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Canada Revenue Agency’s Disability Advisory Committee Submits 26 Recommendations in Its Fourth Annual Report

From: Canada Revenue Agency
News release
March 8, 2024 Ottawa, Ontario

The Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) released its 2023 annual report today. The report provides a progress update on past recommendations and proposes 26 new recommendations on how the Agency can improve the way it administers and interprets tax measures for Canadians with disabilities.

Based on recommendations from previous DAC reports, the CRA has taken concrete action to improve its services for persons with disabilities. This progress is highlighted in the 2023 report and includes:

Disability Advocates Say NYC Failing to Meet Settlement Agreement on Accessible Taxis

By Ben Brachfeld
Posted on February 25, 2024

A group of disability advocates told a federal judge last week that New York City is failing to comply with a settlement reached a decade ago that called for half of yellow taxis to be accessible for people with disabilities.

More than a decade ago, in 2013, the city settled a class-action lawsuit and, in doing so, agreed that at least half of all yellow cabs on city streets would comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act by 2020. Less than 2% of taxis were accessible at the time.

Uber Must Pay Wheelchair User $35,000, Provide Accessible Rides: B.C. Human Rights Tribunal

It was the first time a ride-hailing app in Canada has been the subject of a human rights tribunal, the ruling said Author of the article:Susan Lazaruk
Published Mar 07, 2024

Uber Canada has been ordered to pay $35,000 to a man who uses a wheelchair after the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal found he was discriminated against because of his disability. The ride-hailing app was also ordered to offer those with disabilities accessible rides sccording to the ruling this week .

Complainant Martin Bauer was granted the award “as compensation for injury to his dignity, feelings and self respect,” stated the ruling by tribunal member Amber Prince.

Vancouver Mayor Playing ‘Disingenuous’ Accessibility Politics, Says Critic

Andrew Weichel
CTVNewsVancouver.ca Journalist
Published March 6, 2024

When Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and Park Board Commissioner Jaspreet Virdi announced an “emergency motion” benefiting people with disabilities this week, not everyone was impressed by the city’s efforts.

What Gabrielle Peters saw was politicians from the ruling ABC party taking credit for one inclusivity measure that effectively already exists – and taking credit for a separate proposal, developed independently from the party with input from the disability community, that is going before city council next week.

“I found it really disingenuous,” said Peters, a disabled community organizer. “This whole thing has been reshaped as if Ken Sim and ABC are leaders in accessibility, when they’re the ones who screwed up this winter, and they continue to screw up.”

Halifax Student Launches Petition to Improve School Accessibility

CBC
Tue, March 5, 2024

Technology education is one of Lux Melanson’s favourite courses at Fairview Junior High School, so it bothers her that some students can’t get to the classroom.

The school has an elevator but it doesn’t serve the lower-level, where the classroom is located, so students who use mobility aids can’t access it, the 15-year-old said.

“It gets me so upset,” she said. “I can’t imagine how upsetting it must be for somebody to not be able to take part in a whole class.”

Melanson, who is in Grade 9, started a petition as part of a school project, calling for the installation of a stairlift as well as accessible furniture and wider doorways.

Airlines Could Face More Fines for Mishandling Wheelchairs Under a Biden Administration Proposal

By David Koenig, The Associated Press
Posted February 29, 2024

The Biden administration is proposing to make it easier for the government to fine airlines for damaging or misplacing wheelchairs by making it an automatic violation of a federal law on accessible air travel.

The U.S. Transportation Department also called Thursday for airlines to provide annual training for employees who handle wheelchairs or lift passengers with disabilities.

Damage to wheelchairs and scooters during air travel is a big problem. The Transportation Department said 11,527 of the devices were mishandled by airlines last year, up slightly from 2022.

The administration announced the proposed rule during a White House event that included advocates for people with disabilities.

Disability Culture is Something You are a Part of – Not Something that is Happening to You

John Loeppky | for CBC Opinion | Posted: Sunday, March 3rd, 2024

As a child, I was often ashamed of my disability.
I fell into the “bitter cripple” stereotype. I didn’t want to be around people with intellectual disabilities because I thought I would be more independent if I ran away from the community rather than toward it. I shunned disability culture.
Fast forward 15 years, and I was performing in a theatre show with Listen to Dis’ Community Arts Organization, Saskatchewan’s only disability-led disability arts non-profit. (It’s an organization that I worked for and now consult with.)

Advocates Say N.B.’s Plan for Improving Accessibility Misses the Mark

CBC, Fri, March 1, 2024

The province is set to table legislation in the spring that aims to improve accessibility for those with disabilities, but advocates say the plan misses the mark.

The legislation emphasizes what’s called “universal design,” which means everything – from buildings and the environment to individual products – is designed to be accessible to all people, regardless of their ability or disability.

Shelly Petit, of the New Brunswick Coalition of Persons with Disabilities, hopes it will be a foundational shift in the province for the growing number of people who struggle with mobility.

George Brown College Survey of Over 900 Canadian Workers with Disabilities Reveals Key Insights into Workplace Experiences

NEWS PROVIDED BY George Brown College

TORONTO, Feb. 26, 2024 /CNW/ – George Brown College researchers have conducted a groundbreaking survey, engaging over 900 workers with disabilities across Canada, to delve into the challenges, perspectives, and firsthand experiences of individuals confronting the complexities of working while having a disability. The study focused on participants reporting at least ‘some difficulty’ with sight, hearing, walking/climbing, remembering/concentrating, self-care, and/or communicating, shedding light on crucial insights into their workplace experiences.

How Common Is Intellectual Disability Among Adults?

by Michelle Diament | February 23, 2024

A new study is among the first to estimate the number of adults in the U.S. with intellectual disability, offering policymakers and other stakeholders a snapshot of the need for resources.

Just shy of 1% of adults between the ages of 21 and 41 have intellectual disability, according to findings published recently in the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research.

With no national survey measuring prevalence of intellectual disability among adults, researchers turned to data collected on children through the government’s National Health Interview Survey between 1980 and 1999.