Skills Society’s work is rooted in disability rights - providing people with disabilities with the same opportunities and choices, the same ability to share their gifts and talents, and the same sense of belonging that we all enjoy. 

Disability rights advocacy has been instrumental at Skills Society since we began in the 1980s. There is a long history in Alberta of oppression, exclusion and marginalization of people with developmental disabilities, and for many years people’s rights were infringed upon. People were forced to live in institutions and faced terrible abuse and harm like eugenics and forced sterilisation. In the 1990s people we serve came together as self-advocates to create the Rights We Want! document. Still in use today, this document is reviewed yearly and reminds all Skills Society community members that people with disabilities have the same rights and responsibilities as any other citizen.

Although disability rights movements have led to significant positive change over the years, there is still more work to be done. We remember and honor the work of those that came before us and the tireless efforts of self-advocates and their allies as we continue in our collective efforts towards social change and our Skills Society Vision.  

Below are a few examples of how the Skills Community has been involved in advocating for and supporting disability rights over the years.