Incredible Journey - Real Life

Brenda Hardiman, Chairperson, APNS

A Note From the Chair..... 

Awake early this morning anticipating my Fifth Estate Interview today. Feeling anxious and experiencing some anxiety. I'm thinking positive because often when I do ....the results ARE positive.
Thank you to all of my friends on and off facebook who supported me and my family during the last couple of years. Nichele would not be in such a kind loving home of her own, working as a housekeeper, and being an advocate and spokesperson to students at Junior High Schools in Nova Scotia. She speaks to students about not using the "R" word (retarded) and it's effect on people when it's used. She also speaks to her personal experiences of being forced to move into a large psychiatric institution and living in pure hell. Junior high schools learn about civil rights and she tells them how her civil rights were taken away and what that felt like. We all, by law, have choice on where and with whom we live.

The abuse she experienced while living in an institution was the hardest thing of all. The very people hired to care and protect are the very people who would almost destroy her.
Nichele is NOW in HER OWN home surrounded by caregivers that actually care.
So today I share our story with Canadians, hoping that in doing so, will promote change in Nova Scotia, close the 6 horrific Institutions and follow the roadmap for change. It is our hope that no other human being will be exposed to experience what our family was forced to experience .
Rather than waking up in a warm bed in her own home, Nichele could very well have been waking up, cold, in a different institution called jail, following in the footsteps of poor Ashley Smith.
I'm grateful for all of you.
Xoxo

It's Time To Act

Advocating Parents of Nova Scotia

Advocating Parents of Nova Scotia and People First Nova Scotia would like to announce that PSAC and BIANS will be supporting our Protest of Institutions on 8 June 2014 at 2pm.

Cindy Curruthers of PFNS will be protesting at the Breton Ability Centre and Brenda Hardiman of APNS will be protesting at Quest Society.

Information on Protests: Locations & Details

Contact

 Cindy Carruthers 

People First Nova Scotia 

902-305-0423

  Brenda Hardiman

 Advocating Parents of Nova Scotia 

902-324-4215

No one would make the choice to live in an institution.  Person after person that has been forced to live in an institution describe how sub human they felt living there.  Let's let the McNeil government know that they need to do whatever it takes to have inclusive community living for all persons.

People First Nova Scotia will be launching The Freedom Tour Nova Scotia later this year, date TBA, featuring their moving and powerful documentary. Please watch the trailer above.

Locate or Contact us

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Twitter

Email

Not Guilty

NOT GUILTY


On Feb 19 Amanda pled NOT GUILTY in court at the Antigonish Justice Center.  Now she goes to trial on July 14/14.  Amanda is living at the level of approximately and 8 year old.  She has also been assessed and deemed not competent.

Amanda attending court.  She's been charged with assault for striking a care worker at the home she lives in under the Department of Community Services.







Her parents are devastated that this is even happening to their child.   All they want is for Amanda to be supported by Department of Community Services in the ways that are best for her.  Not in a situation that is set up for failure.

Amanda and her mom, Iris Murphy.






Hopefully, Amanda will not go to jail.  This could be devastating for her emotionally and physically.  Our tax dollars support this action.  All people are treated equally under the law.  Yet not all people are equal.


MONDAY FEBRUARY 24 ~ 9:30am

Nichele is going to court in Dartmouth to enter a plea for her charges.  Her parents are equally devastated.  Please attend Nichele's court appearance to show support for her, her family and to let our leaders know that as Nova Scotia citizens and parents we won't tolerate criminalizing people with special needs.  Especially when they have no option but to live in a system that sets them up for failure.

Nichele and her mother Brenda Hardiman.






Dartmouth Provincial Court
Halifax Regional Municipality 

277 Pleasant Street
Suite 200
Dartmouth, NS
B2Y 4B7

Phone: (902) 424-2390
Fax: (902) 424-0677



Excerpt from the blog A Primer on Special Needs and the Law By Michelle Morgan Coole:

For anyone who's somehow managed to miss it, 25-year-old Nichele has an organic brain disorder and began exhibiting bouts of aggressive behaviour following an epileptic seizure when she was four. We are told that due to her disability, Nichele is unable to control these outbursts. Despite that situation, things went fairly smoothly for the many years Nichele was living in an alternative family arrangement (think of it like foster care for an adult). Well, they went smoothly until the Department of Community Services changed its protocol and no longer allowed the family to use a therapeutic quiet room when Nichele had one of her aggressive outbursts.

The new protocol required demanded that the police be called any time such a situation occurred. That resulted in Nichele being forced to move from a family situation to a rehabilitation centre. And the results of that?

Since the protocol change, Benn has had 17 police interventions, seven incarcerations and several assault charges and convictions. Nine months ago, Benn scratched the face of a commissionaire during an aggressive outburst; the police were called, Benn was arrested, charged and sentenced to 18 months’ probation, 24 hours of community service and ordered to provide a DNA sample.

