TIME FOR CHANGE
Discussion Guide for Staff
Welcome to the Time for Change Discussion Guide, some questions to reflect upon after watching the video Time for Change. 
These questions were developed with the self-advocates you met in the video. 
How this guide was created:
Self-advocates across Ontario have participated in legal rights workshops with Respecting Rights, and after learning about their legal rights, want the world to learn about the rights of persons with disabilities. Time for Change was created by self-advocates with a goal to teach everyone about rights. Self-advocates worked with ARCH lawyers to express why they thought that legal rights are important. Using Zoom to record from home, self-advocates met in small groups to record their messages, and shared their goals for the video. This set of questions was then developed with a core team of self-advocates, leading the music video project. 
Respecting Rights is a project at ARCH Disability Law Centre, led by persons with disabilities who work together with ARCH lawyers and social workers to teach about legal rights and work on changing the laws for people with disabilities. The self-advocates in Time for Change want staff in developmental services, government institutions, health care and other settings to take time to reflect on people’s right to be treated equally.
Who should use this guide:
Developmental services staff & other direct service workers who provide support services for persons with disabilities. This guide is a starting point for staff and self-advocates to talk about respecting people's rights to be treated equally. The self-advocates in Time for Change hope everyone will have these discussions. They encourage everyone to think deeply about how to better support people with disabilities to make choices about their lives. 
How to use this guide: 
This guide is not a formal training, but rather a set of questions self-advocates would like viewers to reflect on after watching the video. You can have group discussions to talk about ways to improve how people are supported. It is important that people with disabilities have a voice. Feel free to invite people with disabilities in your setting to help co-lead discussions with staff. Always consult with a lawyer if you need more information about what the law says. 
For more information, contact Respecting Rights at ARCH Disability Law Centre. www.archdisabilitylaw.ca/respecting-rights 

Time For Change Music Video
Discussion Guide Questions
For Developmental Services & Other Staff

Picture of Victoria in PDF version
Victoria says: “Everyone has the right to participate in society.” 
Question: What specific advocacy efforts have you made to reduce barriers to societal participation with someone you support? 
Did you include the person with a disability in advocating?
Picture of James in PDF version
James says: “Under the law we have the right to accessible information. This means communication in ways that we can understand.” Question: Does your organization regularly give information in plain language? For example, are there complaint mechanisms in plain language for persons with disabilities to understand?
Picture of Judy in PDF version
Judy says: “Making decisions about what’s important to me helps me be more independent and in charge of my life.”  Question: Could you describe a time when you supported a person to make a decision about what was important to them? Describe accommodations you put in place to support someone in making decisions.
Picture of Alicia in PDF version
Alicia says:  “The Convention says that people with disabilities should have the same opportunities as everyone else.” Question: Talk about a time when you supported a person to have the same opportunities as everyone else. What specific actions did you have to complete to make sure the opportunity was available & accessible? 
Picture of Marissa in PDF version
Marissa says: “Everyone has a strong and powerful voice somewhere. We just need a chance to be heard.” Question: Can you share an example of a time when you helped a person’s voice to be heard. What did you do to support their voice being heard? 
www.archdisabilitylaw.ca/respecting-rights