By Kyle Bent
The Surveyor

In four weeks, Michael Caseley may have to leave Charlottetown if he can't find a roommate.

He needs someone soon, but not to pay half the rent or the cable bill. He'll do that for them.

He needs an electric wheelchair and uses a computer to speak.

He also needs help feeding himself and getting to bed.

Michael is 25 years old and has a combination of spastic and athetoid cerebral palsy, which makes him prone to sharp muscle contractions and spasms on a regular basis.

He may need other people to help him with the basics of life, but he doesn't need help deciding what he wants and likes doing.

He said he's like any other college student doing his best to pass his courses and find a job in a field he enjoys so he can be independent.

Michael hung his head and looked discouraged when he said he's had no luck finding work. The regular stresses of job hunting and college life are coupled with not having enough money to afford extra attendants, and the constant search for replacement roommates.

Michael is one of the roughly 4,000 Islanders receiving Income Support to help him with living expenses. It's a type of monthly welfare payment provided by the Department of Health and Social Services.

Michael did not want to comment on how much he was getting.

The amount of money given is based on a set rate, not on the particular needs of a person's condition, as it should be, Michael said.

With more financial support he would not have to depend on roommates to help him.

Canda MacNeill is the information and development coordinator for the Council of the Disabled in P.E.I.

Specialized care is something which needs attention, especially for those with limited means, she said.

There is a tremendous demand for specialized care on the Island, and it's difficult for some people to afford the care when they find someone who suits their needs, she said.

Quality care is an issue, especially for those on Income Support.

MacNeill wants the government to review the methods it uses to support people who can't support themselves.

"The government will have to acknowledge those individual cases which require a greater need for attendant care."

Hope may be on the way, but it may be too late to help Michael. He needs help soon or he may have to move home.

Minister of Health and Social Services Jamie Ballem said he realizes the provincial help isn't always enough for some people.

"We have ceiling levels that cover so much for food, shelter and clothing," he said. "Someone may have higher needs for disability support than a person who doesn't have a disability, but it (Income Support) doesn't really allow for that now. That's why we're trying to change it."

Ballem said a new program called the Disability Support Program has been announced. It's intended to provide more than just the basic needs of a person requiring help.

"Essentially what that will do is assess individuals on two ways: the financial needs for the basics of food, clothing and shelter, but it will also assess them on their disability needs," he said. "We've already had some initial meetings with the Council of the Disabled and it's our hope to have it within the next two to three months...so that it's a functional program."

The council will organize consultation meetings to gather feedback from people with disabilities to report back to the department, MacNeill said.

She said people in real need of better support must be identified and the help should be an ongoing effort.

Barry Schmidl, the council's executive director, said the program proposed by the government would give more independence to those with disabilities.

"It's not just about having a high quality of life, it's also about having the maximum amount of independence you're able to have."

This program would be separate from Income Support, allowing people with disabilities to avoid having their payments reduced if they find work and become more independent.

That's a big issue for Michael and his mother, Elaine. Right now there is little incentive for Michael to get a job because the amount of money he makes would be deducted from his support payments, Elaine said.

Michael is now taking the Internet Marketing and E-commerce course at Holland College.

He's been going to school in Charlottetown for the last four years.

For the last three, he's been living in his own apartment.

His mother said for the first year they drove from Kensington to UPEI every day but it became too much and Michael decided having his own apartment was the best route.

Most of the people who have helped care for him the last three years have been students, which means he must find new roommates on a regular basis.

The roommate he has now moves out in the middle of May and Michael said Income Support will not help him bring a foreign student.

So far, the foreign student was the only person who showed interest in moving in with him, and Michael has become very concerned about what will happen in the next four weeks if someone else isn't found.

Michael has two care workers who come in each morning and afternoon to get him out of bed and fix his meals, but he needs a care worker at night.

To attract someone, Michael must offer prospective roommates free room and board in return for the help he needs going to the bathroom, eating, going to bed, and staying with him in case of an emergency.

"If there's an emergency, he can't get himself out of bed," Elaine said.

If no one will move in, Michael may face moving back to Kensington, living in a care centre geared for the elderly, or finding some other alternative.

His mother said Michael has spent a lot of time in hospitals and a care centre wouldn't be much different.

He wouldn't have the freedom to do what he wants in a care centre and he prefers Charlottetown to Kensington. He also enjoys the boardwalk and going to the Charlottetown's parks during summer festivities.

Asked if he ever considered a care centre, Michael shook his head emphatically and typed "NO" into his Liberator computer.

Michael has difficulty speaking and relies on the computer to speak for him.

It's a tedious process. He types in the words, then the computer delivers them.

The computer's mechanical voice hesitates as it speaks, as if it's giving a great deal of thought to each word it's going to say in its broken electronic tone.

Michael has been using the computer for almost 10 years. It sits on the kitchen table where he can reach it easily with his left hand while he sits in his electric wheelchair.

Elaine said another reason he is determined to maintain his apartment in Charlottetown is because he is concerned for his parents' health and knows they can't take care of him forever.

"He wants to give us more security."

He also said he would be bored if he went back to live with his parents.

"We live on a farm in the boonies, and there's nothing to do," Michael said through his computer.

And even though he needs human roommates, he already has 24-hour attention.

His guide dog Man-e (short for Man Eater) is the size of a Cocker-spaniel and sits on his lap when Michael goes out.

Man-e may lack size, but not heart. He helps Michael undress by pulling the sleeves of his jacket off his arms. It picks up things from the floor and pushes open doors.

Michael picked the dog's name before he saw him because he was expecting a German shepherd or some other large dog.

"Companionship is the most important thing right now," Elaine said.