The Voice - Don Slater Advocate

Join us as we talk about AISH, and ADAP and give perspective on what we might expect from changes to the benefit programs.

Transcript

Teresa M, VAD Society

Welcome to the voice of Albertans with Disabilities podcast for August 2025. I'm Teresa Makarewich. Your host and Vads Program services manager. Thank you for joining us today. Voice of Albertans with disabilities acknowledges the importance of the land we call Alberta, where we live, work and gather. We recognize the ancestral territories of all the Inuit, Metis and First Nations people who have called this land home for generations. We honor the ongoing effects of colonialism on indigenous families and communities. And we are called to reflect on our responsibilities. Let us each consider how we can move forward together and spirit of reconciliation, respect and collaboration. Hy. Hy.

Don Slater, Advocate

Hy. Hy.

Teresa M, VAD Society

At VAD, we've been connecting with local agencies to learn more about resources available to the disability community. On today's podcast, I'll be speaking with Don Slater and advocate in the community about AISH and ADAP, AISH being assured income for the severely handicapped and ADAP being Alberta Disability Advocate program. Thank you for joining us on the podcast today. Together we hold the power. Hi, Don, can you tell us about your background and what brought you to this Work?

Don Slater, Advocate

Well, actually I was convinced to become a disability advocate  When I went to the NDP convention in 2018, I was actually there because I was concerned about climate. But in the room that we were in, they were talking about various topics and one of the topics Team up with disability. And I was listening to a couple of speakers, and they had while they were trying to be empathetic, they had serious misunderstandings about what it meant to be disabled and disability, like any other thing in in life has to be experienced to be understood. And if you're not disabled, you really don't. You really don't get it. So, since I've had the good fortune of being disabled for many years, I I took my experience, and I started expanding it by forming a Facebook page to help people. Before that I always did help people with various things. I'm I'm a tradesman and I've got a number of red seals. And I always use those skills to help people like fix their plumbing, fix their electrical, specifically disabled people. And I also had a sister with MS. And so, helping others just came naturally to me. I'm also the youngest in the family. So, what does the youngest get called upon all the time? Hey, go fix this. Go fix that. You know, so sort of natural to me to become a disability advocate, defending others, having empathy. It's also I love philosophy. And when you read philosophy, you get all the wisdom of those that come before you without having to live through it to acquire that wisdom. You know, it's nice to rely on otherwise people for their opinions. When they tell you this works and this doesn't, you should listen to them. So, I was out for taking a short answer and making a long one. I'm great.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Agreed. It's perfect. So for listeners who may not be familiar, can you give us a quick overview of AISH  and then the ADAP?

Don Slater, Advocate

AISH was program set up by Lockheed and the intent there was to differentiate between welfare and welfare for people who are temporarily unemployed and welfare for people who've been crushed by the hand of fate. The carrot and the stick works great for people that are in a temporary situation where they're off work. You don't want to make life too comfortable for them because they'll just choose to sit. But that stigma got spread over to people with disabilities, thinking that the carrot and stick, could be applied to them, and it it's very hurtful to have a person say to you you should be working when you can't, when you've tried everything to keep working. And like he saw that, and he saw, He saw the stigmatism of welfare being applied to people with disabilities. So, he formed the AISH program so that people with disabilities could have some dignity. And now I say some because AISH doesn't reach the the the level of providing well-being to a person with disability, it still has a little bit of a welfare stigmatism to it. It can't be too comfortable. So, it's always been under the poverty line.

And this is an unfortunate reality. Because of being a person with a disability and eking through life is is really, unfortunately, when ash was as low, I think it was 1188 at one time. At the end of the month, I'd be Looking through my pillows and in my jacket pockets for change so I could buy a quart of milk. You know, in that last week of the month. And when it was increased to a more suitable level, I'm like, wow, what? A sigh of relief. I was selling my belongings. You know, just that I required through a life of work just to, you know, get by just to eat and pay my rent to  Eat and I'm  Afraid we're approaching that situation again because of the rapid inflation we're we're facing.

Teresa M, VAD Society

OK. And yeah.

Don Slater, Advocate

Did that answer your question? I sometimes I sometimes veer off. You know, I'm a conversationalist, and I sometimes go down my own pathways deep into the woods. So, I hope I'm keeping keeping to the path.

