IDD: Get to know me

In our third episode of "IDD - Get to Know Me", we interview People First of Canada President and current frontline worker Kory Earle.

He discusses what it's like to support people with IDD during the COVID-19 pandemic and what drove him to join this line of work during the pandemic.

Kory Earle works as a screener at a Long Term Care home in Ontario. In this episode Kory shares what being a frontline worker in a pandemic is like, and what he has found most rewarding. Kory is also the President of People First of Canada (https://www.peoplefirstofcanada.ca/), a national self-advocacy organization that empowers and prioritizes the voices of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Paraphrasing Kory’s words: People with IDD have always had these issues; the pandemic has made these issues more visible and apparent to others. He is also very passionate about mental health, and has spoken to this in policy forums as well as during a course for self-advocates on Mental Health during COVID-19.

Once you've had a listen, watch out for Episode 4, where Daniel and Victor discuss their experiences growing up in Ontario's education system as people with IDD.

Kory and Victor spoke at a Federal Policy Forum on International Day of People with Disabilities, where they shared the importance of mental health support for this population and how our course "Mental health for adults with developmental disabilities during COVID: A virtual course for self-advocates" offered much needed support and resources. You can read what they said here: https://www.porticonetwork.ca/web/hcardd/news/-/blogs/-idpwd-blog-12?_33

You can keep up with People First of Canada on Facebook (@PeopleFirstOfCanada) and Twitter (@PeopleFirstCA)

Kory shared his story of getting the vaccine in a blog post and easy-read format, which you can find here along with our vaccine easy-read: https://www.hcarddcovid.com/info#vaccine

In this inaugural episode of "IDD - Get to know me", you'll meet our self-advocate hosts: peer support worker, social worker, writer, and motivational speaker Daniel Share-Strom and actor and Azrieli advisor Victor Pereira.  You'll find answers to biting questions such as 'What's the work experience like for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and autism?', and most importantly, 'Just how much does a polar bear weigh?'.

Sue Hutton has worked in developmental services for 30 years. After working at Community Living Toronto in direct service, rights training and advocacy, Sue moved to ARCH disability law center where she coordinates Respecting Rights, a legal rights education project led by persons with disabilities. Sue recently joined the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre at CAMH as a social worker and leads several mindfulness research groups.

In this episode, Sue shares her experience working with Respecting Rights at ARCH Disability Law Centre ( https://archdisabilitylaw.ca/initiatives/respecting-rights/). Sue also shares insights from an article coming soon (Feb/Mar 2021) to the Journal of Qualitative Social Work (https://journals.sagepub.com/home/qsw).

If this conversation piqued your interest, check back in two weeks for Episode 3, where we interview People First of Canada President Kory Earle on what it’s like to be someone with IDD who’s also working on the frontlines of the pandemic.

Follow Sue on Twitter @suehutton_msw and Facebook @suehuttonmindfulness

Follow Respecting Rights on Facebook: @respectingrights

Check out Sue's website: https://www.suehuttonmindfulness.com/