Interim Executive Director Commended

DISABLED PERSONS COMMISSION--Interim Executive Director Commended for Contributions

The Disabled Persons Commission has praised the achievements of outgoing interim executive director Judy Hughes and welcomed the return of Charlie Macdonald to the role of executive director.

"Under Judy's direction, the commission developed and implemented a strategic plan that enables it to improve the many areas in which disability touches the lives of Nova Scotians," Ralph Ferguson, chair of the commission said Tuesday, April 13, at a meeting with the co-ordinating committee of ministers.

Minister of Community Services David Morse, the Minister responsible for the Nova Scotia Disabled Persons Commission, also commended Ms. Hughes' contributions. "Judy provided excellent leadership and a tireless commitment to equality and social justice," said Mr. Morse. "The commission accomplished a great deal of work under her direction -- work that will be of tremendous value going forward."

Mr. Morse also welcomed Charlie Macdonald back to a leading role with the commission. Mr. Macdonald spent the past two years providing leadership to an Inclusion Initiative with Community Services' Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) Program. The goal was to provide a broader range of services, establish closer links with stakeholders and make the ESIA program more responsive to the social and economic needs of its participants.

"Charlie Macdonald has made great strides on the Employment Support and Income Assistance Inclusion Initiative over the past two years," said Mr. Morse. "Charlie's capabilities, knowledge and experience will certainly benefit the commission going forward."

The Disabled Persons Commission is an advisory organization that promotes the needs and abilities of persons with disabilities. The committee of ministers, chaired by Mr. Morse, includes representatives from departments that have a significant interest in programs and services for persons with disabilities. In addition to Community Services, the committee includes ministers from the departments of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations, Health, Environment and Labour, Education and Transportation and Public Works.

Nova Scotia has the highest rate of disability in Canada; in the 2001 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey, 20.1 per cent of the province's adult population reported a disability.