Ontario Has No Plan for Kids with Disabilities, Critics Say

Advocacy groups in Ontario say students with disabilities will face additional obstacles returning to class following the pandemic, leaving parents unsure if their children will be fully and safely included in school reopening plans. The Ontario Autism Coalition and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance held an online town hall meeting Friday toContinue reading Ontario Has No Plan for Kids with Disabilities, Critics Say

No Accomodation Available. One Blind Man’s Account of His Experience at the COVID Assessment Centre at Toronto Western Hospital

Hello community, I am offering the story in case it can be used as evidence in anyone’s healthcare advocacy and accessibility work. Yesterday I went to the Covid Assessment Centre at Toronto Western Hospital, in the Bank of Nova Scotia Building on the corner of Dundas St., West in Bathurst Street and Toronto. I wantedContinue reading No Accomodation Available. One Blind Man’s Account of His Experience at the COVID Assessment Centre at Toronto Western Hospital

Doctors Issuing Unlawful ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ Orders For Disabled Covid Patients ‘Outrageous’

A report due to be launched this week by disability advocacy organization Inclusion London affirms the fear many disabled people have experienced throughout the pandemic over being denied life-saving treatment, should they become seriously ill with coronavirus. In the report entitled, “Abandoned, forgotten and ignored – the impact of Covid-19 on Disabled people”, several surveyContinue reading Doctors Issuing Unlawful ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ Orders For Disabled Covid Patients ‘Outrageous’

Are Your Virtual Meetings Accessible for People with Disabilities? Start with This Checklist.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way humans interact with one another. With an emphasis on less physical interaction and more social distancing, institutions and organizations are moving their work and meetings online. People with disabilities form about 15 percent of world population, so it is all the more important these online meetings are madeContinue reading Are Your Virtual Meetings Accessible for People with Disabilities? Start with This Checklist.

The Barrier Free Canada – Canada Sans Barriers July 2020 Newsletter – Second Quarter

Dear Friends, Barrier Free Canada-Canada Sans Barriers would like to thank you once again for your continued support and words of encouragement for it is only with you and through you that we as an organization can continue to thrive and to encourage others to speak up, speak out, and engage each other in meaningfulContinue reading The Barrier Free Canada – Canada Sans Barriers July 2020 Newsletter – Second Quarter

Canadian Transportation Agency Reports Some Provisions of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations Will Be Delayed

The Order to delay the coming into force of a few targeted provisions of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations has been published in Canada Gazette, Part II. The Order is available at the following link: http://canadagazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2020/2020-06-10/html/sor-dors125-eng.html.

Canadian Human Rights Commission 2019 Annual Report / Rapport Annuel 2019

It is our pleasure to let you know that our 2019 Annual Report to Parliament “Stand Together” is available online. Please share it all with your networks. It takes many voices to create real and lasting change. You can: Read our Annual Report online here. Download our Annual Report here. Watch the videos. On behalfContinue reading Canadian Human Rights Commission 2019 Annual Report / Rapport Annuel 2019

Travelling With Masks Makes Journeys More Difficult for Those With Hearing Loss

Even now, three months into COVID-19, the picture shocks. Five uniformed airport employees wear black helmets with dark visors that shield their eyes and blue medical masks covering their mouths. Their faces are completely hidden. The photo is from Qatar’s Hamad International Airport, where staff now wear helmets with infrared thermal imaging to take people’sContinue reading Travelling With Masks Makes Journeys More Difficult for Those With Hearing Loss

Barrier Free Canada / Canada sans Barrieres (BFC/CSB) Seeking Directors For Its Board Deadline To Apply: July 17th 2020

If you are interested in helping to ensure that Bill C-81 lives up to its promises and that we are true to our commitment to create an accessible Canada, then please read on! BFC-CSB needs to hear from you! We are seeking board members! Barrier-Free Canada/Canada Sans Barrieres (BFC/CSB) advocates to the Canadian Parliament toContinue reading Barrier Free Canada / Canada sans Barrieres (BFC/CSB) Seeking Directors For Its Board Deadline To Apply: July 17th 2020

A True Dilemma of “Social” and “Physical” Distancing. By: Michelle Buckland, B.A.A. Passionate Learning Consultant

The COVID-19 crisis is new. It is requiring us all to act, interact and communicate in different ways than we are used to. Social distancing is the term you hear whenever you tune into any media source. In the current context, “social distancing” is understood as being a “physical” distance from another person to helpContinue reading A True Dilemma of “Social” and “Physical” Distancing. By: Michelle Buckland, B.A.A. Passionate Learning Consultant