The Power of Choice
Julianne’s Advocacy for Respect and Rights at CVNQuinte
Julianne (Julie) is a passionate advocate, educator, and former board member of CVNQuinte—an organization dedicated to ensuring that people receiving support have the power of choice. But Julie is not just an advocate in name; she is also a person who receives services from CVNQuinte, bringing a lived experience that informs her work and fuels her mission.
Her book, This Is How I Want to Be Treated, is a powerful guide that lays out the “rights and responsibilities of people receiving support”, as well as the expectations for support workers and agencies. At its core, her book and her advocacy are about one thing: choice.
“You have choices. You have rights. And you should know your rights,” Julie says, reflecting on why she wrote the book. “Many times, choices are not always a given.”
For Julie, choice is not just an idea—it is a right that must be recognized, respected, and exercised.
A Life Built on Choice
Julie’s journey toward self-determination began with a bold act of independence. At 18, she realized that she wanted to live on her own, but her mother did not believe she could. Her solution? She packed her bags and left.
“It was the best decision I ever made,” she says. “I found out who I am, what I’m good at, and what I’m passionate about.”
This early experience cemented her belief that “every person deserves the right to make their own decisions”—from where they live to who they allow into their lives as support workers.
CVNQuinte was the first agency she worked with, and from the start, they treated her as the decision-maker in her own life. Unlike traditional models where agencies assign support workers, CVNQuinte asked Julie a simple but profound question: “Do you want to interview your support workers?”
When she recovered from the pleasant surprise, her answer was immediate: “That would be awesome,” she recalls.
“They sat down with me, asked me what I wanted, what I needed, and they let me decide,” she recalls. “From that moment on, I’ve always chosen the people who come into my home.”
Choice in Action: A Real-Life Example
Julie’s advocacy for “real, everyday choices” isn’t just theory—it plays out in her life every day. During the interview that led to the article you’re reading right now, Julie received a phone call from her CVNQuinte direct support worker.
The issue? A small financial mix-up at a grocery store where her worker was making a purchase on her behalf.
Instead of making a decision for Julie, the worker did exactly what Julie expects—she called her to ask what she wanted to do.
“Do you want me to cover it for now, and you can pay me back?” the worker asked.
Julie quickly assessed the situation and made her choice: “Yes, I’ll pay you back.”
This small moment may seem routine, but it represents something profound. Julianne was consulted, not bypassed. She was given the information and the choice. And that is exactly what self-directed support is about.
“That’s what respect looks like,” Julianne says. “It’s my decision. My money. My choice.”
