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Citizens with Disabilities - Ontario
URGENT & CURRENT
May 1, 2014 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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(CWDO) actively promotes the rights, freedoms and responsibilities of persons with disabilities through community development, social action, and member support and referral. Our primary activity is public education and awareness about the social and physical barriers that prevent the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in Ontario.
CWDO is proud to be Ontario's representative at the Council of Canadians with Disabilities since June, 2009.
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Follow CWDO on Twitter at
Join the CWDO community on Facebook at
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CWDO's Annual General Meeting is coming up on June 19th at 7:30 PM in Auditorium 1 on our Conferencing System.
CWDO is inviting all of the current CWDO members to apply for exciting board positions on the CWDO board of directors!
Such a position will provide you an opportunity to gain and develop skills including: organizational leadership; developing policies and procedures; program planning; promotion, fundraising and outreach skills.
We welcome and encourage all nominations. You will find the nomination documents on our website.
www.cwdo.org
All nomination forms must be submitted by (May 19 2014). We also allow nominations to be made from the floor at the Annual General Meeting. (However, our preference is for all forms to be submitted ahead of time).
If you are not interested in applying for a position on the CWDO Board of Directors, we still invite you to come out to the AGM, as a CWDO member.
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2014 All Hands on Braille Camp Announcement!
The All Hands on Braille Camp is a week-long summer camp dedicated to bringing the exciting world of braille to children 8-12 years old who are blind. They are looking for kids who are interested in fun, exciting and intense braille instruction.
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ERDCO Employment Survey
ERDCO (Ethno-racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario) has received funding from the city of Toronto for a project looking at employment challenges faced by ethno-racial people with disabilities. They would like to know what challenges you have faced in seeking employment, what kinds of employment services you have used and how satisfied you were with the services you received. If you have never used any such services we'd like to know about that also.
Please respond to this questionnaire only if you are an ethno-racial person with a disability. ERDCO Survey link.
ERDCO will also be organizing focus groups in accessible spaces, where ethno-racial people with disabilities can share their experiences in greater detail. This information will help ERDCO think about how they can work with employment services to address these employment barriers.
If you are interested in participating in a focus group please send your contact information to coordinator@erdco.ca. Honorariums will be provided to participants.
If you have any problems doing the survey, questions, comments or concerns please do not hesitate to contact ERDCO at 416-351-0095 ext. 255 and their staff will be we will be happy to help.
Please complete the survey by May 12, 2014.
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Better Care for People Living with Epilepsy
Ontario is more than doubling the number of hospital beds for patients with epilepsy in order to enhance their care and reduce wait times for diagnostic testing.
The province is adding 21 new epilepsy monitoring unit beds at seven hospitals across Ontario, including three new beds at London Health Sciences Centre.
Continue reading the epilepsy story.
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Wearable Robots Benefiting
Persons with Disabilities
The 'Telegram' recently posted an article on a system called ReWalk Robotic Exoskeleton; a system that enables those who are paralyzed to walk again, such as Gene Laureano, a solider who served in the army and was paralyzed in 2001.
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Importance for Early Anxiety Intervention
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'MyPlainView' recently mentioned the importance of early anxiety disorder intervention so as to help and support youth and young adults in learning how to manage related symptoms of extreme anxiety and still function well.
Anxiety disorders are the No. 1 mental illness in our country, followed by depression and substance abuse. The median age for the onset of anxiety is 11 years old. In other words, half the people will have their first anxiety episode before age 11 and the other half after that age. In fact, half of all mental disorders began by age 14 and three quarters by age 24.
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Proposed Customer Service Standard Amendments
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The provincial government's Accessibility Standards Advisory Committee reviewed the current Accessibility Standards for Customer Service regulation, including re-examining the long-range objectives and all requirements that organizations must follow. Based on this review, the Committee is proposing amendments related to the following components of the Customer Service Standard: - Class structure of organizations based on number of employees;
- Policies, practices and procedures;
- Service animals;
- Support persons;
- Training;
- Feedback processes; and
- Notice of availability and format of documents.
Your input to these proposed changes is invited. Read more about proposed changes to the accessibility standards for customer service. |
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New Study
Effectiveness of Mental Health Programs
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The study found that behavioural health treatment provided in the pediatrician's office resulted in improved access to care, greater participation by both the child and their caregiver in treatment programs, and higher rates of treatment completion, without burdening the pediatric practice, researchers report in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics.
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Parental Addictions and Arthritis in Offspring
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According to a University of Toronto; adult offspring of parents who were addicted to drugs or alcohol are more likely to have arthritis, says a new study by University of Toronto researchers.
Investigators examined a group of 13,036 adults and found that 20.4 per cent of respondents had been diagnosed with arthritis by a medical professional. Investigators found that 14.5 per cent of all respondents reported having at least one parent whose drug or alcohol use caused problems while they were under the age of 18 and still living at home.
Continue reading University of Toronto's arthritis study.
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Durham Wheelchair Basketball Course
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Durham Area has two disability sport activities that you might want to check out if you're in the area:
There is a 'Learn to Compete' course which runs for 8 weeks and teaches how to be a competitive wheelchair basketball player. Hosted on Thursday evenings at the Ability Centre, Durham.
Alternatively you might want to check out the 'Learn to play' opportunity hosted on Saturdays 1-3 p.m. at the Ability Centre and enabling any age or ability, to take part in wheelchair basketball and learn the basic skills and rules of the game at the same time.
