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‘We run into these imbalances of power all the time,’ says Anne Malone Darrell Roberts, CBC News
Posted: Jun 16, 2022
A St. John’s disability advocate says she was recently denied a taxi ride because she has a service dog, and the incident is just “the tip of an iceberg” for accessibility barriers in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Anne Malone said the incident, which took place at the St. John’s airport, highlights the obstacles she and others who use service animals face.
“People with disabilities – and people from other minorities also –
we run into these imbalances of power all the time. It’s wrong,” Malone told CBC News.
Denied a Cab Because of Her Service Dog, This Disability Advocate is Pointing to a Larger Problem full article
JUNE 13, 2022
BY DABC
“They are- just hoping that he takes care of the problem through overdosing or killing himself” – RB’s mother
Community Living BC (CLBC) is a government agency with a mandate to support people with developmental disabilities with housing, social connection, professional
and social development, and other forms of support. Through CLBC, people with developmental disabilities can access care and support in the community,
and avoid unnecessary hospitalizations, periods of houselessness, and disenfranchisement.
Press Release: Young Man with Developmental Disabilities Denied Care from Community Living BC full article
Joe Lofaro
CTVNewsMontreal.ca Digital Reporter
Updated June 14, 2022
A Montreal woman is speaking out after she says her convocation was nearly ruined because of the lack of accessibility at a downtown hotel.
There’s nothing Chantal De Luca, 21, wanted more than to have her parents come to Montreal for her convocation at McGill University late last month, but as soon as they arrived in town for her special day, she was in tears.
Montreal Woman Raising Concerns About Hotel Accessibility After ‘Devastating’ Experience at Downtown Hotel full article
Proposal would help protect blind pedestrians, but sound isn’t standardized Michelle Allan, CBC News
Posted: Jun 13, 2022
Some blind Canadians say Transport Canada’s proposed requirement that electric vehicles (EVs) emit pedestrian warning noise is a good start – but they think the sound should be standardized.
Unlike the U.S. and Europe, Canada doesn’t currently require electric vehicles and their quieter motors to generate sound when travelling at low speeds.
In April 2021, Transport Canada proposed a requirement that all hybrid and electric cars have sound emitters when travelling at low speeds. This regulation is scheduled to take effect in 2023, but allows manufacturers to pick their own sounds.
Blind Canadians Say New Rules to Put Sound on EVs Don’t Go Far Enough full article
Victoria
Friday, June 3, 2022
Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction
A range of community services for people with disabilities throughout B.C. will be expanded, thanks to a provincial grant of $3 million over three years.
With the renewed funding, the BC Paraplegic Foundation will support the BC Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Community Services Network so it can continue to focus on initiatives to improve inclusion for people with disabilities. The funding will also support a new Indigenous liaison position to help the network and Indigenous communities co-create culturally safe and relevant Indigenous programs.
Network Helps People With Disabilities Focus on Mental, Physical Wellness full article
Trains and subways in Tokyo and other cities have long posed a challenge for disabled riders. As Japan prepares to reopen to tourists, here’s what’s changed. Allan Richarz
June 2, 2022
In many respects, Japan’s extensive network of rail stations is a triumph of contradictions. Chaotic, yet possessing its own internal logic that provides a striking degree of order. Heavily trafficked, but still able to remain remarkably clean.
This is perhaps most evident in how it serves riders who are disabled. For all its success as a modern marvel of high-speed mass mobility, Japan’s rail system has historically been perceived as inaccessible for those with physical disabilities.
Japan’s Transit System Gets Serious About Disability Access full article
Penny Daflos
CTV News Vancouver Multi-Media Journalist
Published June 8, 2022
A B.C. woman speaking out about “death care” being easier to access than adequate health care is sending shockwaves throughout the country, with disabled advocates, doctors and observers holding up her experience as a potent example of the slippery slope of expanded dying with dignity legislation.
The topic of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) is in the spotlight and many experts, patients and advocates have testified at a special committee that the elderly, chronically ill and disabled are at risk of feeling pressured or cornered into choosing to die under expanded legislation – which is exactly what “Kat” described.
‘Outraged and Distraught’: Reaction to Disabled B.C. Woman’s Approval for Medically-Assisted Death full article
By Anya Wassenberg on June 2, 2022
Sensors, music, and software – together, they can be used in therapies designed to improve the ability to walk in patients with impaired nervous systems.
Two American companies, MedRhythms and Biogen, have signed an agreement to take that knowledge and create MR-004, a digital therapy that will be available by prescription specifically to treat MS patients who are experiencing difficulties with walking. It will be the first treatment of its kind if approved.
Biogen is a multinational specializing in developing and delivering treatments for neurological conditions. MedRhythms, the company, grew out of a therapy practice at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston.
REPORT | The Link Between Music And Movement Leads To Therapies For Mobility Impaired full article
Victoria
Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction
A new initiative will improve the quality of life for British Columbians living with hearing and sight loss, which is known as deafblindness.
CNIB Deafblind Community Services, a non-profit organization that provides support to Canadians who are deafblind, will use $740,000 in provincial funding over two years to hire four specially trained staff known as intervenors to work with clients one on one.
“June is Deafblind Awareness Month in B.C., which is a good time for all of us to become more aware of the barriers that people who are deafblind face, as well as the unique services that help them better access the world around them,” said Nicholas Simons, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “This funding for intervenor services will help address communication challenges and provide critical supports for individuals who are deafblind so they can stay connected in their communities.”
New Funding Supports DeafBlind People in B.C. full article
News Release
Victoria
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
“When government announced the Accessible B.C. Act last year, we promised that it was just the beginning of our work to make British Columbia more accessible and inclusive for everyone,” said Nicholas Simons, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “We know it’s important to lead by example as we ask other organizations across the province to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.”
The AccessibleBC plan lists five priority areas for government to identify, remove and prevent barriers to participation for people with disabilities:
AccessibleBC Plan Removes Barriers full article
- creating a culture of accessibility and inclusion;
- information and communication;
- buildings, infrastructure and public spaces;
