SAID Principles
Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability
SAID Principles
The principles below should be adopted to guide future development of the new disability income program (SAID).
¶ A well designed disability income program is:
¶ Dignified and respectful to all.
¶ Person-centered and organized around the needs and aspirations of people with disabilities and their families.
¶ Empowering by having people with disabilities take an active role in managing their supports.
¶ Non-intrusive and delivered in a way that respects a person’s dignity and minimizes the degree interference in a person’s life.
¶ Collaborative by engaging the disability community (people with disabilities, their families and support networks, and service agencies) in the design and delivery of the program.
¶ Separate from the welfare system.
¶ Easily accessible for individuals, families and support networks.
¶ Simple to administer, explain, understand.
¶ Individualized and portable in the approach to benefits and services rather than “one-size-fits-all.”
¶ Flexible to address changing needs over the course of life and in different environments and to allow people to be able to move in and out of the program as needs requires.
¶ Timely so that people can access and receive services and benefits when they are most needed without gaps.
¶ Impact-based in that it focuses on the functional impact of disability, not just the medical diagnosis of the underlying condition, with responses matched to degrees of impact
¶ Fair and transparent in terms of administrative and decision-making processes.
¶ Aligned with other supports and service that assist people with disabilities to participate and be included in their communities.
¶ A high quality service delivered by highly valued, supportive, and knowledgeable staff.
¶ Accountable by ensuring that resources are used in ways that achieve the best outcomes for people with disabilities.
¶ Sustainable over the long term.
Taken from: Final Recommendations of the Task Team on Income Support for People with Disabilities- May 13, 2009