HANDS - Hinton Abilities Network & Development Society

04/23/2026

Set up at the Volunteer Fair at the Hinton Legion. Come down and visit!

04/23/2026

Hinton Movies has brought in The Paper Bag Plan!
Please come out and support Hinton Movies and Hinton Abilities Network and Development Society and SCOPE Online Auction & Garage Sale (SCOPE is Supporting Choices of People Edson) who will be coming out to see the show!

It will be an earlier time slot
Thursday, April 30th at 5:30PM

Save your support room for some popcorn!!! 🍿🍿🍿

HANDS will have a door prize to enter for anyone who attends!!!
Thanks for your support!!

In partnership with HANDS - Hinton Abilities Network & Development Society, we are happy to present...

Paper Bag Plan

Oscar has dedicated his life to the well-being of his disabled son, Billy. When Oscar is diagnosed with cancer, he forges a plan to train his son the intricacies of bagging groceries in the hopes of landing Billy his first job and beginning a life of independence.

"Full of heart and emotion. You feel so much pride by the end of it. Completely in tears by the end of it. Definitely worth a watch."
Monaya on Letterboxd

"Oof, this one will kick you right in the feels, especially if you are a caregiver. Great, genuine performances by the actors, especially Cole Massie. This movie presents a perspective that many folks probably never think about."
Jolene MIttelstedt on Letterboxd

Screening Thursday, April 30th
Earlier time: 5:30PM

Come out and experience this heartwarming piece and make connections in the community!

More info at hintonmovies.com

04/20/2026

The Paper Bag Plan

Hinton Movies can bring this movie in. It's about a father who is the caregiver for his adult son with needs. The father faces a health challenge and together, he and his son work on getting him working and more independent.

It looks like a light hearted movie with a good story. It's the biggest fear of a parent with a high needs child...what happens if something happens to me?

We will need a crowd of 30 in order to bring it in, let's have a movie night!! Who's in?

04/18/2026

03/31/2026

This looks amazing! Can't wait to see it ❤️ Hinton Movies would we be able to get it?

03/11/2026

There is a lot going on in Alberta right now when it comes to individuals with special needs. Adults living with disabilities that are on AISH will soon be put over to a new program as of July 1, 2026 called "ADAP". If you want to discuss these changes or are looking for good resources for advocating for your loved one, reach out. We are being cautiously optimistic however there are some valid concerns with the proposed changes.

Remember that investing in people is like insurance. If we take care of those that can't, when you can't, you will also be taken care of. Life doesn't discriminate as the body breaks down. You will not always be "able". Pay it forward ~ pay attention.

Visit alberta.ca/alberta-disability-assistance-program for more information.

03/11/2026

This was created by "Tales of a SEN Parent"

This is a sad truth of what some parents/carers/children and young people are facing on a daily basis:

"There is a kind of grief that parents of neurodivergent children rarely talk about.

Not because we don’t love our children.
Not because we don’t see their brilliance.

But because the world keeps reminding us of what it thinks success should look like.

Exam results.
Top sets.
Predicted grades.
University pathways.
The constant language of “achievement”.

And sometimes you know — quietly, privately — that your child may never fit that particular mould.

They may work twice as hard to reach half as far on paper.

Processing speed means the bell rings before they finish.
The test ends before they get their thoughts down.
The lesson moves on while their brain is still carefully piecing together the first step.

You watch them try.
You watch them persevere.

And you are incredibly proud.

But there is also a quiet ache that lives alongside that pride.

Because when your friends are celebrating 9s and A*s, scholarships and academic prizes, you are sometimes celebrating something the world doesn’t put on certificates.

Resilience.
Courage.
Trying again tomorrow.

And sometimes when you want to proudly show a piece of work your child has done, there’s that small internal pause.

Because you know the comparison will sit there in the room, even if nobody says it out loud.

It’s a strange emotional space to live in.

Proud beyond words of the child you have.

And yet grieving the narrow definitions of success that make their path feel harder than it should.

Sometimes there is another layer too.

For many of us, we can see echoes of our own school experiences repeating themselves.

When we were pregnant, or holding our babies for the first time, we quietly hoped that maybe things would be different for them.

That school might be easier.

Kinder.

More understanding.

And when it isn’t — when the same struggles begin to appear — there is a particular ache in that too.

Psychologists actually have names for these feelings.

One is called ambiguous loss.

It describes a grief that has no clear ending. The person you love is right there in front of you, wonderful and real, but the future you imagined for them shifts and changes over time.

Another term is chronic sorrow.

This is the idea that certain life experiences create grief that comes and goes in waves across the years. It can be triggered by moments like school reports, exam seasons, parents’ evenings, or watching other children reach milestones your child may struggle with.

Researchers studying families of children with additional needs have found that many parents experience this kind of recurring emotional grief alongside deep pride and love.

Both things can exist at the same time.

You can adore your child exactly as they are.

And still quietly grieve the narrow system they are trying to survive in.

Many parents carry this silently.

But if this is your reality too, you are not alone.

And our children are not failures of the system."

The system simply hasn’t learned yet how to measure the things that matter most.

12/06/2025

The prayer of a parent to a child with special needs is that we see our child live a long, happy life.

And that we live just one day more.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GzyLjs3J2/

11/30/2025

RESOURCE INFORMATION

Are you a parent of a teen with a disability aged 13–16?

Building Bridges Triple P Group
Supporting Parents of Teens with Disabilities

Join a Building Bridges group – designed to help you support your teen’s development, manage challenging behaviors, increase social skills, and bridge the gap between developmental and biological age.

Mondays: 7–9 PM over MS Teams
Wednesdays: 9:30–11:30 AM over MS Teams
Wednesdays: 7-9 PM over MS Teams
(only if numbers merit)

Registration required.
Email: scss.FSCDTriplePcal@gov.ab.ca

11/15/2025

We were so happy to have Holly stop in today to pick up the cheque for the money raised in October for !

This organization is vital to our community as it works tirelessly to facilitate impactful experiences and opportunities that enhance the lives of our local folks with special needs. 💞