Teresa M, VAD Society

No, that's good. OK. OK. And if you were to give a quick overview of the ADAP program.

Don Slater, Advocate

The problem with ADAP without getting political problems with AISH is we don't clearly understand what it is they're putting the cart before the horse and the problem with  the program being produced by the people that are producing it. Is they under evaluate things, they they make understatements and so we don't have a clear understanding of what this thing is going to become yet. You're telling us we're going to be exposed to it. It's like, OK, walk over that hill. There might be a bear on the other side. But that's where we'd like you to go. You know and.

Teresa M, VAD Society

That's a good analogy.

Don Slater, Advocate

You know that that causes nothing but stress in the Community and it's something that disabled people do not need because you have to remember that. You know, disabled people want to work. We want to be functionally functioning members of society. What we give is our empathy, which is crafted, you know, in fire, you know, when you suffer, suffering is good for the soul I say. But it creates a lot of empathy for others. When you've suffered yourself. And So what do disabled people offer society? Well, they offer humanity, and they offer justice and justice Is the price for civilization. Now. Unfortunately, over the last few decades, people of power have made people feel like those that are the the the most meek are the ones that are taking from the system. And there's been an attempt by the rich to say, hey, don't look at us for the problems in this. But the unintentional consequence of that is that they've been pointing downwards, and now people in society are starting to think, well, you know, that person should be working.

You know, not really assessing the person on what's on their insides, but what they see on the outside, what they wish to believe instead of what they could possibly understand if they talk to a person. And again, I go down different pathways and it's up to you to, you know, throw that line and reel me back and keep me on topic.

Teresa M, VAD Society

I will let you go unless I need to. So, let's talk about the assured income for this severely handicap. What are some of the biggest misconceptions that people have About the program.

Don Slater, Advocate

Well, I think I sort of just Touched on that A little bit - AISH is a very hard program to get on. You do have to have a pretty obvious disability. It has to be diagnosed by a doctor or several doctors. In order to apply for it and to be accepted to it is even harder. It's, you know, in my case, I worked for years and years and years in serious pain. I would get up hours before I had to work just to tape up my body. Like my feet especially I have plantar fasciitis in both feet and I just get up to tape my feet just so I could make it throughout the day. And you know, if you look at me now on the outside, you see a person that's fairly vibrant and healthy. But if you could see my inside, you'd see I have neuropathic pain disorder and stage 4 cancer. So, the biggest misconception is people will look at somebody like me and say they don't look that disabled. It's an externalization of of an Issue. You know, it's not walking a mile in a man's shoes. It's walking like a foot and a half, maybe  and that's not sufficient. The other misconception is that AISH is enough. You know that it's generous. And that's the fault of some politicians  That don't realize what it takes to make it through life, because they've already always been blessed with good circumstances. Again, I say it takes suffering to develop empathy. Sometimes empathy can be learned. But it's best learned through experience, and so you know, you don't want to walk a mile in a man's shoes just so you can have a mile head start So you can Steal his shoes. You really genuinely want to experience with the experience and  to do that, if you're not disabled, you really have to intense, intense intently listen. So, I also seem to have a stuttering problem, but we won't call that a disability today. We'll just call that a tripping over the words problem. 

Teresa M, VAD Society

Awesome. How does the current system support individuals?

Don Slater, Advocate

Well, each does provide a stipend to each month or stipend each month, and I want to be clear that disabled, disabled people do not have any ingratitude. Uh. They have grace, you know, they're very thankful for what they get, but being thankful and being satisfied are two different things. You know. Being thankful for being here and being allowed to survive is wonderful because life, life is a wonderful gift and and disabled people hold their gratitude around them are are behind them. You know, it's like they have a little wagon behind them full of gratitude. But. You know, being thankful and being satisfied again are two different things. And it's up to the people in society to realize that, you know, we do live under the idea ideology of the social contract. And that's we help each other because we never know when we're going to suffer from the hand of fate. I want to go off on a little story and again I Know I'm wondering off into the wild. But I was a Boilermaker. I worked at Syncrude and Suncor and all these places that produced millions of dollars a day in profit. Some of the components I built are still running and still producing massive amounts of income for Alberta. You know I lived  in pain my  Whole life because I have Shuman’s disease as well. But I worked hard, and I did these things and then eventually my body just gave up. It said enough. You know and. So,  While I may not be producing anything for society lately, except for my ability to speak and spread my goodwill to others, I did work. My parents worked. My grandfather served in both wars. You know, there's a there's a history for me that I should be allowed to inherit. The wealth I've contributed to society and the wealth of my parents, grandparents and their parents Provided to society, so it's not about just today. What have you done lately? Aish is about supporting people that would love to be contributing to society but just can't. And it's an insurance for every individual. It's not just for the disabled, it's for the healthy because tomorrow You may not be healthy and all it takes is one person blowing a red light. Which can happened to me last week? A person?  Blew a stop sign. Fortunately, they didn't hit me very hard. You know, it's sort of like getting.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Very hard.

