N.S. mom speaks out about challenges of getting financial aid for daughter's care
CBC
Nora Nunn-Murphy spends every day caring for her four-year-old daughter, Brenna, who was born four months premature and has cerebral palsy and vision impairment.
It's a full-time role that rarely allows for breaks and requires spending thousands upon thousands of dollars out of pocket for specialized equipment and rehabilitation programs.
But when the family sought help last year, they became one of the hundreds that have applied — and been rejected — for a provincial grant intended to help families care for a child with a disability at home.
"Most of [Brenna's] teaching does come from me being at home with her," Nunn-Murphy said in a recent interview.
"Teaching her to crawl, teaching her to stand, teaching her to use all of her equipment that we fought really hard to get, teaching her to eat, teaching her all the things that come naturally to children without disabilities."
Brenna is funny and sassy and has a big smile. She loves Peppa Pig and reading books with her parents.
Although helping Brenna realize her full potential is Nunn-Murphy's main goal, the process is taking its toll.
"I feel like her doctor. I feel like her social worker, her psychologist … her physiotherapist, her occupational therapist," said Nunn-Murphy, who left her job to care for her daughter full time.
"I don't know how much longer I can give my best to her. Even my best is getting less and less."
In early 2021, Nunn-Murphy and her husband applied for Direct Family Support for Children (DFSC), which grants monthly funding through the provincial Department of Community Services' Disability Support Program.
DFSC's purpose, according to information on the department's website, is to "maximize family supports and community participation," and help keep children with disabilities at home, rather than transitioning to a special care facility.
Nunn-Murphy said Brenna's paperwork was submitted in person in Truro. Within 48 hours, the family received a phone call saying Brenna's application had been closed at intake because the family didn't qualify for the program.
According to documents CBC News received through an access to information request, 676 families in Nova Scotia have applied to the DFSC program since 2018. Of these families, 432 were deemed not eligible.
The documents show 85 families requested a review of their application, and 53 of these families who were previously denied were accepted into the program after their appeal.
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.