In fact, because of the inclusion of self-advocates the association changed its name in 1985 from the Canadian Association for the Mentally Retarded to the Canadian Association for Community Living.
Immediately after the change of name, the association embarked on an eighteen-month review of its goals and objectives. After consulting with its membership in ten provincial, two territorial and over four hundred local associations, the organization developed a plan entitled Community Living 2000 which described a vision for the year 2000. The vision is of individuals supported by a network of family and friends; they have opportunities to attend regular neighbourhood schools and be included in regular classrooms; they have meaningful work and control over the tax dollars being spent on their behalf; they have opportunities to develop a personal lifestyle and receive reliable support when they need it. This vision is shared by self-advocates, families, and members of the association-at-large. The vision is anchored in several principles which the association identified as critical in order to achieve true and full participation in their communities by all individuals, regardless of handicap. They are citizenship, membership and self-determination. Citizenship is the actualization of rights without discrimination. It encompasses voting, having equal opportunities for employment, and being entitled to due process of law whether as a victim, a witness or an accused. Membership is a sense of belonging: having friends and families through good times and bad. Self-determination is the ability to chart the course of one’s life: to choose with whom and where to live; to have a choice of career; and to choose the individuals who are providing support for activities in daily life.