That was the situation back in March of 2013. Since then, things have only gotten worse for Nichele. This past April, Nichele was charged with assault after she slapped another resident in retaliation for him allegedly spitting in her face several times. Last month, Nichele bit a staff member while she was being put back in her room. Once there, she threw several objects at another staff member. That incident resulted in charges of assault and assault with a weapon  the "weapon", by the way, was a shoe.

Read all of Michelle's blog here:
http://specialneeds-ns.blogspot.ca 

Details

02.02.2014

"STOP CRIMINALIZING PEOPLE WITH

SPECIAL NEEDS"

Today is the day! Join Advocating Parents of Nova 

Scotia around the Nova Scotia ! We 

encourage media to attend as well as concerned 

citizens.  Please browse the information below and 

attend one of the 7 locations across Nova Scotia.

 Demonstrations are for Nichele Benn, Amanda

Murphy, Richard Rector and others like them.  Their 

parents are seeking a meeting with Justice Minister

Peter MacKay.

AMHERST
1:10 pm Meet at Bridge Adult Service Centre, 16 Station Street
Parking lot next to Moore's Recreation
1:25 pm Walking procession to Amherst Justice Centre, 16 Church Street
1:30 -2pm Demonstration of Support

HALIFAX
1pm Meet at the Superstore
1075 Barrington Street - park at the farthest end of the parking lot. Look for red demonstration posters
1:15 pm Walking procession to Halifax Provincial Court 
5250 Spring Garden Road
1:30 -2 pm Demonstration of Support

NEW MINAS
1:30 pm Meet at the old Civic Centre, (across from Canadian Tire at the lights) 
1:30-2 pm Walking procession to the RCMP detachment on Jones Road.

NORTH SYDNEY, CAPE BRETON
1pm Meet at Superstore –park at farthest end of parking lot, away from store
125 King Street - Look for red demonstration posters
1:15 pm Proceed to Cape Breton Regional Police Dept.
412 Purvis St
1:30 -2 pm Demonstration of Support

TRURO
1 pm Meet at Superstore (where garden centre is located during summer months)
46 Elm Street
1:15 pm walk to Truro Justice Centre
540 Prince Street
1:30 -2pm Demonstration of Support

WINDSOR
1pm Meet at Hants County War Memorial Community Centre
78 Thomas Street
1:15 pm Procession to RCMP Station
140 Morrison Drive
1:30 - 2pm Demonstration of support

YARMOUTH
1:00 pm Meet at Yarmouth Library
1405 Main Street
1:15 pm Procession to Yarmouth Justice Centre
164 Main Street
1:30 - 2pm Demonstration of support

Curve Ball

When Life Throws You a Curve Ball…..

It's an odd thing when you become a public advocate for your child.  All of a sudden you're in the lime light with the media, bending the ear of politicians you would likely never meet and people recognize you when you're out doing your errands.  That's exactly what happened to Brenda Hardiman when it became evident that she needed to dig her heels in the ground and protect her adult child, Nichele's, rights.

Brenda and Nichele

Sometimes a fight like this can seem like it's you against the system, then you go public, and other parents start stepping forward asking you for help.  One after another  people start calling, desperate to find someone to listen to their story, someone to stand up for them, to tell them what to do next.  

What is their fight?

"stop criminalizing people with special needs"

In Nova Scotia, if you live in a small options home, or just about any other setting supported by the Department of Community Services, and you have an outburst that may involve hitting, shoe throwing, biting etc. the police are called.  You are charged and put on probation or face jail.  Often times when you have special need such as a brain injury, intellectual disability or any other of the many issues that require you to live in care, behaviour is a part of the picture.  The real question for Nova Scotians is - Do we want to treat our most vulnerable people like this or do we want to protect them?  This is Amanda's story - 

Amanda is a beautiful young woman of 34 years. She is diagnosed with bipolar, epilepsy and is at a cognitive level of a five to eight year old child. She experiences periodic episodes of aggressive behavior which has resulted in numerous police interventions, criminal charges and convictions and probation. Amanda has an intellectual disability and health issues; she is not a criminal and should not be treated as one.

Brenda Hardiman, after answering calls from parents that have no where else to go, has founded Advocating Parents of Nova Scotia (APNS). 

This Sunday  02.02.2014 APNS is spearheading a Peaceful Demonstration  in support of Amanda Murphy.  On February 6th, 2014 Amanda, with cognitive function of a 5-8 year old, will be sentenced for acting out in her small option home.  She could go to jail.  Would we put an 8 year old in jail?  Citizens of Nova Scotia should not stand for this.  Let our leaders, the leaders we hired in the last election, know that this is not acceptable.  Our leaders are some of the best innovative thinkers out there.  They can come up with compassionate and acceptable ways to serve this population.

