SpeciaLink is an organized initiative of the parents and care givers of children with disabilities to get the issues heard at every stop of the Social Security Reform Policy Hearings held across Canada during November and December, 1994, leading to a specific Recommendation in the Report tabled before Parliament.
Parents of young children with disabilities are under-represented in the work force, largely because of the disproportionate lack of child care for children with special needs.
When SpeciaLink learned no other organization would work to put this issue onto the National Agenda through the Social Security Reform hearings, it had only one day to meet the deadline for applications. SpeciaLink wanted the Committee to hear from parents and care givers of children with disabilities in every city where hearings were held.
The Special Link Network was put to a demanding test. Through long-distance calls and fax lines, parents and care givers were contacted in every scheduled city. Within 24 hours, applications went to Ottawa from every city scheduled for hearings. SpeciaLink maintained a 24-hour technical assistance line as parents and child care workers wrote their briefs.
In the end, parents and care givers spoke at every stop, and their issue became part of the Recommendations Ñ the first time any parliamentary Committee had linked child care and disabilities with the problems parents experience with work and training. Perhaps even more importantly, parents and care givers knew they had made a difference.
