Life Stage Transitions Services

Life Stage Transitions ServicesBridging - Gaps and Building OpportunitiesOntario March of Dimes and Easter Seals Ontario
Life Stage Transitions Services

Bridging Gaps and Building Opportunities

Are you between 16 and 29 and living with a physical disability? Have you recently finished school and are not sure where to go next? Are you just looking for new ways to have fun? The transition from childrenÕs services to adult services can be difficult for youth and parents. With support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Easter Seals Ontario and Ontario March of Dimes have teamed up to create a unique shared project that works in tandem with communities and service providers. We spoke with teens, young adults and their families across Ontario to better understand the supports they require. With this feedback, we created a new and exciting service that adapts to their changing needs. Everyone can use a little extra support sometimes, and we are here to help!

Working with a variety of community service providers and agencies, we have developed a number of tools for youth and their families. D.O.O.R2Adulthood (Disability Ontario Online Resource) is a resource tool that offers stories, blogs, news and an online discussion forum. Through www.door2adulthood.org, one can locate services, link with fellow youth and learn about independence.

Working to expand on this tool, the Life Stage Transitions Services project was created specifically to address the move from childrenÕs to adult services and be complemented by outreach activities across the province. What has emerged is a comprehensive provincial program delivering transitions services that overcome challenges of geography and are accessible through a variety of communication tools including the Internet, the telephone and face-to-face interaction. We are working to help bring services to your doorstep!

Working with youth ages 16 to 29 in Ontario whose primary diagnosis is a physical disability, this partnership identified four goals:

- Foster self-advocacy skills in youth, so that they will eventually become their own Service Navigators.

- Provide a service that helps youth find resources that grow with them.

- Diminish barriers for all clients while also targeting those who are in remote communities by providing e-mentoring and recreational opportunities.

- Create recreational opportunities and foster social networks.

With these goals in mind, a service was developed and the pilot began in January 2009. While the project is still young, we have learned a lot about the lives of Ontarians with disabilities and the services they require. We have worked with youth and families all over the province to find volunteer opportunities, increase community engagement and decrease barriers.

This service currently provides:

- A centralized Service Navigator to help youth identify services in their area that grow up with them and begin to advocate for themselves.
- Trained Peer Advisors to mentor youth on the transition journey.
- Recreational opportunities in low-service communities to increase opportunities for those disadvantaged by geography.

Through e-mentoring, youth Peer Advisors provide a stage for people who have transitioned to adulthood to share their experiences and strategies, and offer crucial support for those in transition. This interaction sets the project apart from a simple referral service. The Life Skills Transition project provides the more comprehensive support individuals need wherever they may be. Our recreational activities are always changing, and we encourage youth to take charge!

Our recreational program is hitting the road to bring exciting outings to youth so they can be amongst peers who face similar barriers. And we are still growing!

To access our services, please contact Antonia Hammer at 416-425-3463 x 7209 or ahammer@marchofdimes.ca.