**UPDATED LOCATIONS!**

ADDED JANUARY 28. 2014

AMHERST
1:10 pm Meet at Bridge Adult Service Centre
16 Station Street, Amherst, NS
Parking lot next to Moore's Recreation
1:25 pm Walking procession to Amherst Justice Centre, 16 Church Street, Amherst,
1:30 -2pm Demonstration of Support


NEW MINAS
1:30 pm Meet at the old Civic Centre, (across from Canadian Tire at the lights) 
1:30-2 pm Walking procession to the RCMP detatchment on Jones Road.

ATTEND A DEMONSTRATION NEAR YOU

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

Share this with your friends on Facebook or tweet it to the world.

Let's let our leaders know that criminalizing people with special needs is not what Nova Scotians stand for.

02.02.2014

What Can I do?

Have you noticed Nichele's story on Facebook ( Help Nichele Benn - Have We Learned Nothing From Ashley Smith),  Twitter @helpnichele or just about every newscast, radioshow or newspaper and thought - What can I do?

This started out as one mother advocating for her adult daughter that could not advocate for herself but has evolved into journey no one should have to take.  You should not have to fight to be treated with respect and dignity in the province of Nova Scotia in 2014.

Sunday January 5 2014 at 09:30 there will be a peaceful demonstration in 5 locations across Nova Scotia while Nichele is being fingerprinted at the RCMP station in Lower Sackville.  The message is to "Stop Criminalizing People With Special Needs" and the request is being put out to the new premier of Nova Scotia to gather his ministers and make a change and to stop using the justice system to punish people that have special needs.

Since going public with her cause, Nichele's mother has learned of many more people in Nova Scotia being treated in the same undignified manner.  This is not an isolated incident. Please lend your voice by contacting the Premier or by attending a demonstration.  All the details are below.





 Office of the Premier

7th Floor, One Government Place
1700 Granville Street
P.O. Box 726
Halifax, NS
B3J 2T3

Phone: (902) 424-6600
Fax: (902) 424-7648
premier@gov.ns.ca

Twitter @StephenMcNeil #nspoli

LOWER SACKVILLE, NS (Actual site of finger printing)

Sunday, 05 January 2014
9:30 am Meet at Quest Regional Rehabilitation Centre
70 Memory Lane, Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia

9:45 am Procession to RCMP Station
711 Old Sackville Road, Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia

10:15 am Finger printing process

10:45 am End of Demonstration of Support

Supporters will meet at Quest Regional Rehabilitation Centre (where Nichele is forced to live). Please park in the front of the building, walk up the second driveway to the side of the building. Supporters will stand outside waiting for Nichele to come out of the building (letting her know she’s not alone) and drive in a procession to the RCMP Station (Red Ribbons tied to car antenna) and four way flashers activated on all vehicles. Once arriving at RCMP station, supporters will exit vehicles and stand in front of the RCMP station waiting for Nichele and her family to arrive. Supporters will wait outside the RCMP Station until the finger printing process is complete and Nichele exits the RCMP station.

Simultaneous demonstrations of support are planned in communities across Nova Scotia and will be updated on this event in the coming days.

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9:30 am NEW MINAS, NS

Meet at Louis Millett Community Complex
9489 Commercial Street, New Minas

9:45 am Procession to RCMP Station
18 Jones Road, New Minas

10:15 am Finger printing process (actual location of
Nichele's finger printing will be in Lower Sackville

10:45 am End of Demonstration of Support

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9:30 am TRURO, NS

Meet at Superstore (where garden centre is
located during summer months)
46 Elm Street, Truro, Nova Scotia

9:45 am Procession to RCMP Station
283 Pictou Road, Bible Hill, Nova Scotia

10:15 am Finger printing process (actual location of
Nichele's finger printing will be in Lower Sackville

10:45 am End of Demonstration of Support

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9:30 am WINDSOR, NS

Meet at Hants County War Memorial Community
Centre
78 Thomas Street, Windsor 

9:45 am Procession to RCMP Station
140 Morrison Drive, Windsor

10:15 am Finger printing process (actual location of
Nichele's finger printing will be in Lower Sackville

10:45 am End of Demonstration of Support

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9:30 am YARMOUTH, NS

Meet at Yarmouth Library
405 Main Street, Yarmouth

9:45 am Procession to RCMP Station
Corner of Main and Prospect Streets

10:15 am Finger printing process (actual location of 
Nichele's finger printing will be in Lower Sackville)

10:45 am End of Demonstration of Support

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Simultaneous demonstrations of support are planned in communities across Nova Scotia and will be communicated in the coming days. Watch Facebook and Twitter (noted below). 

For further information please contact:

Cindy Carruthers, People First Nova Scotia, 902-305-0423
Rachel Murphy, People First Truro Chapter, 902-305-2074