Who we are:

Inclusion Nova Scotia is a family-led, province-wide non-profit. We work with and on behalf of people with intellectual disabilities and their families so they can live full lives in their own communities. That means ending exclusion and discrimination, advancing human rights, and building a Nova Scotia where everyone belongs.

We are a proud member of Inclusion Canada, a national federation of 13 provincial and territorial associations and more than 300 local groups. Through Inclusion Canada, we are also part of Inclusion International. Our movement is local, national, and global, and it has always been led by families.

How we started

In 1954, a small ad ran in a Halifax newspaper. It invited parents of children with intellectual disabilities to meet at the local YMCA. Back then, the language used was different, and so were the options available to families. But the reason for that meeting is the same reason we are here today. Parents wanted a better life for their sons and daughters.

That gathering became the Nova Scotia Association for Community Living. Over the next 70 years, it grew into the organization we are today: Inclusion Nova Scotia.

In 1958, provincial associations across the country joined together to form a national body. We have been part of that national family ever since.

What our families built

Almost every right that people with intellectual disabilities have in Nova Scotia today exists because families pushed for it.

When public schools refused to enroll children with intellectual disabilities, our families raised the money and opened the classrooms themselves. Those classrooms became the proof the province needed to open public education to all children. Today, we work toward fully inclusive schools.
When adults had nowhere to go during the day, our families opened workshops and activity centres. Over time, those segregated programs evolved into real employment support, with people earning real wages alongside their neighbours.
When institutions were the only option, our families pushed for community living. The group home model started here. Individualized supports are growing here. People decide where they live and who they live with.

These changes did not happen by chance. They happened because families, self-advocates, and friends refused to accept less.

The work is not finished

Despite everything that has been won, parents in Nova Scotia still fight for inclusive classrooms. People still wait too long for the support they need to live in their own homes. Employers still need to see what is possible.

We know there is more to do before people with intellectual disabilities fully claim their rights as equal citizens. We work in partnership with other disability rights organizations, including Nova Scotia People First, to keep that work moving forward.

What we believe

Our Story

Inclusion Nova Scotia is guided by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). We believe it is the document that best describes and advances the rights of people with disabilities.

Our values and principles sit on top of that foundation.

Equality
Every person has inherent and equal worth. Worth is not earned, given, or accumulated. It has nothing to do with ability, disability, health, or any personal characteristic. Everyone is entitled to equal access, equal opportunity, and the support needed to fully participate.

Dignity
Every person has dignity simply because they exist. Dignity does not depend on what someone can do, and it cannot be taken away.

Respect
Every person is entitled to respect. Respect means recognizing the dignity in every person.

Freedom and social justice
People with intellectual disabilities should be welcomed, free, and valued as full members of their communities. That requires the supports and services to make it real.

Human rights
People with intellectual disabilities have the same rights and responsibilities as every other Canadian. They are entitled to equal protection under the law, and to the supports they need to reach equality.

Diversity and inclusion
We work toward a Nova Scotia where everyone belongs. A place where people with intellectual disabilities feel acceptance and citizenship, where their needs are met through the same agencies and services everyone else uses, with extra support added when needed.

Choice and self-determination
Self-determination is the heart of citizenship. People have the right to live in their community, to make their own decisions, to take risks, and to shape their own well-being.

Interdependence
We all rely on one another for love and support. People with intellectual disabilities are citizens who contribute to their families, communities, and society. Families are the gateway to inclusive community life.

Valuing human potential
Every person can grow. Every person deserves the chance to grow physically, intellectually, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.

Our vision

A Nova Scotia where every person, including people with intellectual disabilities, belongs and is fully included in community life.

Our mission

Inclusion Nova Scotia is a province-wide, not-for-profit association of people with intellectual disabilities, their families, and others working together to build a just and inclusive society. We do that by supporting individuals and families, promoting the rights and values of the UNCRPD, and partnering with other organizations to push for change.

Our goals

Support families to lead the work for inclusion and equality
Build awareness of the value and capacity of people with intellectual disabilities as full citizens
Push policies and practices that include people with intellectual disabilities in every part of community life
Challenge myths and outdated ideas about disability
Create practical resources for inclusion at home, at school, at work, and in the community
Help communities grow their ability to include everyone

A movement, not just an organization

Inclusion Nova Scotia is part of something bigger. Through Inclusion Canada, we work alongside 13 provincial and territorial associations and more than 300 local groups. Through Inclusion International, our work connects to families and self-advocates around the world.

We are family-led. We are rights-based. And we believe Nova Scotia, and Canada, are at their best when everyone belongs.

You are welcome to join us.