Despite the valiant efforts of people with disabilities, our families and supporters, many community members are socially, economically and culturally excluded from the mainstream of society. Approximately 24.6% of the Saskatchewan population identify as having a disability. Persons living with a disability are more likely to be unemployed, to live in poverty and to earn less than people without a disability.
The Saskatchewan New Democrats Disability Advocates (SNDDA) is a newly created wing of the Saskatchewan NDP, established at the 2021 Provincial Convention.
SNDDA Values: Inclusion, Diversity, Sense of Belonging, Open, Compassionate, Transparency and Fairness
SNDDA Vision: A Province and Party where all people with disabilities can fully engage politically.
SNDDA Mission: To make Saskatchewan SNDP accessible for everyone with a disability
SNDDA's purpose is to provide a forum within the SNDP for persons with lived experience to advocate to remove barriers and ensure equal access to goods, services, facilities, and employment for persons with disabilities within the SNDP and the province and to engage, promote and support the involvement of persons with disabilities to take political action within the SNDP and throughout the province to address issues of concern to persons with disabilities.
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SNDDA will create a presence in the Party by sharing the perspective of people with disabilities and seeking representation on Party committees. The wing will perpetuate a positive disability perspective with an accessibility toolkit/checklist. The SNDDA presence will be reflected in Party media platforms.
The SNDDA plans to develop a series of education and training packages on disability issues including the accessibility toolkit/checklist; barrier free analysis; education and awareness program on disability issues; and disability community outreach and mobilization strategies and constituency base action plans.
The disability wing will undertake outreach recruiting to get in touch with the disability community. The wing will communicate a positive statement on how the SNDP is the natural political home for persons with disabilities.
SNDP media platforms will be used to communicate our message and recruit SNDP members interested in disability issues including artificial barrier removal and equal access. For these purposes the wing will develop its own Facebook platform; coordinate with the Party on sharing our message with Party members; and sponsor a zoom open house about our message.
The SNDDA understands the importance of being at the decision-making table and the importance of focusing on electoral success. The SNDDA is not successful unless the Party is successful.
The wing’s job is to carry our message to Party forums and conventions; establishing working relationships with other Party organizations and wings; and reaching out to community and labour groups.
The SNDP can lead by example and demonstrate an appreciation of our Vision and Mission. Leading by example is about engaging people with disabilities in the political process at all levels.
Our Vision and Mission is about the Party undertaking a systemic analysis of Party policies, procedures and practices. A systemic analysis can identify artificial barriers encountered by persons with disabilities in an organization. It can also recommend remedial and special measures such as candidate outreach recruitment, and training and mentorship programs.
We invite people with disabilities and people in the community who support the inclusion of people with disabilities to join SNDDA.
If you want to get involved, please fill out the form or email [email protected].