By Kurtis Doering

Saskatoon man with bipolar disorder weighs in on disability strategy

Dec 4, 2013 | 6:08 AM

For Kent Winslow, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is just like every other day.

The 42-year-old Saskatoon resident was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder back in 2008. That's when he discovered that his restaurant job, which he had held for about 20 years, was a trigger for him.

“A lot of people talk about, with mental illness, they have their triggers” Winslow said. “It something that will put them back into a bad situation. Which, for me, it's no more restaurants. Nothing, no cooking, you name it. I'll go there to eat, that's it…

“I had issues leading up to that,” he added, “so it took a long time… to get the proper help and to understand what it was.”

Winslow had a solid support structure in place. With the help of his parents and mental health professionals, he found the right “California cocktail” of meds to get him back to proper health. He is now trying to re-enter the workforce.

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“It's part of who you are, but it doesn't define you” Winslow says.

Dec. 3 was the 2013 International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The theme, as chosen by the United Nations, is about creating a more inclusive society.

To that end, the government of Saskatchewan is renewing its pledge to make the province the best place in Canada for people with disabilities. A comprehensive disability strategy is in the works, with a public consultation process to begin in Spring 2014.

If they were to ask Kent Winslow for his opinion, better public transportation would be his number one suggestion.

“A lot of jobs are available, but you just can't get to them. Either the buses don't go out there, or they stop at a certain hour,” he said. “There are a lot of good jobs out there that anybody with all kinds of abilities can [do], but it's just not available to you.”

Transportation is one of six focus areas that Saskatchewan's Disability Strategy employs. The others are housing, education, employment, community inclusion, and supporting caregivers.

Winslow said good progress is being made in those areas, though there is room for improvement.

He spoke highly of the Canadian Mental Health Association's life skills program, which he entered into a couple years ago.

“The support's there, but there are different levels of different needs for different diagnoses.”

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