A recent article in our local paper featured an autistic young man and his parents’ anguished journey to secure assistance. It took the newspaper offices to finally connect the parents to the resources to which they were entitled.

It is often true that media attention is what is required to find and procure crucial resources for the caregiver’s charge.

For example, after years of trying every avenue to connect with the resources available for his son, the father, Bimal Chand, went to the NOW Newspaper.  Their staff connected him with the the executive director of Inclusion BC in the hopes that she would determine what resources the family were entitled to access and why they hadn’t been offered.

The director, Faith Bodnar, referred to the situation as “horrific” stating that there are agencies that supply ongoing support for these situations, and it is infinitely more draining both financially and emotionally when these support mechanisms are not in place.

She described Inclusion BC as an organization that fights for the rights of people with developmental disabilities and their families.Bodnar is quoted as saying that transitioning a youth out of the home should happen four to five years before they turn nineteen.  Another spokesperson from Fraser Health said transition services are available from their agency between the ages of 17 and 21.

Services to adults with Developmental Disabilities, a Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation program identifies and assists with the transitioning of young people whose needs cross several different ministries.

There is only one successful approach to finding and getting the resources available for your charge:  Never give up.