

Monday, 22 January 2018 00:00 Last Updated on Monday, 22 January 2018 22:55
News - NETWORK NEWS
The National ME/FM Action Network receives mixed messages from the federal government and in particular from its Office of Disability Issues (ODI). Sometimes we are included in disability discussions but other times we are completely overlooked. We find this extremely frustrating. We want the ME/FM community to be considered whenever disability is discussed.
An opportunity has arisen to confront this ambiguity.
ODI has announced a new completion for funding of national disability organizations. (The last competition was in 2012). There are two stages in the competition. The first stage is determining whether the organization qualifies as a national disability organization. If the organization qualifies, it can go to the second stage and put forward an actual proposal.
We see the first stage as extremely important. We want the government to tell us one way or another whether they consider us a national disability organization, and if not why not.
The stage 1 application form asked us to show that
- our organization has a national reach, and
- our organization has a primary mandate that promotes the social inclusion of persons with disabilities.
In addition, the application form asks about partnerships and requires that financial statements be attached.
Here is the statement that we submitted.
A decision is expected by the end of March. We will let you know the results.