'Culture shift' underway at Haley Street in North Sydney

A Cape Breton organization that helps adults with disabilities is letting clients have their say on how they'll work, learn and interact with the community. 

Amanda Evans, the executive director of Haley Street in North Sydney, says the non-profit organization is undergoing a "culture shift."

Evans says staff provided services that promote growth, socialization and employment for many years, but clients weren't involved in making decisions.

"We created the programs, we decided what was being offered and then people could sign up," Evans said. "I think people feel that, or felt that, at one point they probably didn't have a voice."

More community involvement 

Haley Street has created a self-advocacy committee made up of people who rely on its programs and workshops — everything from cooking classes, equestrian therapy and spring galas.

Mason Rudderham, a Haley Street member and committee president, says the changes have allowed him to volunteer at his local food bank and start a YouTube channel where he critiques movies with his friends.

"I really wanted to try," said Rudderham. "I wanted to get more involved within the community that I've been a part of since I was a kid."

Haley Street client Jarod Jenkins, said members are not only helping guide programming, but are working to improve quality of life for people with disabilities across Nova Scotia. 

"Before Haley Street, well, I won't talk too much about it, but I mean, I wasn't exactly employed or confident in myself," he said.

"There's been a whole change in my perspective. Now I actually have stuff like … a paying job, and I'm able to do things that I would never have been able to dream of before."

The change at Haley Street follows a Nova Scotia human rights ruling that recommends adults with disabilities be moved out of institutions and into community by 2028.

It also set the stage for a binding agreement that guides the work to transform the province's disability support system.

The plan includes a fund that provided Haley Street with $100,000 to train staff on how to create more autonomy for clients.

"It's really incredible to witness, especially with some of the individuals that we've been supporting for years, to see that shift in them and to see their confidence," said Evans. "Now we're really seeing that blossom."

Jenkins said some of the services he and fellow Haley Street clients have requested include extra opportunities for paid employment and more collaboration with local businesses.