At the June 17, 2023 IAO AGM our guest Speaker was Michelle Friesen from Individualized Funding Coalition for Ontario (IFCO).
IFCO ACCORD
The Individualized Funding Coalition for Ontario supports the self-determination of persons with disabilities.
We believe in all people having control over decisions concerning where they live, with whom they live, with whom they associate and how they spend their lives.
In order to achieve this we recognize that Ontario must develop a system of funding whereby the person requiring assistance, supported as appropriate by family and/or others, has access to and control over the funds allocated for his/her supports.
Michelle shared the vision and history of Individualized Funding in Ontario, starting with early advocacy efforts in the 80s, leading to the creation of IFCO in the 90s, and continued advocacy since. She then reviewed IFCO’s most recent report “Now is the Time”, which summarizes decades of work in support of individualized funding and lays out the key principles and actions.
You can access Michelle’s AGM presentation here.
The IFCO website contains many (many!) worthwhile resources. Michelle also provided this helpful document on where to get started. We will be highlighting some of these resources in future blog and social media posts.
