Inclusion is defined as being “the action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure.”
To us, it means that Individuals receiving ASLS Supports are a part of their community and accepted as they are.
How do we contribute to Inclusion? At ASLS, we provide Individuals with the environment that is right for them and provide supports that facilitate community inclusion.
Our rural property in the County of Grande Prairie allows Individuals to be supported with fewer restrictions than those that would be imposed in an urban location. Supports are also customized per Individual so they can be in the community based on their decision to be.
At Stone Brook, our Designated Supportive Living Facility in Grimshaw, many Individuals were isolated in their homes but upon moving to our facility, have created a community within Stone Brook with their peers. There are also numerous opportunities for community members to visit Stone Brook and its residents through events held, booking an appointment with the in-house hair salon or planting and tending the fully accessible Community Garden.
We are providing the tools needed that set up Individuals for successful inclusion.
Inclusion really shouldn’t look or feel like anything, it just is.
It just is going to get groceries, going out for supper, going to the library.
It just is someone living their life in their community the only way they know-how.
Yes, some Individuals we support have complex needs and yes there may be instances when they feel overwhelmed, but that is allowed. That is allowed because every one of us has been in that situation of feeling overpowered by emotion or barrier.
Know that sometimes it is difficult for people to express themselves. What may seem like an act of aggression is an expression of happiness, surprise, frustration or panic.
Sometimes people express themselves by raising their voice, or waving their arms or walking fast, know that that behaviour is not a sign of anger. It is a sign of being human.
Please don’t let it discourage you from reaching out, from saying ‘hello’, from holding a door open, from smiling. That one kind gesture can make all the difference in someone’s day.