 |
|
Welcome to the CACL
Inclusion Matters Newsletter!
|
To ensure you stay up-to-date on all things CACL, please make sure to add
[email protected] to your allowed emails list.
|
|
|
|
Audrey Cole (3rd from left) with her network of supporters.
Photo courtesy of Jane Willsie for The Whig-Standard/Postmedia Network.
|
Human Rights Complaint Alleges Discrimination Against Man with Intellectual Disability
Long time advocate Audrey Cole and her son Ian have filed a human rights complaint against the Government of Ontario, alleging that the province discriminated against Ian by failing to provide services in the community that he would otherwise receive if he was institutionalized.
Ian, a 50-year-old Ontario man who has Down syndrome, requires catheterization services. In 2012, his doctor increased his catheterization services from four per day to five per day. Ian's disability support funding was capped at four nursing visits per day, requiring his mother to pay the cost of the fifth service out of pocket. However, if Ian lived in an institution, he would have received the services of the fifth catheterization without his family having to pay for it.
The Coles' complaint alleges that the regulation was discriminatory to Ian because it denied the level of service that would allow him to continue living outside an institution.
|
Accessibility Legislation - Participate in Online Consultations
In June, the Government of Canada launched a national consultation process that will transform how the Government of Canada addresses accessibility. The process to develop new legislation includes online and in-person questionnaires, with all Canadians invited to participate.
"We have made considerable progress in making our society more inclusive, but there is still work to do. Canadians with disabilities continue to face barriers in their daily lives," said the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, at the launch event.
The Government of Canada released a statement on the Consulting with Canadians on planned accessibility legislation webpage, indicating their commitment to developing the new planned accessibility legislation to promote equality of opportunity and increase the inclusion and participation of Canadians who have disabilities or functional limitations.
|
CACL in Action
It's been a busy month!
Here are some highlights from our recent national work:
|
- IRIS has been working with community facilitators and artistic producer Roshanak Jaberi to convene focus groups with women who have experienced sexual violence in refugee camps to gather their stories as part of its involvement in the Witness Project - a multi-disciplinary performance piece and call to action on the issue.
- CACL welcomes Deqa Egal and Samraweet Yohannes to our team for the summer. As summer interns, Deqa and Sam will be assisting CACL with our research and communications initiatives.
|
- Tara Levandier, Director of Policy and Program Operations, met with Toronto Police Service to support their development of a Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee.
- Senior leadership of the CACL, IRIS, and CACL Foundation Boards met in Toronto for strategic planning.
- Lashbrook Marketing and Public Relations received the Award for Merit from The International Association of Business Communicators - London Chapter (IABC) for the inclusive hiring campaign they developed for Ready, Willing and Able.
|
|
A Good Business Decision at Kent Distribution Centre
When the staff at Kent Building Supplies were thinking about adding a person with an intellectual disability to their team, they didn't have any of the concerns expressed by other employers considering the same move. That's because Patrick O'Neil and his colleagues at the Kent Distribution Centre in Moncton, N.B., had been working with a team member who has an intellectual disability for over 20 years, with very positive results.
"When you have an employee who is consistent, never late, never calls in sick and is very conscientious, you go looking for others like him," says O'Neil, Director of Supply Chain. So when another suitable position became available, O'Neil connected with Jon Lister, Director of Labour Market Facilitation with the New Brunswick Association for Community Living (NBACL).
|
Have your say on Accessible Transportation Regulations
The Canadian Transportation Agency is looking for input from persons with disabilities, transportation service providers, and all interested Canadians on how regulatory measures can help make the federal transportation network accessible for persons with disabilities. The
Accessible Transportation consultation is the first phase of the Agency's Regulatory Modernization Initiative, which launched in June.
Review the Canadian Transportation Agency
discussion paper and submit your feedback on accessible transportation to
[email protected].
Now is your chance to be heard. Persons with disabilities have a human right to equal access to transportation. Let's make sure we protect it.
|
|
Spring Campaign exceeds fundraising goal
CACL donors are superstars! These champions for inclusion have smashed our June fundraising goal, raising more than $20,000 this month to help CACL's outreach programs that support families and Canadians working daily to build inclusive communities across Canada.
By giving, our donors are helping more Canadians advance inclusion in their community, opening more opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities in classrooms and workplaces across Canada, and creating more chances to show that people with intellectual disabilities are living meaningful, beautiful, everyday lives.
Their generosity and commitment puts us one step closer to a world where children and adults with intellectual disabilities break down barriers in systems and attitudes, a world where there are no limits to their big, bright futures.
|
|
Upcoming Dates and Events
August 1:
Civic Holiday - CACL offices will be closed
|
|
|
|
|
|
