Self-advocacy started as a civil rights movement by people with intellectual disabilities who were rebelling against being underestimated, deprived of choices, treated like eternal children and devalued as citizens. Inclusion Langley Society has a long history of supporting self-advocates to feel empowered and to have a strong voice in the issues that affect them. This includes an active committee, provincial self-advocate conference and the new development of a Self-advocate Leadership Group.

Our Aboriginal Infant Development Program offered Indigenous Infant Massage classes. These classes promoted attachment between baby and caregiver through nurturing touch, while supporting brain development, digestion, sleep, the nervous system and more. Each session our Elder from Kaatzie First Nations provided cultural teaching around the Medicine Wheel and the four directions. Nutritious snacks were provided. At the final session, Elders from Kwantlen First Nations came, provided teachings, and led a Welcome Baby Ceremony, blanketing the caregiver(s) and infant together. This is the accordion body content. It is typically best to keep this area short and to the point so it isn't too overwhelming.

A number of Infant Development Consultants from the Aboriginal and Mainstream Infant Development Programs have been providing in-person and virtual sessions for families on caseload. Infant massage is a beautiful gift of offering nurturing touch to babies that benefits not only the infant, but also the caregiver and family.

The Langley LIP is an exciting development in our community spearheaded and led by Langley Community Services Society. Inclusion Langley Society is proud to be a partner in this initiative.

What are Local Immigration Partnerships?

Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs) are funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to develop and implement plans to improve immigrant and refugee settlement and integration. LIPs are community planning tables that include community agencies and institutions representing local government, settlement and community agencies, education, business, parks, recreation and culture, policing, libraries, volunteerism and others.

What will the Langley LIP do?

The partnership table will enhance stakeholder and community knowledge of the contributions and assets newcomers bring and the challenges they face. It will play a vital role in identifying immigrant needs and service gaps. It will support service coordination to avoid service duplication and to fill service gaps and assist stakeholders to adapt programming and policies.

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In April 2020, with funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Langley Local Immigration Partnership (LLIP) was established. This group has been initiated to develop and implement plans to ameliorate immigrant and refugee settlement and integration to the community.

It has been an honor for Mark Castillo (ILS Supervisor of Quest Program) to be selected to be a part of Immigrant Advisory Council. It is comprised of several immigrants that represent two Langley communities, range of countries of origin, length of time in Canada, age and gender. Their main task is to provide feedback to the LLIP and its work. Experiences and learnings are also being shared from their previous and current circumstances in Langley or if necessary, Canada.

The Snoezelen Room provides a customizable multisensory environment. Through the use of soothing sounds, captivating aromas, tactile experiences, visual input and more, children and youth of all ages and abilities can benefit. Snoezelen can be used to calm, to stimulate and/or to work on specific developmental skills.

Inclusion Langley Society’s Child Development Services is extremely proud to be one of the first in Western Canada to offer Snug Play in our playground. This innovative system was designed for use by all ages, from infants to youth. The movable components allow children to use their imagination and creativity, independently or working together, so that it is never the same play experience twice.

Inclusion Langley Society is committed to supporting individuals served to access affordable and accessible housing. This includes accessing provincial rental subsidies to renting and/or purchasing houses within Langley. ILS currently operates 15 homes within the community and has recently made renovations or purchases to better suit the needs of the individuals we support.

ILS is currently partnering with Compass Co-Housing to design and develop a new co-housing community in Langley. Originating in Denmark in the 1960s, co-housing frequently takes the form of apartments or townhouses, with shared amenities typically including a community kitchen, dining area, workshops, guest room and more.

A co-housing community is an intentional community, started, designed and managed by the people who will be living there — everyone has a say in how the community is managed.

During the early stages of any cohousing community, a development company is created. Members contribute funds to the company, becoming both a shareholder and a director of the company. The funds members contribute will be applied to the price of the unit they later select, and the order in which members join the company is the order in which they will select their units. Once development is completed, the development company is dissolved and a standard strata corporation is formed.

 ILS intends on purchasing two units in this nurturing and supportive community.

In 2018, following negotiations with BC Housing, Community Living BC and Inclusion Langley Society purchased a home in the Brookswood area of Langley with the intent to renovate it for two gentlemen. Today the men are enjoying life in their own renovated separate suites.

In 2019, in partnership with BC Housing Newlands underwent extensive renovations to better meet the needs of the 4 men residing in the home. The house is now open concept with wider doors and hallways, a modified bathroom and easier outdoor access.

Also in 2019, Five Corners, again in partnership, was renovated and upgraded to meet the men’s needs.  Renovations included the bathroom, electrical and air conditioning.

In 2020, after months of negotiations CLBC agreed to ILS purchasing a house for two gentlemen.  Upstairs the bathroom has been made wheelchair accessible and a lift has been installed in the garage. Downstairs, a full renovation is underway to convert the basement into a separate suite.