Don Slater, Advocate

Yeah, it was more like getting hit by bumper car at the at the carnival, so.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Oh, that sucks.

Don Slater, Advocate

You know, it's just these things happen. Life happens. Life is the most dangerous game. No one comes out of alive and and Aish is just an insurance program that we all have on our on our path from beginning to end.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Well, that leads me into my next comment. Many people say the monthly benefit doesn't reflect the true cost of living. What changes do you think are most urgently needed?

Don Slater, Advocate

Well, the federal government saw that more than anyone. They produced the Canadian Disability benefit to bring up the benefits of every province. Unfortunately, Alberta, you know, sees their benefit as the most generous and perhaps is the most generous monetary problem is, is everybody's feeling. Every promise is failing people with disabilities; every promise is got an F grade. And so, to say you've got a D grade and you're better than everybody else is is not much of  Again, it's about understanding. I don't think anybody in our current government wants to be cruel. They just see what they're doing, and they assess themselves against other people and that while we're doing better than them, but there it's not  It's not enough. You're not  You're not winning if you're not helping people  to your full ability to your capacity to help. What you can do and what you want to do are two different things. And I think what has to happen with these. Is people have to  Start looking at it  What can we do? You know what? What I expected if this was me, if I didn't know tomorrow, if I was going to be a billionaire or if I was going to have cancer and it was going to lay me low. What would I expect of my yesterday self to commit to my tomorrow self? And that's the way people should look at others that are disabled and facing the obstacles they face. What would I do for me? What would I do for my best friend? What would I do for my neighbor?

Teresa M, VAD Society

How does working or having another income impact AISH recipients? And do you think the rules are fair?

Don Slater, Advocate

Well, I think the 1072 is a blessing. You know, if you can work well on each that takes you from being in poverty to, you know, reaching that sense of well-being. The thing is about work and being disabled is you have to find your niche. You know you have to find that thing You can do it. It often requires an employer that's extremely forgiving or is offering you an extremely flexible job, like something where you could start at. 9:00 in the morning or three in the afternoon and work for a couple hours and as long as the work Is done by  the end of the week, the employer is happy.

Because one day I can wake up and feel like death warmed over. Or the next day I can wake up and sort of spring out of bed and run around for 10 minutes and I go, oh, I'm tired again. I got  To  Go back to bed. There are days when I have capacity to do something and there are days where I can do nothing, you know, and I I do think slower than most people, very healthy. I I count. My one blessing is I was born with a pretty big head, you know, and in that head is a a fairly good brain. And so that's defended me most of my life when I'm being in tough situations where I'm living through pain. How can I do this to minimize my pain. And that's the same way I approach your job. When I can do it, how can I do this job? But not everybody that's disabled, you know, there are people that are far worse than me, you know, even I go there for the even I say there for the grace of God go I. You know, and I have incredible sympathy for for other disabled people because I know what they're going through. And I know how hard it is to find work. I've had people where I've said, would you hire a disabled person and they go No, no, we don't want any disabled people here. And I'm just like my jaw dropped.

You know, it's like, wow. But it it's hard to work when you're disabled and it's hard to find that job that that you can, that you can do. It's really. It's really a tricky path, but it's a blessing to be able to to be able to earn that money without it being clawed back.

Teresa M, VAD Society

ADAP the Alberta Disability Advocate program will be implemented in the summer of 2026. What role will ADAP play in advocating for people with disabilities in Alberta? It's a hard question, Don.

