April 09, 2025
Consultation of the intellectual disability community on SQDI’s orientations and demands
SQDI is consulting the intellectual disability community on its orientations and demands! Want to know more about the consultation and how to participate? Take a look at the information presented on this page!
Note: information will be updated as the consultation progresses. You can also stay informed by subscribing to our newsletter.
Ongoing Consultation
To find out about upcoming themes, visit the calendar section of the page!
Active social role and services for adults 21 and over
Survey
The survey is now closed. Thank you for participating!
Focus group for members – May 8, 2025 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
An online focus group will be held on May 8, 2025, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. This will give SQDI members the opportunity to discuss and express their views on the issues raised in the surveys.
You must be an SQDI member or a person affiliated with an SQDI member to participate in the focus group.
Persons affiliated are salaried employees, managers, partners, volunteers, as well as people with intellectual disabilities and their loved ones whom member organizations serve.
You will receive the link to register in the Infomembre about the consultation.
Housing
Survey
A short survey (less than 15 minutes) is available online for the public, and will be open until May 19, 2025.
Surveys are entirely anonymous, with only a few demographic questions required to provide a general picture of respondents. Surveys are available in plain language, in English and French.
Survey on housing
If you need help to complete the survey or to participate in the focus groups, contact Olivier Guérin.
Focus group for members – May 22, 2025 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
An online focus group will be held on May 22, 2025, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. This will give SQDI members the opportunity to discuss and express their views on the issues raised in the surveys.
You must be an SQDI member or a person affiliated with an SQDI member to participate in the focus group.
Persons affiliated are salaried employees, managers, partners, volunteers, as well as people with intellectual disabilities and their loved ones whom member organizations serve.
You will receive the link to register in the Infomembre about the consultation.
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Context
Starting in 2018, SQDI has published an orientations and demands document. This document is used to present the demands of SQDI and its members, but also of the intellectual disability community more generally. In particular, SQDI uses this document with elected officials and government departments and agencies. The initial document was written for the 2018 provincial elections, then updated in 2022 for the elections. For the 2026 elections, SQDI will be updating the document into a third version.
While some things have remained the same, others have evolved in the province and at the federal level. SQDI has also worked on important issues for individuals and members. It is therefore time to update the SQDI demands and orientations document.
The consultation
To update the orientations and demands document, SQDI will consult its members, people with intellectual disabilities and their families, as well as partners with expertise in particular fields. This will enable the organization to ensure that it represents the community well, and that people agree with its positions.
The consultation is scheduled to take place in 2025 and 2026, with publication of a final document in early summer 2026 for the pre-election campaign (see timetable below).
Priority issues for consultation
SQDI members decided on three priority topics for 2024: housing, active social role and employment. For the consultation, the SQDI team identified the most important topics based on the priorities of members, people with intellectual disabilities and their loved ones, but also on the advances or setbacks that have taken place in relation to various topics, and the policy briefs and opinions produced since 2022. This enabled the SQDI team, in collaboration with the participants in the working groups, to decide on the priority topics for the consultation. Other topics will be updated directly by the team, and targeted consultations will be carried out with experts.
Priority issues for consultation :
- Housing,
- Active social role,
- Health and social services,
- Preemployment, employment and career development.
Other topics for consultation include inclusive education, aging and end of life, transportation and early childhood.
Consultation process
SQDI will be using several different consultation methods to update the orientations and demands document. Here’s how the consultation will take place:
- Consultation with SQDI working groups and experts in the field ( if necessary): in certain cases, the SQDI team will consult working groups or experts in the field to clarify certain points.
- Public surveys: surveys will be published and will be accessible to anyone with an interest in intellectual disabilities. Surveys will be bilingual and in plain language.
- Members-only discussion groups: these discussion groups will be held online and will enable SQDI members and affiliated persons – people with an intellectual disability and their loved ones, or any other persons affiliated with SQDI member organizations – to give their opinions on various subjects.
- Incorporating comments into the document: once these consultation methods are complete, the people in charge at SQDI will take into account all comments, survey results, etc., and write a final version of the orientations.
- Validation with members: members will then be able to consult the final version of the document and send in their comments.
- Adoption by the Board of Directors: once all these stages have been completed, the Board of Directors will approve the document.
Good to know: if you’re not a SQDI member, you can still become one! Contact Olivier Guérin, responsible for associative life and member relations, to become a member.
Calendar
Most of the consultation will take place in 2025, but the final document should be ready in spring or summer 2026. Here’s a preliminary timetable:
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- April 2025: Consultation launch
- April / May 2025: consultation on active social role and services for people aged 21 and over
- May / June 2025: consultation on housing
- May / June 2025: consultation on employment
- September 2025: consultation on inclusive education
- September / October 2025: consultation on health and social services
- October / November 2025: consultation on aging and the end of life
November / December 2025: consultation on justice
- Winter / Spring 2026: targeted consultations on transport, early childhood, representation of people with disabilities in the state apparatus
- Spring 2026: validation and approval of the document by SQDI members and Board of Directors
- Summer 2026 / autumn: publication of the document and start of the communications campaign
- Autumn 2026: election campaign
Questions about the consultation
Why now?
The orientations and demands date back to the last election, in 2022, and it is important to refine and update certain aspects of the document.
The provincial election will be held in the fall of 2026, so it’s important to have an up-to-date document to represent the cause and make the parties aware of the needs of people with intellectual disabilities.
Who is the consultation for?
The consultation is open to both SQDI members and non-members.
Non-members will have access to public surveys. Members will have access to surveys and focus groups.
The aim is also to consult people with intellectual disabilities and their families, as the SQDI is the spokesperson for the cause.
How do I complete the survey?
Surveys will be sent to the SQDI mailing list and posted on our social networks. The survey will be open for two weeks.
How will the focus groups be conducted?
The focus groups will give members and affiliated persons the opportunity to contribute to updating SQDI’s orientations in preparation for the elections. Affiliated persons include salaried employees, executives, partners, volunteers, as well as people with intellectual disabilities and their loved ones whom member organizations serve.
Outlines of proposed updates to the SQDI orientations should be sent out in advance, based on the state of research, but also on survey results.
The focus groups will take place by videoconference and will last approximately three (3) hours per period. Each period will deal with a priority issue.
How can I consult the SQDI current policy directions and demands ?
The orientations and demands of the SQDI are available on the “Political stances” page of the website.
Consult SQDI orientations and demands
Consultation topics, timetable and persons in charge
I have more questions
If you have any further questions about the consultation, please contact Samuel Ragot, Senior Policy Analyst and Advocacy Advisor.
If you have any questions about your membership status, or if you would like to become a member, please contact Olivier Guérin, who is in charge of associative life and member relations.
