Our event page provides opportunities for families to connect and experience new activities in a stress-free, accepting space. Check out our special events below for more information and dates. This calendar is updated regularly, so please check back often. Please get in touch if you have an event to share with us.
SESSION INFO: « Back to all events
Everyone has dreams and goals. For people with a disability it can take planning and ingenuity to identify dreams and goals and make them a reality. WayFinders is a free program that is here to help. WayFinders Facilitators support families with person-centered planning and visioning to set the direction toward a full, inclusive life. Once the direction is set, supports and resources can be identified.
April 27 Session: Successful student centered planning takes some work! An IEP identifies the student’s specific learning expectations and outlines how the school will address these expectations through appropriate accommodations, program modifications and/or alternative programs as well as specific instructional and assessment strategies. Tension can exist between the needs of the student and the systems created to address those needs. We have invited some parents to share their stories of challenge and success when it comes to education plans that are focused on the learning needs of their loved one.
SESSION SCHEDULE
• Mar 2 – All about WayFinders. Meet the WayFinders
• Mar 16 – WayFinders Compass
• Mar 30 – If I had a Hammer – Tools for Person Centered Planning
• April 13 – School/IEP
• April 27 – Mind your IEPs and Qs!
• May 11 – Post secondary Education Panel
• May 25 – Get to Work with Annette Burrows
• June 8 – Circle of Friends/Relationships
• June 22 – PLAN for the Future!
Meet your WayFinders:
Shelley Nessman | Fraser Valley Chapter Shelley Nessman has been working in the Social Justice field for over forty years with a particular interest in person centered work and planning. She is a Resource Family Member with Family Support Institute and makes her home in Steveston where she lives with her daughter, son-in- law and two ginger cats.
Rachel Goddyn | Burnaby Chapter Rachel has been volunteering and working in the Community Living movement since her son, Leslie, was diagnosed with a rare disability. Leslie, now 39, has a life filled with meaningful activities and relationships. Rachel shares part of Leslie’s story…..”At a recent celebration, Leslie sat with two of his friends from high school. As I watched them enjoying each others company, I reflected on how much they have learned in the 19 years since Leslie graduated. They are, all three, much more mature and capable. All young people develop through out their twenties, but for individuals with disabilities, this development can be extraordinary. The transition to adulthood is often the start of a period of tremendous learning.” Rachel aspires to help families and individuals who are in the midst of this transition overcome obstacles and find their way to a meaningful life.
Rachel Skidmore | Victoria Chapter Rachel Skidmore is a mother of two teen girls, one of whom has neuro and physical diversity. Rachel has a passion for inclusion and believes strongly that employment and community are crucial in ensuring people with Diversity are included in society. So much so that employment goals have been a part of her daughters IEP’s since kindergarten. Everyone has a gift to share with people, something they can receive monetary gain with, even if it is just a few hours a week.
Gord Robertson | Prince George Chapter Gord lives in Prince George with his wife Terry and adult daughter Bree-Anna, who lives with multiple disabilities. Gord has been a resource parent with the FSI since 2004, and has spent countless hours helping families navigate their way through many different disability related topics and issues. He and Terry, together with Bree and her extended family, first developed a vision for Bree’s life when she was 2 1/2, and have worked to continually evolve that vision to change with her as her needs, wants, and desires changed over her 33 years, allowing her to lead a great life, rich in relationships, experiences and contribution. Through his connections with FSI, Vela Microboard Association, and Community Living BC as the chair of the North Region Community Council, Gord is well informed about the world of adults living with disabilities in BC.
Ben Postmus | Kootenays Chapter
Family Support Institute of BC (FSI) is a provincial not-for-profit society committed to supporting families who have a family member with a disability. FSI is unique in Canada and the only grass roots family to family organization that has a broad volunteer base. FSI SUPPORTS AND SERVICES ARE FREE TO ANY FAMILY
You are invited to join FSI CONTINUING CONVERSATIONS, a private Facebook Group intended to continue conversations of support or provide an alternative platform for support. www.facebook.com/groups/fsicontinuingconversations/ All FSI Zoom sessions can be accessed by telephone only if access to computers and/or internet is a barrier. If you need assistance registering for any session, please call our office at 1-800-441-5403.
*RS
227 6th Street
New Westminster, BC
V3L 3A5
(604) 540-8374 ext. 523
Support Line:
1-800-441-5403
Did you have a great experience with FSI? Please let us know!
As a provincial organization FSI acknowledges that our work spans across all of the traditional, ancestral, and unceded Indigenous territories in BC. Therefore, we respectfully honour all First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, as well as their ancestors, who have lived here and cared for these lands. It is with gratitude that we can live, learn and do our work in the province now known as British Columbia.
©2024 Family Support Institute | Privacy Policy | Registered Charity Number: 105629497RR0001. We acknowledge the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia.
