Information centre official opening

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The grand opening of the Aboriginal Disabilities Information Centre at Canada Place on May 25 will bring services together in a one-stop information centre in Canada Place.

"There was a need to get this off the ground," said Oliver Cardinal, president of the Aboriginal Disabilities Society of Alberta.

The Aboriginal disabilities society of Alberta was formed a year ago with the support of the Yellowhead Tribal Council, said Cardinal. It is a coordinated effort to get information for disabled people into one place, said Cardinal.

The information centre opened in November, but the grand opening was put-off until May, said Ella Arcand, Y.T.C health coordinator.

The idea for the one-stop information centre came after a disabled Aboriginal man brought his frustrations to the attention of Yellowhead Tribal Council.

"One of our members, who is disabled, was trying to better his lifestyle, but when he attempted to get some of the services he needed, he wound up going to about 16 places looking for them," said Arcand.

That led to feelings of anger and frustration for the man, said Arcand. It also led to more awareness for the Yellowhead tribal council about the problems disabled Aboriginal people face when looking for services.

Round table discussions took place with Y.T.C., provincial and federal government representatives to discuss how services could be improved, said Arcand. After two years of discussions and planning sessions, the information centre became a reality.

The one-stop centre included the medical services branch; non-insured health benefits, Indian registration; Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

"At this centre people will be able to hook up with someone who can assist them with exactly what they need," said Arcand.