CPA Ontario

CPA Ontario’s Peer Connections are interactive networking events designed to create educational opportunities for discussion about a number of subjects of interest to persons with SCI and their families. Visit our Events section for our calendar of activities and event details.

Josh, a peer support volunteer, on… Peer Connections…

A vital program that CPA Ontario offers is Peer Support, of which monthly Peer Connections events, bring people together to share ideas and experiences about things of interest to people with disabilities. These valuable insights can be in the areas of home modifications to bowel and bladder management to vehicle modifications. A brief description of our past Peer Connections events as written by Leandre Casselman, a Peer Support Coordinator based in our Toronto office, follows:

 

Dressing for the Wheelchair

No one tells you before hand about the complexities of finding appropriate clothing that fits once you’ve had a spinal cord injury or require the use of a wheelchair. As if learning how to dress again with a disability wasn’t a big enough adjustment in itself. Now with a host of new concerns thrown into the fray; shopping for and trying on new clothes may not hold the same appeal it used to. You can look just as good in a wheelchair as someone who’s not, however it can take years to find suitable clothing that meets the health, function and aesthetic criteria that arises from being a wheelchair user.

We’re unlikely to find a manual or booklet that can provide us with the necessary guidance to tackle the fashion arena in our current circumstances, so the best course of action is to share information and personal experience with our peers. So come and share your clothing tips and struggles with each other from 6:30pm – 8pm on Thursday May 29th at Lyndhurst Centre.

 Fashion designer  Kym McKay from Kymotion.com will be our special guest and talk about her clothing business which caters to people with and without disabilities. 

Filing Your Tax Return: Credits and Refunds

There are two types of people when it comes to taxes, those that do their own and those that don’t. However both can benefit from learning about the tax breaks and savings plans created by the CRA (Canadian Revenue Agency) for the disabled.

The opportunity to learn about disability related tax programs and ask any disability associated tax question you want for free, to a qualified and experienced individual are what make our next Peer Connection Session so worth while. Whether you want to know what a T2201 is or a Disability Savings Grant or Bond, by coming to Peer Connections you can discover what you and your family members can do to plan for your future with the CRA’s latest initiatives for people with disabilities.

RETURNING TO WORK & SCHOOL

We struggle, work and learn for the better part of 20 years growing up to become independent adults in every sense of the word, until we are in control of our own lives and decisions.

When that is torn away from us in the instant it takes to sustain a spinal cord injury we don’t always know where to turn to get back to school or the workforce and determine what new career path we might take.

One of the best places to start on that path is to talk to people who have already done it.

So many of the CPA’s Peer Support Volunteers have been able to return to work and school as part of there journey to achieving independence, self reliance and full community participation. Therefore who better to share their experiences than your peers?

Feel free to check out the Events section of this website or contact us directly at peersupport@cpaont.org. You’ll be glad you did!