Released on January 8, 2015
Premier Brad Wall, Education Minister Don Morgan and Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer joined Saskatchewan children and families today to announce the Government of Saskatchewan’s 2014-15 investment of $200,000 in the Ability in Me (AIM) Program to support children and youth living with Down syndrome.
This commitment will provide enhanced access to speech and language services for children and youth with Down syndrome and their families in the Saskatoon region.
“Part of the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth is to ensure that Saskatchewan is the best place in Canada to live for persons with disabilities,” Wall said. “Every child in our province should have the opportunity to realize his or her full potential and this investment will help take a step toward that.”
The funding will support approximately 40 families and provide speech language services including speech pathologists, reading programs, family supports and resource strategies for teachers in the classroom.
“We know there are many abilities within children who have Down syndrome that only need the right technique or the method of teaching to be brought out within them,” Ability in Me Board Chair Sherri Denluck said. “We are very excited to be able to offer families and children with Down syndrome supports and tools that will help enable full engagement in their classrooms and communities.”
AIM is a Saskatchewan-based, non-profit corporation which provides specialized educational programming to enable and support the inclusion of individuals with Down syndrome and provides children and youth with supports and tools to help them become more engaged in their classrooms.
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For more information, contact:
Kelly Johnston
Education
Regina
Phone: 306-787-1069
Email: kelly.johnston@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-533-7506