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Meet a CWDO Board Member
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Sousan Zaribaf
As a college student, Sousan Zaribaf formed a Union for Students with Disabilities, organized meetings with administrators and teachers to discuss accessibility on campus, and secured improved services for students with disabilities in the classroom.
Sousan served on the Board of Directors of Aldebrain Attendant Care Services of Toronto as Secretary, promoting accessible housing for many years. Sousan participated in successful negotiations with the Ontario Ministry of Housing to secure approval for funding to start construction of an apartment building which integrated wheelchair accessible units with support services in a public community setting. She met with Ruth Grier, then Minister of Health, to advocate the great need for social housing in Toronto. The project was funded and has been thriving for 20 years now, providing affordable housing for over 200 people and access to attendant services for about 10% of the tenants.
Since commencing employment at TD Canada Trust, Sousan has been an active participant in the bank's advocacy and employment diversity programs. Sousan recently served on a panel organized by TD to speak to 50 employers from all industries, explaining the tangible advantages in hiring more persons with disabilities.
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Help the Ottawa Capitals Make it to the NAPHA Tournament
The OPWHL (Ottawa Power Wheelchair Hockey League) tournament team, the "Ottawa Capitals" will be representing the city of Ottawa and Canada at the NAPHA (North American Power Hockey Association) being held in Minneapolis, Minnesota in August 2014.
Over 100 wheelchair athletes from across Canada and the United States will be participating in an intense, competitive tournament in an effort to bring home a gold medal.
For more information on the competition, on the team that's trying to take gold and how to donate please contact Donna Haycock or call her at 613-225-9204 (Voice)
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An Accessible Ontario? We're Halfway There
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The province is nearly midway through its mandate to make Ontario accessible to all.
And while good progress has been made, there's still plenty of work left to do between now and 2025.
That's the word heard Tuesday by University of Toronto school of law dean Mayo Moran, who's been charged with reviewing the province's accessibility laws.
Continue reading about the AODA Review. |
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Roy Henderson Inducted into the Wheelchair Basketball Hall of Fame
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Roy Henderson of Peterborough was inducted into the Wheelchair Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday night, highlighting his contribution as a five-time Paralympian.
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"There is no bigger challenge for someone with ADHD than to get organized," says Kathryn Goetzke. And she means truly organized - not just stuff in piles that you can't find.
"It seems that every time I try to create lists in neat fashions or take a room apart and put it back together so I can find things, I am losing the lists and get overwhelmed with the next room. It is a constant challenge."
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Regenerating Muscle in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
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Researchers reveal novel cellular and molecular elements of muscle repair. The study explains how drugs can induce regeneration, while preventing fibrosis and fat deposition, in dystrophic muscle at early stages of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Continue reading about regenerating muscle.
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Showcasing Ability at the Pride Festival
Toronto: Come out and enjoy a fantastic event in the heart of Toronto. The Pride Festival 2014 (June 20th to 29th) including the parade will be both the biggest and most accessible parade of the day. Come out and enjoy the fun!
Accessible features include accessible risers, interpreters, mobility to those who need assistance, wheelchair and walker rentals, a booth for people to sit at, parade assistance (if people are participating) and viewing stages for entertainment, just to name a few.
If you're interested in getting more information or want to participate, contact Marjorie Richards or go to the Pride Toronto Accessibility Team Facebook page.
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"Unprecedented Breakthrough" for People Living with Paralysis
Four young paraplegic men who have been paralyzed for years can now move their legs after epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord, say an international team of life scientists at UCLA, the University of Louisville and the Pavlov Institute of Physiology. The research was published in the April 8, 2014, issue of "Brain."
Continue reading about the paralysis breakthrough here.
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The Rose Centre is a charitable organization that focuses on positive representations of love, sex and disability.
They recognize the multiple barriers to participation in love sex and relationships for disabled people and the lack of positive discussion around disability and sexuality. They also believe that sex and relationships can be fun and enjoyable for anyone.
The organization provides programming and events which support this mission and that are open and welcoming to everyone.
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Letter from the Minister of Community
and Social Services
Dear Council Members:
Our government is committed to making Ontario's social assistance programs work better for clients who depend on them.
Our government's 2013 Budget took initial reform steps by investing more than $400 million over the next three years. Our plan for further reform is guided by the advice our government received from the Lankin-Sheikh and Drummond reports, and also by the conversations we're having with clients, staff, advocates, academics, and municipal and First Nations partners.
Check out the full letter from the Minister of Community and Social Services on CWDO's website.
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CRTC Announces Long-awaited
Video Relay Service
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) recently announced that video relay service will be made available in Canada for users of American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes qu�b�coise (LSQ). When it launches, the service will facilitate conversations between people who are Deaf, hard of hearing or who have speech impairments and other Canadians, and vice versa.
Video relay service is a telecommunications service that will enable Canadians to conduct telephone calls using ASL or LSQ. An operator facilitates the conversation between the two parties by relaying the conversation between sign language and spoken language.
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We Need You More Than Ever
Would you like to hear more from us?
CWDO has no staff, and all our activities are carried out by volunteer board members and individual CWDO members. With your help, we could do much, much more.
Please consider funding CWDO.
CWDO is non-profit, but not a charity, so tax receipts can not be issued.
Time and talent are valuable contributions, too! Please get involved!
Together we are stronger. |
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