Don Slater, Advocate

And that's my answer. We don't know anything about it. You know, the the policy hasn't been written before the announcement.

They might have the best intentions in the world. But prior acts make people nervous. The language that's used makes people nervous. I think many people are seeing this as a gatekeeping program.

And it’s sort of going back to the same stigmatism that was existed before Lougheed developed AISH in the first place. And not being that  People at ADAP seems to be the answer to the constituents to say they don't look disabled. To me, you know it, it seems to be a work program or a poor house program where everybody has to prove their worth. And the idea that you have to reapply for AISH when you've already gone through a system  That was rigorous in assessing you  in the first place It seems absurd.

You know, I can understand If the politicians getting a lot of pressure from their constituents, the constituents are saying, well, this program is too generous. And then.  The poor are taking too much from us. And all these ideas, then they might feel the pressure to make this program. But a politician doesn't do the things that are just good for their political career. Sometimes they sacrifice their popularity to do what's right for society. You know, they might even give up their seat or lose an election to do what's right. And it's important that politicians remember the reason for being a politician is to make the world a better place. Not to keep getting elected so they earn a good salary. You know, so add up. I would say, you know, please make your intention clear with this. If the intention is to do well by people. Then consider how you roll out this program. What you think of people that are on each talk to them? I don't really know the people in the government Because I I don't talk to them; they they don't give me the opportunity to speak with them. You know, like they do not know me. I do not know them.

I can assess them and say, well, you're cruel by doing this and they might have the best intentions in the world looking down the road. But the way they're rolling it  Out. Doesn't seem that way. It's it's like I don't know if people ever saw a fish called Wanda. You know, but a guy is walking, and a guy is running at him with a steamroller.

And the guy accidentally steps in cement and he gets stuck in the steam rollers coming at him and it's still, you know, you know, still 45 seconds away, but he can't step out of the way cause his feet are stuck in the concrete. And that's what ADAP is. It's the steamroller that's slowly coming at you. You don't know what it is. You don't know if it's going to stop you.

Don Slater, Advocate

Know you don't  Know if it's going to turn you just see this  Thing coming at you, it's going to flatten you. You know, I shouldn't have referred to a movie that's now obscure because it was 30 years ago, but  You know it's it's important for people in government to understand that a person like myself worked Themselves nearly to death. Before they stopped working. You know, I liked making money. I liked my peers that I worked with. You know, I loved my brothers, that I worked with. I really enjoyed my job. I didn't want to go on AISH. I went through my life savings before I applied. You know, I did my best to be a contributing member of society.

But my taxes went to help people at that time while I was working. You know, when I looked at some of my paychecks and I looked at the taxes, I went holy, you know. But I was helping people down and I, and I seriously hope that people know when they look at their paychecks and they look at their taxes, they don't go wow, I'm getting hit on my taxes, they think. Perhaps I'll think, wow, I'm helping  A lot of people. I'm educating people, putting them through school. Helping seniors in the hospital, you know, helping disabled people. While I'm a good person for because I'm paying my taxes, while am I doing a good job.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Yeah, that would be really nice for people to think instead of.

Don Slater, Advocate

Well, you've got.

To see what's being put into your hands, not what's being taken out of them.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Yeah.

Don Slater, Advocate

You know the blessings you've got in life.

Teresa M, VAD Society

So, what are  the most common issues you're here that people are bringing up about this new program.

Don Slater, Advocate

It's just fear. Everybody's terrified. It was a it was a surprise. It was rolled out in a survey. And again, the government might might be thinking, well, I know what's best for you. You don't know what's best for you, but that's not the way to approach people. Nobody wants to be told this is where you're going, especially when they're vulnerable and helpless.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Well, and the new program is $200 less, so that's a.

Don Slater, Advocate

It is and it it also applies to claw back much sooner on your earning. You know, so you can earn up to $350.00 and the government starts clawing it back. That's like a huge tax. You know, the other thing I want people to understand about disability support is, is its compensation for the disability. It shouldn't be looked at This is what you have to live on  Because when it becomes, this is what you have to live on  It becomes a ceiling. And every different disability benefit should be a foundation. It should be the floor. It's the place you take off from. It's the place you try to do better. Better for yourself and better for society. And if it's looked at as if the government looks at as at it as a burden, like we're paying this burden every month  Then they'll never really apply it in a helpful manner, because they'll always try to minimize their burden. But if they look at it as, gosh, we're doing good, we're helping people, we're helping people achieve.

