January 2019
To ensure you stay up-to-date, please make sure to add [email protected] to your allowed emails list.

Welcoming 2019

As we begin a new year, CACL's Board and Staff would like to thank everyone who has supported our work over the past year. 

At CACL we believe wholeheartedly that together we can build a truly inclusive Canada, where people with an intellectual disability and their families are valued equally and able to participate fully in all aspects of society. 

Much work remains in breaking down barriers to inclusion, but we remain committed to the vision and values that set us on this path 60 years ago. We are re-energized and ready to work together to strengthen families, defend rights, and transform communities into places where everyone belongs!  
CACL Annual Report 2017-2018

During our annual meetings in Ottawa, CACL released its 2017-2018 Annual Report. The report, divided into the eight priority goals identified in CACL's strategic plan, provides updates on the many initiatives and impactful work of CACL over the past year.  


Left to right: Bluesette Campbell, Suzanne Desrosiers and Jackie Carpenter.
A warm welcome to CACL's new Board Members!

In December 2018, CACL was pleased to welcome the following new members to our national Board of Directors:  Bluesette Campbell (Saskatchewan);  Sheryl Giesbrecht (Manitoba);  Suzanne Desrosiers (New Brunswick); and,  Jackie Carpenter (Director-at-Large, British Columbia). We look forward to working with you! 

CACL in Action!
Highlights of our recent national work.

  • The Ready Willing & Able (RWA) Executive Committee and Provincial/Territorial delivery partners continued to engage in efforts to increase awareness of and support for the RWA Phase 2 2019 Federal Budget request. This included meetings with various Ministers and MPs; obtaining letters of support to Minister Morneau from RWA delivery partners, national and local employers, employment agencies and community organizations; and, extensive and targeted use of social media.
  • Michael Bach, Managing Director of IRIS, will participate as a commentator at the Mary and Philip Seeman Health Law, Policy and Ethics Seminar at the University of Toronto on January 24th. This seminar series brings guest speakers to the Faculty of Law to stimulate the discussion of issues related to the intersection of law with health care and related ethical and social issues. At the forum Michael will speak to "What is Disability? Theoretical Strategies to Define a Contested Concept".
Inclusion 2.0: Teaching to Diversity


Inclusion 2.0: Quality Education for All

CACL believes that all people with an intellectual disability should be fully included with their peers in regular education, with appropriate supports - from early childhood through to post secondary and adult life-long learning. In our lead up to National Inclusive Education Month in February, we're sharing thoughtful thinking on the benefits of inclusive education for all students in the classroom.

Shelley Moore, a teacher, researcher and consultant based in British Columbia, invites listeners to reconsider our approach to educating all students, not just children with disabilities, in what she calls Inclusion 2.0.

Photo credit: Zahra Saleki

No Woman's Land premiering in March

Institutes for Research and Development on Inclusion and Society (IRIS)  has partnered with Jaberi Dance Theatre  and Dr. Shahrzad Mojab on the company's upcoming production  No Woman's Land,  an evocative new work that integrates  dance, theatre and multi-media while exploring real stories of women in refugee camps.  
 
No Woman's Land comments on the relationship of disability and forced migration due to environmental disaster and/or war. It examines the portrayal of disability in developing countries, and the impacts of colonialism and imperialism. Once settled in Canada, refugee women with disabilities often find themselves trapped in a mental health system that do not understand them. The production is based on research conducted by Doris Rajan, Director of Social Development at IRIS, and Dr. Shahrzad Mojab.

CACL Staff Updates

CACL is pleased to announce that effective January 14th 2019, Tara Levandier has returned from maternity leave to resume her position as Director of Policy and Program Operations. 

Kurt Goddard, who served as Director of Policy and Program Operations during Tara's absence, will continue to work with CACL in the new role of Director of Public Affairs.
Upcoming Dates and Events
January 24 - UN International Day of Education 
February - National Inclusive Education Month. Learn more at www.inclusiveeducation.ca
February 18 - Family Day in Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick. CACL offices closed.
February 27 - Pink Shirt Day

STAY CONNECTED: