Citizens With Disabilities - Ontario
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Citizens with Disabilities - Ontario
Call to Action
October 18, 2014
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CWDO calls you to action...
(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.

 
Twitter logo
Vote, vote, vote!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every municipality in Ontario goes to vote on Monday, October 27. You have a chance to vote for your mayor, your city councillor/municipal representative and your school board trustee.

This is a time to gain back ground we are rapidly losing.

Get involved in this election:
  • Call or email your candidates and ask them how they will support accessibility in your community.
  • Ask them if they will make sure that the city does not approve anything without first making sure that accessibility needs are addressed.This includes new buildings or renovations, new services or changes to existing services.
     
  • Make sure your candidate knows how important accessibility issues are for you!
There are 1.5 million people in Ontario with a disability. Imagine how much positive change we could generate if we only support candidates who will take strong action for accessibility.

NOW is the time to act!

Accessibility barriers are not coming down
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the eve of the 10th Anniversary of the introduction of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), the AODA Alliance wrote the Premier and several provincial government ministers with an outstanding "to do" list for accessibility.

Shortly afterward, the Premier published Mandate letters that give every provincial government minister their orders while in office.

We looked in vain for accessibility orders.

What a far cry from the statement 10 years ago by then Premier Dalton McGuinty when the AODA was introduced:

"This [AODA] bill should make Ontario proud. Every person deserves the opportunity to learn, work and play to his or her full potential. This bill will help make Ontario more productive. All Ontarians benefit when we tap into the potential of each Ontarian...Ontario succeeds when we all work, dream and build together, and "all" must certainly include in every way the 1.5 million Ontarians with a disability."

For details, go to the AODA Alliance website.  

 

AODA defiance: first cases are decided by the Licence Appeal Tribunal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On November 18, 2013 the AODA Alliance made public that the government had known for months that fully 70% of Ontario private sector organizations with at least 20 employees had not complied with the AODA's self-reporting requirement, ten months after the December 31, 2012 deadline.

To date, three businesses appealed penalties to the Ontario Licence Appeal Tribunal. 
  • Meritas Inc. -- $500 penalty imposed for failing to file an accessibility report (File 8647/AODA July 14, 2014)
  • Echoworx Corporation -- $500 penalty imposed for failing to file an accessibility report (File 8677/AODA  July 14, 2014)

  • Lafleur Restaurants Limited (102933686) -- $500 penalty imposed for failing to file an accessibility report (File 8750/AODA July 22, 2014)

  • J & A Creative Services Inc. -- $250 penalty imposed for failing to file an accessibility report (File 8635/AODA June 26, 2014)

In each case, the Director of the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario sought a $2000 penalty on the basis that not filing a report is a priority requirement and failure to file is a "major" contravention. In the Licence Appeal Tribunal's analysis, report filing is administrative, and therefore no more than a minor contravention. The minimum penalty set out under Regulation 191/11 is $500.   

 

CWDO will continue to follow the Ontario Licence Appeal Tribunal's decisions related to the AODA.  
Assisted suicide is only for the unequal 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Supreme Court of Canada heard arguments on October 15th in the landmark "death with dignity" Carter case.  Catherine Frazee, Professor Emerita at the School of Disability Studies at Ryerson University, and former Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, appeared before the Supreme Court earlier this week.  

Frazee urges us all to "seize this moment in our nation's history to affirm that all states of living are inherently dignified and worthy of our utmost respect."

"See me as anything but your equal in human worth," writes Frazee, "and at that moment, in that glance, with that sorrowful sigh, you have robbed me of dignity. Speak of willful death as a reasonable choice for persons afflicted with the presumed indignity of physical incapacity, and my dignity is undermined. This is not some trivial conceit. For my dignity is utterly bound up with your respect for my way of life. It is not abstract, and it is not a solitary attribute. Dignity is social."

Read Frazee: There can be dignity in all states of life, Ottawa Citizen, October 16, 2014.

Access the archived Supreme Court hearing of the Carter "death with dignity" case.

Marilyn Golden, a senior policy analyst with the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund in the USA explains the danger of assisted suicide laws.

In 2011 Ronnie Cahana had a severe stroke that left him with locked-in syndrome: completely paralyzed except for his eyes. While this might shatter a person's mental state, Cahana found peace in "dimming down the external chatter," and "fell in love with life and body anew." In a somber, emotional talk, his daughter Kitra shares how she documented her father's spiritual experience, as he helped guide others even in a state of seeming helplessness. Watch and listen to Kitra Cahana's TED talk: "My father, locked in his body but soaring free" for an amazing, out-of-the-box perspective.

 

The difference nurturing assistance makes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Parents with physical disabilities who require attendant services are permitted to use some of their service hours to have assisted in caring for and interacting for their children. This service, known as "nurturing assistance," is provided under the direction of the parent who has a disability.

CWDO board member Michele Gardner describes the positive impact of nurturing assistance in an interview on AMI TV.
Nurturing Assistance, Toronto; Kelly MacDonald
Nurturing Assistance, Toronto
Kelly MacDonald (AMI) interviews
Michele Gardner


Did you know? Tracy Odell, another CWDO board member, coined the phrase "nurturing assistance" in 1988 and worked with provincial government staff to include this service in attendant care policies.

 

ADHD meds used more during school year
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

American children's use of stimulant medications is 30 percent higher during the school year than in the summer, a new ADHD study indicates.

Stimulant medications improve concentration and help manage symptoms associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD

The study revealed that use of the drugs during school months is highest among children in wealthier families. Stimulant use during school months is also greater in states that have higher academic standards for students, the researchers found.

"Many parents are faced with a tough decision: Do they medicate their kids to help them manage in an increasingly demanding school environment?...Rather than trying to make kids conform to the school system by taking stimulants, we need to take a closer look at what is happening in schools," researcher King suggested.
 

 

T.O. unprepared for PanAm/Parapan games
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

David Lepofsky, Chair of Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Alliance,
is calling on the provincial government to do more to make Toronto accessible for people with disabilities, in the build up to the 2015 Pan Am Games.

Lepofsky says the government has largely failed to live up to the promise to make Ontario barrier free by 2025. He told CBCNews, it could cost Toronto, when tens of thousands of tourists, many of whom may have a disability, arrive for the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games next summer.

 Link to the CBC article on accessibility

 

Touchy Feelings: Helping Blind People "See" Photos Using 3-D Printing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The "Touchable Memories" project, enlists Pirate's 3-D printer to re-create old photographs for people who have lost their eyesight.

Photos are turned into three-dimensional sculptures, not just bas-relief. What potential this technology has!

Experience Touchy Feelings: Helping Blind People "See" Photos Using 3-D Printing.  

 

"Bionic eye" helps man see after 33 years
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Larry Hester lost the ability to see after being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa -- a disease that slowly wore down his retinas -- in his early thirties.

33 years later, he got some of his sight back with the help of a groundbreaking "bionic eye."
 

 

We Need You as Much as 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. 
Quick Links...
__________________

 


Together we are stronger
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Email us at [email protected] or call 807-473-0909 (voice)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join Our Mailing List