Zech Jagmohan survived a car accident when he was 17 years old that left him paralyzed in his limbs.
At 25, the Stayner resident is living an independent life thanks to the Direct Support Funding program, which is provincial cash administered by Collingwood-based Breaking Down Barriers.
“It’s the difference between surviving and living,” said Jagmohan in an interview. “It's life changing.”
And with a burst of funding last year, there's no wait-list for the program.
The Direct Funding Support program, run through the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto, is a self-managed attendant services program, which enables adults living with disabilities to manage their care based on their individual needs.
The program, which marks its 30th anniversary this year, currently supports 900 individuals province-wide and empowers people living with disabilities to become employers by giving them the funds to support their own care.
Jagmohan currently employs a staff of five caregivers through the program, to ensure he has round-the-clock care.
“They're basically my arms and legs,” said Jagmohan.
Previous to applying to the program, he said his mother was his carer for two years.
“Now, my mom can go to work. She wouldn't even leave the house for a while. Now, she doesn’t worry,” he said.
When Jagmohan applied, he said he was surprised at how easy it was to become an employer. He leaned on Breaking Down Barriers to support him through that journey, which included placing advertisements, learning how to do a payroll, scheduling and learning about the rights and responsibilities of an employer and employee.
“I was so young and so uneducated with how finances worked. They're very good at teaching. If they could teach me, they could teach anybody,” he said. “I hadn't even had a nine-to-five before this program. I’ve learned so much.”
Executive director of Breaking Down Barriers Teresa Gal said there are currently 54 people within their catchment area that use the program, with another 40 applicants waiting on word of approval.
The program is available to any individual with a permanent physical disability who is 16 years old or older, and is able to self-manage their caregivers. Bookkeepers are also permitted as staff under the program.
“There is no middleman, so this allows for more funding to go into that care,” said Gal in an interview.
Individuals hired do not need to be PSW certified, just willing to go through training. Family members are not permitted to be hired through the program.
“The idea is to give family and loved ones respite,” she said.
Breaking Down Barriers provides supports, services and programs to enhance opportunities for people with diverse disabilities to live independently in the communities of South Georgian Bay, Simcoe, Grey and Bruce Counties.
Gal said that while Breaking Down Barriers doesn’t administer the program, they’re happy to assist anyone in learning how to place an ad for carers, or by connecting someone interested in acting as a carer with local self managers that are currently hiring.
For more information on Breaking Down Barriers, click here.