A woman with cerebral palsy defended her right to live in Winnipeg separately but she also wants to choose her caregivers.
Helen Roulette is 31 and she is suffering from cerebral palsy. At the moment the woman has made her desire to live independently come true but this is only half of her dreams. She hopes also to choose caregivers.
The woman explains her decision by saying that she spends a lot of time with these people and she wants to trust them. Roulette lived on her own for more than 10 years but last summer the provincial authorities decided to make her live in a group home.
The woman as fighting for her right to live the life she got used to and she won. However, the question about caregivers is still open. She asked to transfer her care to In the Company of Friends about a year ago. This association gives people with disabilities the right to choose where to live. Her request was denied.
Helen noted that she is not going to stop. She will continue to work to move closer to her dreams. Living in Winnipeg will open new opportunities to her: she will live near her family and she will be able to do various activities like dancing or studying.
Now she is glad that finally she will continue living her habitual life but she still does not understand why she had to fight for it, and she is really upset that she will not cooperate with In the Company of Friends.
Community Living disAbility Services will provide Helen with help 24 hours 7 days a week.
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