Inclusion Nova Scotia is a not-for-profit organization that supports families to lead as we work together advancing the rights and full inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in communities across Nova Scotia. Our work is guided by human rights – including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – and by a vision of peope with intellectual disabilities having choices and be able to have ordinary, inclusive lives in community.

When we say inclusion, we mean that children and adults with intellectual disabilities fully participate in the same everyday experiences as everyone else so their lives unfold no differently than their peers without disabilities. Inclusion matters because human rights matter: when dignity, support, and opportunity are available to everyone, communities become safer, fairer, and better for everyone.

We help people with intellectual disabilities and their families understand what their rights are, and imagine what is possible in everyday life. That can include exploring how to make a home, how to be included in education, build pathways to real work for real pay, find inclusive recreation, and support the person’s right to make decisions. We can also help you connect with other families or peers to share your experiences and organize. Support is a right, and we are here to help you work towards your rights and inclusion.

We serve people with intellectual disabilities and the people who love them; when we say families, we include the person and those invested in their lives, such as parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, and chosen family. First voice means we start by listening to the person with an intellectual disability and centring their choices, will, and preferences, with whatever support they need to understand options and decide.