I recently visited IRID, link to photos with cutlines: https://pbase.com/tracyk/2024_02_14_visit_to_irid

There are currently 32 residents, asked to accept more, but don’t have the capacity/capability, lack of staff.There are 70 children enrolled in the school.

Applying to be licensed to accept babies, if approved will receive funding to hire staff.

Also applying to the Ministry of Education for approval for 5 trades training programs: electricity, carpentry, water management, baking and dressmaking – two shifts a day AM & PM, if approved they will receive full funding for the program. The classes will be for both high functioning residents and for non- residents who will come in for the training. The first floor of the new residence building will hold two training rooms and in the middle is a two-story chapel, which divides the upstairs into two resident areas: male and female. Currently,working on finishing rooms and bathrooms for older residents and the trades training rooms. The chapel outside is finished – see photo, but the inside still needs completion. 

Animals – still have rabbits, sheep, alpaca and horse and 5 guard geese, costly to keep larger animals so are planting a huge field with alfalfa for feed.

They didn’t receive the expected Christmas donations – usually enough in-kind and monetary donations to provide non-perishable food for the year.

A translation of the poster about services offered and handicaps residents have:

Services: early intervention, sensory stimulation, psychomotor stimulation, speech therapy, behaviour training, physical therapy, daily life activities, classes (support) for families whose children attend the school and psychologist.

Handicaps: intellectual, autism, motor, deaf/mute, blind and multi-handicapped.