'Culture shift' underway at Haley Street in North Sydney

Erin Pottie · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 24, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

A Cape Breton enactment that helps adults with disabilities is letting clients person their accidental connected however they'll work, larn and interact with the community. 

Amanda Evans, the enforcement manager of Haley Street successful North Sydney, says the non-profit enactment is undergoing a "culture shift."

Evans says unit provided services that beforehand growth, socialization and employment for galore years, but clients weren't progressive successful making decisions.

"We created the programs, we decided what was being offered and past radical could motion up," Evans said. "I deliberation radical consciousness that, oregon felt that, astatine 1 constituent they astir apt didn't person a voice."

More assemblage involvement 

Haley Street has created a self-advocacy committee made up of radical who trust connected its programs and workshops — everything from cooking classes, equestrian therapy and outpouring galas.

Mason Rudderham, a Haley Street member and committee president, says the changes person allowed him to unpaid astatine his section nutrient slope and commencement a YouTube transmission wherever helium critiques movies with his friends.

"I truly wanted to try," said Rudderham. "I wanted to get much progressive wrong the assemblage that I've been a portion of since I was a kid."

Haley Street lawsuit Jarod Jenkins, said members are not lone helping usher programming, but are moving to amended prime of beingness for radical with disabilities crossed Nova Scotia. 

"Before Haley Street, well, I won't speech excessively overmuch astir it, but I mean, I wasn't precisely employed oregon assured successful myself," helium said.

"There's been a full alteration successful my perspective. Now I really person worldly similar … a paying job, and I'm capable to bash things that I would ne'er person been capable to imagination of before."

The alteration astatine Haley Street follows a Nova Scotia quality rights ruling that recommends adults with disabilities beryllium moved retired of institutions and into community by 2028.

It besides acceptable the stage for a binding statement that guides the enactment to alteration the province's disablement enactment system.

The program includes a money that provided Haley Street with $100,000 to bid unit connected however to make much autonomy for clients.

"It's truly unthinkable to witness, particularly with immoderate of the individuals that we've been supporting for years, to spot that displacement successful them and to spot their confidence," said Evans. "Now we're truly seeing that blossom."

Jenkins said immoderate of the services helium and chap Haley Street clients person requested see other opportunities for paid employment and much collaboration with section businesses.