Accessibility legislation, poverty and children with special needs among hot-button issues largely ignored Cathy Browne , CBC News
Posted: Oct 23, 2020

Albert Ruel is tired.

The blind advocate has been fighting for improved access, inclusion and human rights protection for people with disabilities for the past 30 years. And he’s frustrated that the B.C. election campaign hasn’t shone a light on many of the issues that matter to voters with disabilities.

“There’s not a lot of appetite to actually do something meaningful about the immense discrimination that we face every day in our lives,” Ruel said.

Voters With Disabilities Disappointed, Frustrated By B.C. Election Campaign full article

Report raises 6 main concerns, from money to supports
Heidi Atter, CBC News
Posted: Oct 20, 2020

A new report is highlighting issues with the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disabilities program (SAID).

The Saskatchewan Disability Income Support Coalition (DISC) interviewed 11 people on their personal experiences and had 432 respond to an online survey. The respondents included 188 people on SAID and 244 people representing organizations that help people on the program.

It issued the report a few weeks after holding an event calling for the SAID program to become an election issue.

Report Highlights Issues With Sask. Assured Income for Disabilities Program full article

Speaking on Newstalk 580 CFRA’s “The Goods with Dahlia Kurtz”, Singh said the Liberal government, in its effort to keep benefits such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) from being accessed by people who don’t need the help, designed a program that excludes the most vulnerable.

“One of the things we found during this pandemic is we’re up against a massive inertia of a Liberal government that is trying to design programs to exclude people,” Singh said. “They’re willing to miss out people who desperately need help so that they can avoid helping those who don’t need it. They want to make sure that someone who doesn’t need the help doesn’t get it but they’re willing to miss the people who are most desperate. That’s what we’re up against.”

NDP Leader Singh Accuses Liberals Of Failing to Support Canadians Living with Disabilities During Pandemic full article

A one time payment of up to $600 will be sent to those who are eligible, at the end of October Kate Letterick
CBC News
Posted: Oct 07, 2020

As a disabled person, Murielle Pitre has dealt with extra costs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You have like increased fees, deliveries and deliveries for food, the price of food is going up. I mean you’re not going out so you can’t seek out the bargains as much as you used to,” she said.

Pitre is also the director of communications for the New Brunswick Coalition of People with Disabilities.

She’s heard from many people who are paying more for everything from transportation to personal care.

Disability Advocates Applaud Federal Pandemic Aid, But Say Payment Should Be Higher full article

Pandemic has laid bare systemic issues for people with disabilities Kieran Leavitt
Toronto Star, Oct. 3, 2020

Lene Andersen says it’s hard to feel optimistic about Ottawa’s plans for Canadians living with a disability after waiting months for emergency funding that was promised, but never came. That’s something Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough takes personally.

“It’s so unacceptable and it’s been so frustrating because of how quickly we identified this need,” said Qualtrough, adding that the government is only “weeks away” from having the money being dispensed.

“It has taken way too long, and it will not happen again,” she said during an interview with the Star this week.

Promised Funds for Disabled Still Haven’t Arrived full article

CWDO is pleased to present this webinar about Gary Malkowski’s life.

The biography, Deaf Politician – The Gary Malkowski Story follows Gary from being born deaf into an immigrant, working-class family in Hamilton, Ontario through his education at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC to his community activism and political career in Toronto.

Gary’s accomplishments will inspire not only the Deaf community, disability rights advocates, Ontario political junkies, and Canadians, but also everyone who is an underdog- or roots for one. Come to this webinar and learn the secrets to his success.

Presenters: Gary Malkowski and Richard Medugno, the author of Deaf Politician

Deaf Politician – The Gary Malkowski Story full article

Vernon Ramesar
CBC News, Sept. 16, 2020

Carrying on a normal life during the pandemic can be difficult for everyone, but some people with vision loss say it can be a minefield.

Darlene Wournell is blind and treasures her independence, but she says some of the measures put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have proven to be especially challenging.

“Of course, not having any vision whatsoever, it’s hard to tell if people are within your six foot bubble,” said Wournell, a resident of Lake Echo, N.S., and the national secretary of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians.

How Blind Nova Scotians Are Navigating the Strange World of COVID-19 full article

Kathleen Harris
CBC News. Sept. 18, 2020

More than six months into the global pandemic, the Liberal government is being accused of failing to meet the needs of the Canadians with disabilities who number among those hardest-hit by the public health crisis.

Marie-Claude Landry, chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, said COVID-19 has “expanded the circle of vulnerability” in Canada but people with disabilities still aren’t getting the support they need.

“We urge the government to immediately address the unmet financial needs of people with disabilities in an equitable way,” she said in a media statement.

Advocates for Canadians With Disabilities Say the Federal Government Isn’t Doing Enough to Help People Struggling With New Barriers in the Midst of A Pandemic full article