People First of Canada

02/10/2026

Hey Folks – our Director of Communications, Catherine Rodgers, will be presenting tomorrow in a webinar series being held by the Manitoba Association of Women’s Shelters. The topic is “Gender-based Violence in the Workplace for People with Intellectual Disabilities.”

02/05/2026

People First of Canada members across the country were saddened to learn of the passing of Maureen O’Rielly. Maureen was very involved in People First of Newfoundland and Labrador and was a staff member who served in many different roles as the organization was just starting in the province.

Her commitment went far beyond what she was paid for and she was instrumental in keeping the issues that face people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the forefront. Maureen became a National Advisor to People First of Canada and served in that role for many years.

We are grateful to Maureen for her presence and her good works. Our sympathies go out to her family, friends and loved ones. May she rest in peace.

View Maureen O'Rielly's complete obituary, share memories, and explore 100 tribute posts from the community.

02/04/2026

At People First of Canada, we believe in the right to freedom, choice and equality for all.

For more than 30 years, we have stood for the dignity, inclusion and human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Our work comes from the lived experiences of our members and the core belief that all people are born equal.

01/28/2026

Hey Folks - Winter is a great time to get cozy and enjoy a little webinar!

Mark your calendars and join us on Thursday, February 5, at 6:00 PM for an hour to talk about the core values that built the People First movement and where we are going in the future.

This webinar is offered in English and French.

Contact [email protected] if you would like the meeting link emailed to you.

01/28/2026

Bonjour à tous, l'hiver est le moment idéal pour se mettre à l'aise et profiter d'un petit webinaire!

Notez la date dans vos agendas et rejoignez-nous le jeudi 5 février à 18 h pour une heure de discussion sur les valeurs fondamentales qui ont fondé le mouvement People First et sur notre orientation future.

Ce webinaire est proposé en anglais et en français.

Contactez [email protected] si vous souhaitez recevoir le lien vers la réunion par e-mail.

Traduit avec DeepL.com (version gratuite)

01/13/2026

“The human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but the most difficult to play.” — Richard Strauss

For many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, finding their voice is a journey. Sometimes it begins with a whisper. Sometimes it begins with the question “What do you think?”

For People First members, the microphone has been more than a piece of equipment. It has been a doorway, a tool for courage, and a symbol of leadership.

Every voice deserves to be heard!

01/09/2026

People First of Canada is unique. All our Board Members are people who are labelled with an intellectual or developmental disability.

This matters – it means that only the people directly affected decide what issues we work on. We decide what is important. We decide how and when to speak out.

PFC Board Members lead the movement, shape the agenda, and make the decisions.

This is what real inclusion looks like!

12/09/2025

People First of Canada President, Donna Brown, and Executive Director, Shelley Fletcher, celebrated International Day of Persons with Disabilities at an event hosted by Minister Hajdu at the Canadian War Museum.

12/03/2025

PFC President Donna Brown is celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities with a trip to the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec. She is standing next to a display about disability inclusion that shows a poster with Dewlyn Lobo, one of our past presidents. is a great day to celebrate the accomplishments and impact that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have been making to advance inclusion!

12/03/2025

Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities ! People First chapters across the country are celebrating today with a showing of the documentary film These Four Walls in their communities.

The film takes the viewer through the lives of people with intellectual disabilities who were forced to live in the Manitoba Developmental Centre, a large institution for people with disabilities in the prairie province. The film is a powerful exploration of the human spirit and an example of the accomplishments and the progress people with intellectual disabilities have made.

You can join People First members watching the film in your community, or you can request the film by emailing [email protected]

12/01/2025

People First of Canada is doing research on federal (national) financial services. We are happy to share our Year 1 Research Report.

We’ve been looking at what barriers people who labeled with an intellectual or developmental disability face when they apply for these financial services:
• Disability Tax Credit
• Registered Disability Savings Plan
• Banking services
• Canada Disability Benefit

In our first year of research, we looked at articles and statistics about this issue. We also started getting feedback from our members at townhall sessions. We heard about the barriers that people face. As one self-advocate put it, “Who do I look to for support? It’s not like I could go to my family for support because they would have no idea.”

All this information is in our Year 1 Research Report. The report is also available in plain language and in French. Please go to our website to read these reports or download them. https://www.peoplefirstofcanada.ca/projects/federalfinancialservices/

Thank you to Accessibility Standards Canada for funding this project. We’re looking forward to the next part of this project. We’ll keep sharing our research as we go along!

12/01/2025

Nous avons le plaisir d’annoncer que nous avons terminé la première année de notre projet de recherche. Et nous avons notre Rapport de recherche de la première année. Personnes d’abord du Canada fait des recherches sur les services financiers fédéraux (nationaux) comme :
• le Crédit d’impôt pour personnes handicapées
• le Régime enregistré d’épargne-invalidité
• les services bancaires
• la Prestation canadienne pour les personnes handicapées

Nous avons étudié les obstacles auxquels font face les personnes ayant une déficience intellectuelle ou développementale lorsqu’elles demandent à recevoir ces services financiers.

Au cours de notre première année de recherche, nous avons examiné des articles et des statistiques sur cette question. Nous avons aussi commencé à recueillir des réactions de nos membres lors de séances de discussion. Nous avons entendu les obstacles auxquels les gens font face. Comme l’a dit un défenseur de l’autonomie : « À qui est-ce que je peux demander du soutien? Ce n’est pas comme si je pouvais demander de l’aide aux membres de ma famille, parce qu’ils n’en auraient aucune idée. »

Tous ces renseignements sont dans notre Rapport de recherche de la première année. Le rapport est aussi disponible en langage simple et en français. Veuillez consulter notre site Web pour lire ces rapports ou les télécharger. https://www.peoplefirstofcanada.ca/projects/federalfinancialservices/

Merci à Normes d’accessibilité Canada pour le financement de ce projet. Nous attendons avec impatience la suite de ce projet. Nous continuerons à diffuser nos recherches au fur et à mesure!