it resulted in the systematic exclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all areas of community life. One of its countless repercussions is a society that is generally ignorant of, and lacking empathy for, the disability experience. It’s fueled harmful myths and misconceptions about people with disabilities that have only built larger barriers to their belonging.


This is the greatest threat to the community living movement.

The community living movement is driven by the firm belief that everyone deserves the power and freedom to live the life they want for themselves and be fully embraced by the community they call home. In theory, this belief is widespread, but the unfortunate reality is that we have a long road ahead of us. Even in 2024, less than half of school-aged children and youth with developmental disabilities receive an inclusive education that meets their needs. A quality education, wherein essential skills for communication and socialization are developed, is foundational to building a meaningful life in community. Statistics show that people with developmental disabilities are likely to face greater challenges because they are denied these building blocks in their early years.


Here’s a glimpse of the harm that stems from this exclusion:

To face even one of these issues is daunting, but when their cumulative cause and effect is considered – and intersectionality is factored in – only then do we begin to see the scope of the marginalization that people with developmental disabilities experience today. It should come as no surprise that many experienced a worsened quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic - when existing challenges with finances, accommodations, and loneliness became heightened, and even insurmountable for some. Incredible efforts from advocates and organizations at provincial and federal levels have helped to shed light on these issues, creating awareness for lawmakers and the public. History has shown us that radical change takes time, especially when it involves unlearning ways of thinking so deeply embedded in our society.


However slowly, something big is taking shape...

The Government of Ontario announced their plan to reform the Developmental Services sector in 2021. The multi-year plan takes an equity-based approach to funding and hopes to give more control to the people who receive services rather than to the agencies and organizations that provide them. With more control comes more choice – more freedom to look beyond the services that have long-supported people with developmental disabilities [exclusively] and choose community-based providers and resources instead. While this means that service providers have lots of re-imagining and pivoting to do to keep up with the changes, it’s a large step in the right direction for the people and families who have historically had most, if not all, important life decisions made without their input.


As people and families begin to explore what their communities have to offer and seek the opportunities, places, and activities where they hope to find belonging, the onus falls to the community to embrace differences, embrace empathy, and create meaningful inclusion for every person without exception.

Real inclusion starts here.

We are all responsible for the progress of the community living movement and the future of community inclusion!


Every community member, educator, employer, service provider, organization, group, government body, and more has a responsibility to create welcoming, accessible, and inclusive spaces for all. Our communities need our action now – and our commitment into the future. It may seem like an impossible task, but we can do it together! Community Living Parry Sound and our community partners will continue to support and advocate alongside people and families to champion real inclusion in Parry Sound because we know that the community is where everyone belongs.

Let’s work together to respect abilities and inspire possibilities so Real Inclusion Can Thrive Here!

Excited, inspired but not sure where to begin? We have some ideas that may help you:

  • Think carefully about the words you use and choose inclusive language
  • Learn about the past so we do not repeat it
  • Challenge stereotypes and myths
  • Get to know people with developmental disabilities in our community
  • Advocate alongside people with developmental disabilities and their families to help amplify their voices
  • Ensure that accessibility and disability are topics discussed during vital Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion conversations and learning
  • Invite people with developmental disabilities to your groups, clubs, and organizations – and make everyone feel welcome and included when they get there
  • Celebrate Community Living Month
  • If you are an educator or parent, join the inclusive education movement
  • If you are an employer, create disability-inclusive hiring and workplace practices with real work for real pay and also hire high school students with disabilities!
  • If you are a landlord, consider people with developmental disabilities and their families as real candidates for your rental properties
  • Continue learning!