You know, it's it's all about perspective and how you approach things, so  Adap, I'm not a fan because I don't know anything about it, and disabled people have to be hyper vigilant. We have to protect ourselves because life is far more difficult for us than it is the people that have a good set of wheels underneath them, you know, .

Teresa M, VAD Society

How do AISH & ADAP compare to disability income supports from other provinces?

Don Slater, Advocate

You know that's that's comparing apples to oranges. Is. Because what other provinces do for their disabled citizens is applied differently? Do they have subsidy programs for housing? You know, what is the cost of living in that province? We'll often hear Alberta say we have the most generous benefits among the provinces, and that might be true statistically for single individuals. And provinces. But the Yukon pays more, you know, because it's more expensive there. Mm-hmm. So, it's very hard to compare programs because you're just comparing them based on statistics. You're not comparing them on other supports like like I say, subsidized housing or food programs or anything else. Alberta again  I'm saying we get a D grade compared to an F grade, but you know every promise should have an A grade. You know, so. Comparison is sort of useless when you're not doing. You should be comparing yourself against yourself. It's like. When you participate in sports. You don't think you can think Oh wow, I lost. I came in last. Or you can think. Well, I ran a full second faster than I did the time before. You know, and it's about challenging yourself and I think provinces have to do that too. They've got to challenge their self. Themselves, they can't think  Oh wow, we came in first among a group of extremely slow people, you know? That's that's the big problem. You've got to challenge yourself and say  Tomorrow I will do better than today. And I'm going to do my best  for the people I care for.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Nice. What do you think policymakers often misunderstand about living with a disability?

Don Slater, Advocate

Well, again, you know if unless you have the lived experience, you know, you don't really understand it, you're sort of, there's this. There's a condition called Dunning Kruger. You know that, and that goes with the saying. The more I know, the more I know there is to know. And you can't live with a disability unless you're disabled. You can't understand disability. You can make the biggest effort in the  World. But until you actually experience that, you don't know, there's things you don't realize. It's like the city recently put out these Trash bins that are meant to make recycling better and the world better. And the trash bins don't have a port in the side, so people in wheelchairs can throw their trash in. The lids are too high to lift - best intentions in the world, but the person that designed those trash bins didn't know because they haven't been exposed to that circumstance where I'm in a wheelchair and I have to do this or do that. So, people in government, I would really like to see many more people with disabilities in Government. But the way our current government works is you need incredible amount of energies, energy to get elected, you got to go door knocking, you got to fundraise a little bit. You Got to. Do things that only  Maybe the ADAP program will put people into politics. Wouldn't that be wonderful? The government will say we've got 120 positions for people in wheelchairs and we're going to help you become a politician. But  I'd really like to see more people in the legislature with disabilities because they can truly understand. And I see advocates yelling back and forth in the house, but they don't have disabilities either. You know. They're trying to represent us, but  like anything else, I can't be an electrician tomorrow because I want, I've seen electrician do his work and I think I understand the job.

Or be a brain surgeon or, you know, be a plumber. You know, these things require experience and skill and the ability to adapt to the situation. And. Some people in the like AISH workers incredible empathy. You know, and they come closest to understanding what disability is and and God bless them because, you know, they're the ones that deal with the frustration of people in the disabled community. And that frustration is with people that are much higher level than the than the worker, right, that those that volunteer and care for the disabled  Community. The Frontliners are the ones that are taking the brunt of the front St. Should the ones that have to say, well, I'm trying to help you, but I can't. You know, my hands are tied, and they have to deal with that frustration. So, the government really has to do a better job of understanding announcing this aid. That program says to me, they don't really understand because if they really understood, they would have rolled it out the way they did.

So, it's the improvement that could be made  to the current system is don't change the system for the first first thing and just leave it alone. It's working pretty well after 40 years of being, you know, being exposed to the weather and the elements it's, it's being ironed out and it's functioning just fine. If you want to help people work  Just increase the the allowable earnings on AISH. Everything that you need is already there. You don't need to make a new program again. The add up seems to be caving to the pressure of the people that say they don't look disabled to me. Well, I don't look disabled to anybody else, but if they want to trade their life for my life of living with stage 4 most out of cancer. You know, hey. I'll I'll happily go work at your job and you can have my stage 4 cancer. If you're going to judge me from the outside. So.

