Government Proclaims Disability Service Professionals Week

Released on May 23, 2023

The Government of Saskatchewan has proclaimed May 22 to 26, 2023, as Disability Service Professionals Week to recognize and celebrate the important work people across the province do to support people with disabilities. 

"Building strong, inclusive communities for people with disabilities remains a focus for our province, and the work of the disability service sector is key to achieving this vision," Social Services Minister Gene Makowsky said. "I thank disability service professionals across Saskatchewan for their important work to ensure everyone can develop their potential and participate in their communities to the best of their abilities." 

Disability Service Professionals Week is proclaimed in partnership with  Saskatchewan Association of Rehabilitation Centres (SARC). SARC is a provincial association of approximately 100 community-based organizations that is dedicated to supporting people with disabilities to achieve their full potential. For more than five decades, SARC has provided vision, leadership and advocacy to nonprofit organizations to help them expand their potential and to support the work they do within their communities. 

"Disability Service Professionals Week is a wonderful opportunity to recognize and thank the thousands of dedicated employees working throughout Saskatchewan to provide high quality, safe and person-centred services to people experiencing disability," SARC's Executive Director Amy McNeil said. "It is also an opportunity to reaffirm the vital nature of the work, acknowledge the numerous impacts on our province without this essential sector, and celebrate the large workforce of skilled professionals who work 24/7 to ensure services reflect the personal aspirations and complexity of needs of the people we support. SARC and our members appreciate the path outlined in the Saskatchewan Disability Strategy and remain committed to working with the Government of Saskatchewan on the implementation of the recommendations to achieve its vision."   

Earlier in May 2023, the Government of Saskatchewan passed The Accessible Saskatchewan Act to prevent and remove accessibility barriers for persons with disabilities. The Act allows government to establish accessibility standards and regulations in the following areas: the built environment, information and communications, employment, transportation, service animals, procurement and service delivery. Accessibility legislation was a recommendation in the Saskatchewan Disability Strategy, released in 2015. 

For more information about the support and services that SARC member organizations provide, please visit sarcsarcan.ca/members.

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