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Surrey Place awarded funding to provide organization-wide training to work towards eliminating systemic barriers and racism.

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

Toronto, ON – Surrey Place is proud to announce they have received nearly $100,000 in funding from the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund to help strengthen its commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA). The funding will provide organizational-wide training to over 700 staff members at Surrey Place to work towards eliminating systemic barriers and racism that may contribute to discrimination, disparity and disproportionality to systemically oppressed groups.

The training was initiated by Surrey Place’s Community, Partnership and Innovation (CPI) department which focuses on reducing disparities driven by social, economic and racial disparities and providing culturally sensitive services and care. Led by Lisa Binns, VP of Children’s Services, Kim Daniel, Director of Community, Partnerships and Innovation, and Kajany Gunarajan, Manager of EDIA, the group works to cultivate a high-performance organizational culture through education, research and long-lasting partnership building.

“This is a first for Surrey Place to provide organizational-wide EDIA training,” says Kim Daniel, Director of Community, Partnership and Innovation. “We are excited, and we look forward to continuing to partner with other agencies to lead and expand EDIA work within the developmental sector.”

The EDIA training will provide an opportunity for Surrey Place staff, across all levels, to deepen their understanding of concepts like privilege, anti-racism, and how to create a safe and healing environment for all. Through the training, the aim is for staff to be better equipped to recognize diverse needs of clients and meet them where they’re at. The funding was awarded in the summer of 2023.

“We are so grateful for this funding from the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund,” says Terri Hewitt, CEO of Surrey Place. “Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility are core to our guiding principles, and we are committed to creating a collaborative and inclusive environment that celebrates diversity, eliminates barriers to accessing services, and upholds the right to belong. This funding will allow us to build on our strategic priority to foster a culture of resilience.”

“I am continually impressed by the passion, dedication, and creativity of community service organizations, like Surrey Place,” added Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. “I am equally proud the Government of Canada has supported their important work through the Community Services Recovery Fund. By investing in these organizations and their projects we can help to create a more just and equitable society, where everyone has opportunities to succeed. I look forward to seeing the positive impact of this investment in the Greater Toronto Area over the years to come.”

About Surrey Place: Surrey Place is a leading provider of services and support for individuals with confirmed or suspected developmental or intellectual disability. With over 60 years of experience in the field, Surrey Place is committed to providing exceptional care and support to help individuals achieve their full potential and lead fulfilling lives.

About The Community Services Recovery Fund: The Community Services Recovery Fund is a one-time $400 million investment from the Government of Canada to support charities and non-profits as they focus on how to adapt their organizations for pandemic recovery. Now more than ever, charities and non-profits are playing a key role in addressing persistent and complex social problems faced by all communities. The Community Services Recovery Fund responds to what charities and non-profits need right now and supports organizations as they adapt to the long-term impacts of the pandemic.

For further information, contact: Surrey Place Media Relations / communications@surreyplace.ca

Logos of Government of Canada – Funded by the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Grant and Surrey Place

Learn more about our commitment to EDIA

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By 2 months

Has your baby had their hearing screened? YES NO

By 6 months

Does the child?

Startle in response to loud noises? YES NO
Turn to where a sound is coming from? YES NO
Make different cries for different needs (hungry, tired)? YES NO
Watch your face as you talk? YES NO
Smile/laugh in response to your smiles and laughs? YES NO
Imitate coughs or other sounds such as ah, eh, buh YES NO

By 9 months

Does the child?

Respond to their name? YES NO
Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door? YES NO
Understand being told no? YES NO
Get what they want through using gestures (reaching to be picked up)? YES NO
Play social games with you (Peek-a-Boo)? YES NO
Enjoy being around people? YES NO
Babble and repeat sounds such as babababa or duhduhduh? YES NO

By 12 months

Does the child?

Follow simple one-step directions (sit down)? YES NO
Look across the room to a toy when adult points at it? YES NO
Consistently use three to five words? YES NO
Use gestures to communicate (waves hi/bye, shakes head for no)? YES NO
Get your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes? YES NO
Bring you toys to show you? YES NO
Perform for social attention and praise? YES NO
Combine lots of sounds together as though talking (abada baduh abee)? YES NO
Show an interest in simple picture books? YES NO

By 18 months

Does the child?

Understand the meaning of in and out, off and on? YES NO
Point to more than 2 body parts when asked? YES NO
Use at least 20 words consistently? YES NO
Respond with words or gestures to simple questions (Where's teddy? What's that?)? YES NO
Demonstrate some pretend play with toys (gives teddy bear a drink, pretends a bowl is a hat)? YES NO
Make at least four different consonant sounds (p ,b, m, n, d, g, w, h)? YES NO
Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books with you? YES NO
Point to pictures using one finger? YES NO

By 2 years

Does the child?

Follow two-step directions (Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.)? YES NO
Use 100 to 150 words? YES NO
Use at least two pronouns (you, me, mine)? YES NO
Consistently combine two to four words in short phrases (Daddy hat. Truck go down.)? YES NO
Enjoy being around other children? YES NO
Begin to offer toys to other children and imitate other children's actions and words? YES NO
Use words that are understood by others 50 to 60 per cent of the time? YES NO
Form words or sounds easily and without effort? YES NO
Hold books the right way up and turn the pages? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 30 months

Does the child?

Understand the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little/a lot, more)? YES NO
Use some adult grammar (two cookies, bird flying, I jumped)? YES NO
Use over 350 words? YES NO
Use action words such as run, spill, fall? YES NO
Participate in some turn-taking activities with peers, using both words and toys? YES NO
Demonstrate concern when another child is hurt or sad? YES NO
Combine several actions in play (puts blocks in the train and drives the train, drops the blocks off.)? YES NO
Put sounds at the beginning of most words? YES NO
Use words with two or more syllables or beats (ba-na-na, com-pu-ter, a-pple)? YES NO
Recognize familiar logos and signs involving print (Stop sign)? YES NO
Remember and understand familiar stories? YES NO

By 3 years

Does the child?

Understand who, what, where and why questions? YES NO
Create long sentences using five to eight words? YES NO
Talk about past events (trip to grandparents house, day at child care)? YES NO
Tell simple stories? YES NO
Show affection for favourite playmates? YES NO
Engage in multi-step pretend play (pretending to cook a meal, repair a car)? YES NO
Talk in a way that most people outside of the family understand what she/he is saying most of the time? YES NO
Have an understanding of the function of print (menus, lists, signs)? YES NO
Show interest in, and awareness of, rhyming words? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 4 years

Does the child?

Follow directions involving three or more steps (First get some paper, then draw a picture and give it to Mommy)? YES NO
Use adult type grammar? YES NO
Tell stories with a beginning, middle and end? YES NO
Talk to try and solve problems with adults and with other children? YES NO
Show increasingly complex imaginary play? YES NO
Talk in a way that is understood by strangers almost all the time? YES NO
Generate simple rhymes (cat-bat)? YES NO
Match some letters with their sounds (letter b says buh, letter t says tuh)? YES NO