Dear Editor:
I am a single parent whose world revolves around my daughter and her care.
She has developmental disabilities and Tourette syndrome. This affects everything in our world and unless you have loved ones in care, such as a day program or group home setting, you don’t know the challenges we face.
The announcement of closure of the day program at Community Living Guelph Wellington is going to strip my daughter of her primary social interactions. The people in the program are her peers, friends, and old classmates.
Our world was turned upside down when, in the middle of COVID shut downs, the agency threatened to close the programs. But parents fought back. It was a hard fight, but we got Community Living to back down.
As COVID restrictions lifted and day services reopened, we thought all would return to what it was before. And we were getting there. But now, with the closures looming again, we are going to have to fight all over again for our loved ones to have a meaningful and full life.
These services are essential for my daughter. They enrich her life. Without them, her world shrinks. She’s isolated. No one should have to live like that.
Let’s make sure these adults have their own lives. Keep day programs open at Community Living.
Gloria Cassavetes,
Guelph