Teresa M, VAD Society

That's a great way to think about it.

Don Slater, Advocate

Well, it's not a happy way to think about it, but it's it  It sort of drives the point home, you know, like. Yeah, no, I prefer not to have cancer. Thank you very much. Maybe I shouldn't judge you, you know, forgive me as I backpedal.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Yeah. If you could change one policy, what would it be?

Don Slater, Advocate

I would change the carrot and the stick ideology. They're going to make a person in a wheelchair stand up with the carrot and the stick. The person can't stand; they can't stand. And I would just  Ask The constituents that vote for their MLA and the MLAs to understand That you have to stop judging people on their external appearance. I see people that are  Lithotomy, and I hope I'm seeing thalidomide victims. You know that have 3 stubs in one good leg. I see people that are  Profoundly obviously disabled. But those are the people that aren't seen in public because they're often shut INS. You know, and when a person who's a farmer sees one of those persons, they say, well, that person deserves to be honest. But that person that looks like me doesn't.

You know, because it goes with the if you're not bleeding, you're not hurt. You know, I've had people say to me, you know, well, why aren't you working? And then I get a simple procedure done that leaves little red spots all over my body. And I got. Are you OK? You know. I would just ask the policy of viewing people on their external appearance and  then you look a little deeper  and that you try to exercise a little empathy. You know, bring compassion to policy, empathy to policy.

Teresa M, VAD Society

How do the current policies impact people's ability to live independently, access  housing, or pursue education or employment?

Don Slater, Advocate

Well, they're helpful. But they need to be better. You know, again, you don't have to throw out each to try to do better. You improving. Scrapping one program in favor another is just inviting disaster.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Yes.

Don Slater, Advocate

You know, Aish does a pretty good job. The support workers there and they're have done a pretty good job - taking people's workers away was a bad thing to do. It might have been more efficient. But bad idea you always want to try to make you know the old saying. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

You know, and don't ever go for 100% because you can't maintain that all the time. But if you see something running at 85%, try to make it run at 86% and then 87. Yeah, but don't throw out  You know, the old saying don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. You know, there's all sorts of memes and all sorts of scenes that have been passed to us. And those are scenes that have come from people that have lived an entire life. You know, and they learn from their parents, and they learn from their grandparents and that's the value of philosophy as we can gain generations worth of wisdom by reading a book. You know, and I would ask that the people that are running age just, you know, read the book, understand life, understand what's going on and understand that in human history, this is what worked. And this is what didn't work. And for them to bring in a new new program, we've always seen the road to hell is paved with good intentions. So, you know, just do what's right by people, be very careful because you're playing with people's lives.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Yeah. What can everyday Albertans who support people with this living with disabilities do beyond policy change?

Don Slater, Advocate

Well, I'm because I, you know, sort of wander off on the woods, on all my answers. I sort of answered this Question. You know already and that is what can everyday Albertans do is do not judge people based on their external. Parents, you know, don't say. Well, they don't look disabled to me. You know, if if you're really that concerned and you want to make judgment, then try to kindly ask, hey, what's your disability? What do you go through each day and hopefully the disabled person who's become so defensive by being asked over and over and over. And to prove their worth doesn't come back with  Oh, yeah, go stick it in your ear. Hopefully they will take the time to explain what they go through. And it's very important for disabled people to try to be patient with those that are assessing them so that the person that's assessing them might actually  How their empathy stirred within them. So, what does this? What does the disabled person do? Well, they represent themselves well with their words. They understand their situation, so they can explain it to others.

They have to every every disabled person has to advocate for themselves and try to find a path into another person's nose. You know, even if it's like 3 inches thick. To try to explain this is what I go through and this is what you should try to understand and I would ask Albertans to say to themselves, well, I'm an Albertan and you know, Albertans got a pretty proud history  Of standing up for vulnerable people like my grandfather, served in the Patricia  And he served in the southern Upper Calvary. And He did this not because he had to, because he wanted to. He ran away from home when he was underage. He tried to sign up for World War 2, and you've probably heard this saying. Well, he was 16 and  the recruiter would say we'll come back tomorrow when you're 18. Good. Yeah. And that's what he did. They put him in an ambulance when they found out he was underage, they made him an ambulance driver, and he got hit by an artillery shell anyway. But.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Oh.