In 2021, ILS was served notice that a house that the Society was renting had been sold. After an extensive search, ILS has now rented a house that is better suited to the needs of the lady who was experiencing accessibility challenges in her previous home.

On March 17, 202O (revised April 6, 2020), ILS implemented its Pandemic Continuity Plan in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The following organizations were used as references;

• World Health Organization
• Government of Canada
• BC Centre for Disease Control
• Fraser Health
• Vancouver Coastal Health

The plan provides information and resources on COVID-19, infection prevention and control, types of training available, detailed action and communication plans and a plan for recovery. In addition, the plan outlined the supports that will be provided to an individual should they become exposed or infected with COVID-19. Staff training was made available to all staff on Routine Practices, washing of hands, sanitizing, donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE) and social and physical distancing.

The plan has received recognition from Fraser Health, the Ministry of Health and CLBC not only for the plan itself but also for the Society’s rapid response to exposures and positive cases. Prior to contact tracing occurring, ILS has already implemented droplet protocols and isolation red zones.

In response to the global pandemic, the Adult Respite team developed a COVID Safety Plan template for Respite Providers to use when supporting an individual in the community, at the family home or in their own home. The template is a companion document to the Respite Pandemic Safety Guidelines document shared with our Providers.

Inclusion Langley Society is exceptionally proud of the efforts made to adapt and pivot after the declaration of the pandemic and provincial emergency. We are proud of our comprehensive Pandemic Plan, as well as equally proud of our many employees who continued to provide direct support to individuals and families despite the presence of COVID-19 in our community.

Below is a sampling of the ways we maintain continuity of service:

• We were able to support approximately 75 employees to work from home. This pivot included the purchase of significant information technology, as well as work-from-home protocols to guide staff.
• We rapidly deployed our administration team to work from home and maintained all businesses processes, including payroll, remotely.
• We shared weekly communications from the leadership team with all staff keeping then informed and engaged and sharing protocols and procedures to keep them safe. We produced customized signage and safety posters for display in all our workplaces.
• We appointed an individual to research, search and procure PPT that was made available to all employees, contractors, and families in need. Required PPE supplies were delivered rapidly to all locations (including family homes) requiring supplies.
• We redesigned our workplaces to enable continued direct services to as many individuals as possible in our Community Inclusion Services, including expansion of service delivery times to include evenings and weekends.
• We delivered groceries and supplies to individuals and families home bound because of the pandemic or experiencing a family member with a covid-positive test in their household.
• We supported employees and contractors experiencing hardship due to covid positive results or exposures with groceries, supplies and financial assistance where required. We checked in daily with these folks to ensure they were safe.
• With colleague organizations, we advocated for access to hospitals ensuring essential visitor status protocols were developed and honoured by our Health Authorities.

IDP Beginner Signs & Songs

The COVID-Pandemic resulted in the Infant Development Program creating an innovative approach to sharing valuable information with families in an easily accessible way.  Beginner Signs and Songs is a series of handouts and pre-recorded videos that families can view at their own pace on a private Facebook group to learn simple signs, songs and rhymes to aid in encouraging their child’s communication and overall development.

Stay at Home Activities

The pandemic involuntarily made some of the families and individuals stay home. This, however, did not stop ILS supporting people who are not comfortable to go out of their houses. A group of supervisors brainstormed together and came up with ideas that could help stay home individuals be productive, physically active and basically lessen the boredom that they were experiencing.

Activity bags were put together and these included art materials, physical activity guide, planting stuff and some candies to help release some endorphins.  Individuals and families were ecstatic and quite please to receive the goodie bags and most of the individuals participated in the activities.

ILS is committed to the ongoing advancements of employment supports and services to both youth and adult services and has invested in education for our employees. In 2020, we increased our number of Vocational Consultants by 61% and provided 1722 hours of employment training to ILS employees. We continue to negotiate with our funders for additional Vocational Consultants in our services as there is strong evidence that those individual we support who have employment have an increased quality of life.

Inclusion Langley’s Human Resources department plays an important role in providing a workforce that utilizes their skills and talents to help build an inclusive culture that upholds the Agency’s values and assists in the overall success of the organization.

From actively recruiting and onboarding new employees...

To celebrating the opportunity to get together...

As well as celebrating milestone anniversaries...

To not forgetting to thank those that depart the Agency after many years of service!

Inclusion Langley values all of our employees and appreciates all the hard work and contributions they make each and every day to provide quality supports to the individuals we serve.

To promoting a safe work environment:

With the assistance of a videographer, the ILS Home Sharing team, along with 2 partner agencies produced and released a training video on Medication Administration for Home Sharing Providers.  The video complements information contained within the ILS Home Sharing Handbook.  The actors in the video are current Home Sharing Providers and supported individuals in the service.

The Home Sharing team produces a newsletter monthly to ensure the Home Sharing Providers have up to date information on the pandemic, BC Health Orders, training opportunities, community-based recreational activities and more.