VITA Celebrates 20 Years of Service In 1978, VITA Community Living Services began as a pilot project at Villa Colombo Home for the Aged for children with disabilities. The program moved in the mid-1980s to Columbus Centre and offered after school and weekend activities providing much needed respite for parents. In response to the growing success of the program within the community and to the need for additional services, the Ministry of Community and Social Services requested that Villa Charities assist adults with intellectual disabilities. During the mid-1980s, the government announced the closure of several large institutions and the expansion of community services for individuals with intellectual disabilities. In 1986, VITA Community Living Services opened its first homes and day programs for adults. All programs provide opportunities for community integration, the development of socialization and functional life skills, and promote independent living. Today, VITA continues to grow and hundreds benefit from the wide range of services offered in both Toronto and York Region, including: Residential Adult Programs, Day Services, Respite, Crisis and Clinical Supports.

The VITA Masters Series – Year 2

The Master’s Series is comprised of 4 lectures that have been selected to meet the needs of service providers as we all work towards providing the best of care. This year, we have four exciting speakers.

March 28th, 2008 - Dr. Darlene Magito McLaughlin opens the series with a lecture for all who work with individuals who have extremely challenging behaviour. Dr. Magito McLaughlin is well known for her practical approaches and her winning style of presentation. A must see for those who need new ideas on how to deal with long-standing behaviour problems. Click here to download the registration pamphlet.

June 20th, 2008 – Mark Pathak and Geraldine Monaghan will visit from Liverpool, England. This exciting presentation will look at how we can make the justice system more accessible to people with intellectual disabilities. Mark and Geraldine have developed a cutting edge approach which has resulted in “ramping” justice for those with disabilities.

September 19th, 2008 – Vita will host Sue Gabriel will bring her extensive and practical knowledge about dual diagnosis. Expect lots of information, great examples and a down home approach.

November 7th, 2008 – Amy Tabor will be in town to talk about rights and how organizations can work to ensure that the rights of people with intellectual disabilities are at the centre of service.

A jam packed series that is intended to inspire – the goal of the Masters Series is to provide practical information in an inspirational format.

For more information on the Masters Series contact VITA at 416-746-6234.

Mission Statement
VITA is a culturally sensitive organization, committed to facilitate, support and empower individuals with intellectual disabilities, to achieve their optimum quality of life as equal member of society.

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