Don Slater, Advocate

You know these these are the things that Albertans do they serve. You know, and when you're when you're 1 individual working for your own interests and your own needs, you're 1 individual nobody has your back. But when you're part of a society that's pulling the rope in the same direction, you accomplish so much more. And you don't have to fear falling down. You know, so I would just tell Albertans to be Albertans You know not.

Teresa M, VAD Society

So, what gives you hope for the disability community in Alberta?

Don Slater, Advocate

Oh boy, what gives me hope? Well, there are other good advocates out there and that gives me hope. It gives me hope to see people out there. There's a petition out there right now. I won't mention the name of that petition. But it's getting garnering a lot of attention and a lot of Albertans are stepping up to sign it. UM. It's not really a life or death situation, you know, because that that reality was never going to happen. And I think a lot of people will know what I'm referring to. I just can't bring It up in this in this podcast. But I'm hoping that that petition becomes a petition for disabled people after this petition has finished. The same people are working on that  We'll work on a petition for disabled people and demand that the government does better. So, did that answer your question or did I go off on a complete tangent?

Teresa M, VAD Society

No, you answered my question.

Don Slater, Advocate

OK, good.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Awesome. Well, thank you for your time and energy today. Don, your support of the community is incredibly valuable. Is there anything else you want to say that I haven't asked you about?

Don Slater, Advocate

I'm just completely exhausted because I feel like I've been absolutely grilled. I've been in police interviews that haven't been as difficult until I'm kidding, I Never been in a police interview, but I'm just teasing. I always try to add humor to my day, and one of the most important things to me is to bring a smile to every person's face. So, like. Across, you know, and it's nice that I'm greeted with smiles when people see me coming.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Nice.

Don Slater, Advocate

You know. It's. I have a sense of humor, not only for others, but for myself. Because everybody loves to laugh and life is beautiful, no matter what your face. You know, if you go out and you really appreciate what's being put in your hands instead of what's being taken out. Life is a lot easier to live. No matter what the struggles are, you can always try to find that pot of gold or pot of something else at the end of the rainbow. Butter cookies.

Teresa M, VAD Society

That's a great philosophy to live by.

Don Slater, Advocate

It's a hard philosophy to live by, and sometimes I feel defeated, but I try to keep going for myself and for others. You know, you just don't want to let yourself be defeated.

Life is hard. Life is. Hard. You know, there's no doubt.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Life is hard. But you know what we can do hard things.

Don Slater, Advocate

Yeah, you know. Well, that's the same. Life's the most dangerous game. Nobody comes out alive. Yeah, you know, it's about today. It's not about the end. It's not about the beginning. It's about today. You live each day, you know, you fill up. With experiences I often say to people you know, when your life flashes before your eyes. You don't want to trip over a a step fall on your face and your life's finished flashing before your eyes before you hit the ground. You want to fall off. You want to fall out of an airplane and have your life flash before your eyes all the way down full of experiences.

Don Slater, Advocate

You know, and when you finally hit the ground, you're only halfway flashing through your life. You know, you want each day to be memorable. You want to break your routine each day. You want to do something different. You want to have an experience. You know, yesterday or the day before when it was raining. Lately I was spinning around like Julie Andrews on the top of the mountain, and I'm not singing the hills are alive. But you know, I had my I had my palms out and my face up when I was feeling that slight mist come down and I'm spinning around like a  You know a little girl. The hills are alive, you Know. Just experiencing life. It's a it's a good time anyway.

Teresa M, VAD Society

Awesome. Well, thank you again for being part of the podcast today.

Don Slater, Advocate

OK.

Teresa M, VAD Society

VAD is a cross-disability nonprofit organization of and for people with disabilities. We are guided by the principles of accessibility, equity and inclusion. To learn more about our services, visit our website at www.vadsociety.ca or give us a call at 780488908. If you have a topic you'd like to hear on a future episodes, send your ideas, speaker suggestions or feedback to Teresa at vad@vadsociety.ca. That's all for today. Together we hold the power.