All about us...

Carmela Sebastiana Hutchison
President

Carmela is 48 years old and lives with her husband, Bob, in Irricana, Alberta. Having graduated in 1983 with a diploma in nursing from Mount Royal College, Carmela has a background as a registered nurse who specialized in mental health. She has worked in long-term, acute, adolescent and community mental health and psychiatric settings. In 1990, Carmela sustained injuries in a rollover car accident. In 1991, she went on long-term disability after receiving a diagnosis of multiple personality disorder (now called dissociative identity disorder or DID), depression, and post-concussion syndrome.  Her husband Bob lives with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and seasonal affective disorder.

In 1996, the year that people with disabilities finally achieved protection under the Alberta Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act, Carmela became involved in the mental health consumer movement. She is President of the Alberta Network for Mental Health (www.anmhf.ca) and a Board Director of the National Network for Mental Health (www.nnmh.ca). She is a founding member of the Canadian Coalition of Alternative Mental Health Resources (www.ccamhr.ca). She is President of the DisAbled Women’s’ Network of Canada (DAWN-RAFH Canada, www.dawncanada.net), She is also a Board Director of the Rocky View Regional Handibus Society (www.rockyviewbus.ca). She enjoyed her role as an advisor to the Canada-Russia Project on Disability and Mental Health Reform.  In 2005, she was also involved with a Japanese mental health work-study tour with the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies. She is a member of the Alberta Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (www.aamimh.ca) and has served on several of its committees.  Carmela is a board Director of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities. (www.ccdonline.ca). She is a member of the Alberta Disabilities Forum Health Working Group and the Low-Income Working Group.  She is a director with the Canadian Centre for Disability Studies (www.disabilitystudies.ca). 

She completed the National Capacity Building Workshop to deliver modules for assisting mental health consumers to start their own support groups. Carmela is deeply committed to working to improve the quality of life of mental health consumers and of all people living with a disability. Carmela presented to the Tri-national Conference on disability in 2004. She is 2003-2004 recipient of the CMHA Alberta Division Nadine Stirling Memorial Award for self-disclosure and consumer advocacy.   Carmela is a Mental Health First Aid Canada Instructor.  She may be contacted at 403-816-7301 or hutch@efirehose.net

DisAbled Women's Network Canada
Réseau d'action des femmes handicapées du Canada
110 Sainte-Thérèse Street, Suite 505 /110, rue Sainte-Thérèse, bureau 505
Montréal, QC  H2Y 1E6/ Montréal (Québec)   H2Y 1E6
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