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About Safe and Secure

Safe and Secure was written by families, for families. We know from experience that the best learning happens family to family—through stories, shared wisdom, and the reassurance that you are not alone. Over the years, families have told us that this book remains just as relevant, meaningful, and practical as the day it was first published. It has been a guide for positive change in families, communities, and organizations for almost 30 years —and we believe it will continue to spark hope, creativity, and action for many years to come.

First published in 1996, Safe and Secure was created to help families imagine and plan for a good life for their loved one with a disability, while also giving families peace of mind. This edition has been updated with an Ontario focus and the most current information available, but the heart of the book remains the same: supporting families to plan for lives filled with nurturing relationships, opportunities to contribute, and a strong sense of belonging in community.

 

We are deeply grateful to the many families who shared their stories and wisdom, especially the original families from Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN). Their voices gave life to this book and continue to guide its purpose.

A conversation with Al Etmanski, orginal author of Safe and Secure

A conversation with Al Etmanski, orginal author of Safe and Secure

With kind permission from PLAN and the PLAN Institute, Partners for Planning created this Ontario edition. Safe and Secure has grown far beyond its roots—now with 19 editions, over 160,000 copies distributed, and translations into French, Polish, Korean, and Dutch. Families’ stories are woven throughout its pages to inspire you, encourage you, and remind you that planning for the future is both possible and worthwhile.

 

We all want to have a life rich with supportive friends and family, pursuing our passions, making contributions, in a home of our own with financial security. With intentional planning and the right support, those hopes can become reality for our family members. Safe and Secure is here to help you take those important steps.

 

Now it’s your turn—so dive into Safe and Secure. You’ll find stories, tools, and guidance to help you imagine, plan, and act with confidence. The next chapter starts now—with you, your family, and your vision for the future.

About the Author

In 1989, Al Etmanski co-founded PLAN with his late wife Vickie Cammack and fellow parent Jack Collins. While at PLAN he led the campaign to establish the Registered Disability Savings Plan.

During Covid he was asked by Minister Carla Qualtrough to chair the Covid Disability Advisory Committee with her. He resigned to establish Disability Without Poverty and ensure that people with disabilities had a voice in the creation of the Canada Disability Benefit.

His fifth book is about Canada as a caring country. It will be published in the spring of 2026. His website is www.aletmanski.com.

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Al Etmanski, Co–founder of PLAN

About the Author

In 1989, Al Etmanski co-founded PLAN with his late wife Vickie Cammack and fellow parent Jack Collins. While at PLAN he led the campaign to establish the Registered Disability Savings Plan.

During Covid he was asked by Minister Carla Qualtrough to chair the Covid Disability Advisory Committee with her. He resigned to establish Disability Without Poverty and ensure that people with disabilities had a voice in the creation of the Canada Disability Benefit.

His fifth book is about Canada as a caring country. It will be published in the spring of 2026. His website is www.aletmanski.com.

To learn more

Partners for Planning is a national non-profit organization that supports people with a developmental disability and their families to be proactive in planning for the future. We were founded in 2009, by families and for families, to help answer the question “Who will love and protect our sons and daughters when we no longer can?” To learn more about Partners for Planning, please visit the Planning Network.

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PLAN believes in a world where people with disabilities and their families are leaders in inclusive communities. Together, we nurture belonging, purpose, and connection through personal support networks and mutual support. To learn more about PLAN, please visit: plan.ca

 

Plan Institute is a national non-profit and social enterprise based in Burnaby, BC that supports people with disabilities and their families. We provide educational material and resources, collaborate on community-based projects, and engage with a wide array of partners to host innovative initiatives for change and policy reform. To learn more about PLAN Institute, please visit PLAN Institute

Introduction

When we envision the future of our family, we hope to ensure that every member is safe and has a good, happy, and secure life. We hope everyone will thrive, enjoy their future, and be part of the community they live in.

 

Every family wishes the next generation to live in the company of supportive friends and family. They envision them pursuing passions, making valuable contributions, enjoying their homes, and having financial stability. It's a wonderful dream, and with encouragement, families hope to turn those dreams into reality.

 

Families that include a member with an intellectual or developmental disability can significantly benefit by actively planning their aspirations with intentionality and dedication. With forethought, they have the potential to accomplish remarkable achievements.

First written in 1996, Safe and Secure offers families strategies and resources to help them support their family member with a disability in creating a fulfilling life while providing families peace of mind. This edition has been updated with an Ontario focus and, at the time of print, has the most up-to-date information we can provide. Safe and Secure was written with the goal being to help families plan for a fulfilling and meaningful life; one that contains nurturing and supportive relationships, and be fully embedded in the broader community. We know that connections provide emotional strength, give a sense of belonging, and contribute significantly to well-being. When you are able to cultivate and have supportive relationships, you find that everything becomes more manageable.

 

For years, Safe and Secure has been a guide for positive change in our families, communities, and organizations. We’re excited and confident that this edition will inspire families for many years ahead!

History of Safe and Secure

A tough question perches on a shoulder of every parent I have met: What will happen to my son/daughter with a disability when I die?


For 30 years, Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN) families and supporters have embraced tough questions: Who will be there after we are gone? Who will love our relatives? Whom will they love?


Who will protect and keep them safe? Who will appreciate and nurture their gifts? 

 

The collective creativity and problem solving ability of these parents is the inspiration behind this edition of Safe and Secure. Although difficult questions will always prevail, we are united in the belief that together, we can create a good life for our relatives with disabilities. 

 

PLAN specializes in families helping families. We are led by families and our agenda is dictated by family concerns. We believe in self-sufficiency. In order to preserve our family voice, we thrive independent of government funding. 

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PLAN focuses on what is loveable about our relatives rather than on what is “wrong” with them. That’s because we are surrounded by people who are deeply in love. This includes moms and dads, naturally. Equally, it includes sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, friends, neighbours, and—in many cases— service providers, professionals, and government workers. We are united by the bonds of caring, affection, and a common desire to ensure security and well-being for our relatives. 

 

This book is our major vehicle for passing on our knowledge, for sharing our stories, for inspiring you to act, and for enhancing the life of your relative. Plunge in. Start anywhere. We are confident the straightforward principles of Safe and Secure will provide you with peace of mind and the realization that you are not alone. 

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First written in 1996, this edition has been revised and updated for families in Ontario. The immediate catalyst for this was the availability of the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), the first of its kind in the world.

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PLAN led the initiative to create the RDSP: researching its benefits; convening and mobilizing families; engaging with the Federal Government of Canada to have it made into law; and working with the Ontario Government to extend asset limits and eliminate RDSP claw backs from Ontario’s Disability Support Program. Particularly when combined with a caring network of support, the RDSP is an important resource for ensuring that people with disabilities do not have to live in poverty.

 

We invite you to join a growing worldwide movement of families that are embracing innovation and creating the lives their sons and daughters deserve. We share the certainty that our sons and daughters make unique and valuable contributions and that we all benefit when these contributions are given.

 

As we take charge of the future—and as we nurture caring networks for people with disabilities—we are awakening the world to the importance of belonging, the importance of trust, and of reciprocity. When this happens, lives are transformed, communities are changed, and our capacity to care for one another is enhanced.

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Al Etmanski, Co–founder of PLAN

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