This year marks Plan Institute’s 20th year of working to improve the lives of people with disabilities and their families. We are excited and grateful to have been able to do this work and impact the lives of so many since 1999 – do you remember where you were and what was big news 20 years ago? We did a bit of digging and discovered that in 1999 everyone was focused on Y2K – basically, the theory that all electronic devices would either stop working or not work properly when the date changed to 2000. So, while that turned out to be nothing more than a theory, Plan Institute was starting its long journey of helping people.
Plan Institute was formed as a sister organization to PLAN (Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network) which is celebrating 30 years of helping individuals and families this year. Although we share the same vision as PLAN – to secure the future for people with disabilities and their families – the two organizations actually work very differently to be able to achieve this common goal.
While PLAN focuses on Personal Support Networks, advocacy, future planning and supporting families, Plan Institute seeks to take the learnings fostered within PLAN, and share them nationally within the greater community. We do this by providing educational resources, collaborating on community-based projects and advocating for policy reform.
Over the past 20 years, Plan Institute has worked with countless community groups, formed seven affiliate organizations across Canada, held numerous retreats, published books such as “A Good Life” and “Safe and Secure” and has offered a variety of workshops – all with the goal of sharing our values and, ultimately, helping people with disabilities and their families live a good life both now and into the future.
Throughout the coming year, we will celebrate our 20th anniversary by sharing our favourite memories, milestones and accomplishments through a variety of posts, articles, photos, videos and events.
Of course, we would not have been able to do all of this deeply meaningful and impactful work without the visionary initiative of our founders and the determined first board who set the course for Plan Institute. The many achievements we’ve accomplished over the past 20 years would also not have been possible without the unwavering support of our amazing board members, staff, advocates and families who have contributed in countless ways to our success. If you have been involved with or impacted by Plan Institute in any way and have a story or memory to share, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us via the email address below.
We hope you’ll stay tuned as we share our favourite highlights and milestones of the Plan Institute story over the coming year. We sincerely appreciate everyone who has contributed to our mission, helped share our values, or simply shown an interest in the work we do. We look forward to looking back on what got us here, as well as sharing our visions for the future!
– The Plan Institute Team
Share your memories with us!
Contact Kaitie Unwin, Manager of Communications at kunwin@planinstitute.ca