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Have Assisted Dying Laws Gone Too Far?

As Canada expands access to MAID, many people with disabilities are sounding the alarm. Some say the law was flawed from the outset BY MEAGAN GILLMORE
Updated 15:24, May. 30, 2023 | Published 6:30, May. 30, 2023
This article contains discussions of suicide. If you or someone you know is having a suicide crisis, please call Talk Suicide Canada (1-833-456-4566), which offers 24/7 support. There is also Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868), the Hope for Wellness Helpline for Indigenous people across Canada (1-855-242-3310), and 1-866-APPELLE (for Quebec residents).

TARRA CARLSON’S plan for her old age is simple: to die before her husband.

Have Assisted Dying Laws Gone Too Far? full article

Less Talk, More Action: Advocates Critical of Feds’ Update on Disability Air Services

By Eric Stober Global News
Posted May 27, 2023

Advocates say the Canadian government needs to talk less and act more on addressing shortcomings in accommodating those with disabilities on air flights and in airports.

Disability Inclusion Minister Carla Qualtrough and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra met with the National Airlines Council of Canada to discuss the issues, according to a statement released Thursday.

Qualtrough said the council has committed to focusing on disability and inclusion training and to improving the transportation and care of mobility devices.

She also said that the federal government will “enhance regulations” to improve services, as well as host a Summit on Disability Inclusive Air Travel, which she said will include Canadian airlines and airport authorities.

Less Talk, More Action: Advocates Critical of Feds’ Update on Disability Air Services full article

Individuals With Disabilities Still Carry Burden of Accessibility at Universities, Panelists Say

MAY 24, 2023

When Alicia-Ann Pauld was earning her bachelor’s degree in sociology and sexuality studies in Montreal a few years ago, one of her classes was changed to a location that was inaccessible for her.

Pauld, who has a physical disability, notified the university’s access centre.

“They told me to talk to my professor.- My professor told me to reach out to the access centre. So it was just this – back and forth that seemed to never end. My professor was not reading the emails in their entirety, which meant I had to resend.-

“The burden of accessibility shouldn’t be on the student.”

Individuals With Disabilities Still Carry Burden of Accessibility at Universities, Panelists Say full article

Canada: Accessibility Compliance Milestone Coming June 1

By Dinah Wisenberg Brin
May 22, 2023

Many federally regulated businesses in Canada with at least 100 employees must publish an accessibility plan by June 1 detailing how they will remove barriers for employees and members of the public with disabilities.

The date marks the first compliance milestone for the Accessible Canada Act (ACA), which seeks to make the country barrier-free by Jan. 1, 2040.

The Canadian government is pursuing this goal “so that individuals with disabilities can feel more comfortable using public services and working for federally regulated organizations,” said Lisa Goodfellow, an attorney with Miller Thomson LLP in Toronto. “The Accessible Canada Act and the Accessible Canada Regulations strive to achieve this by identifying, removing and preventing barriers in employment, buildings and other public spaces.”

Canada: Accessibility Compliance Milestone Coming June 1 full article

Much Work Remains for N.S. to Hit 2030 Accessibility Targets, Report Says

This was 1st review of Accessibility Act since it was passed in 2017 Michael Gorman, CBC News
Posted: May 21, 2023

The author of an independent review of the province’s Accessibility Act says there is much work to do if Nova Scotia is to meet its target of being fully accessible by 2030.

“We’re definitely not where we need to be,” Katie Aubrecht, Canada Research Chair in Health Equity and Social Justice and an associate professor in the St. Francis Xavier University department of sociology, said in an interview with CBC Mainstreet Cape Breton.

Much Work Remains for N.S. to Hit 2030 Accessibility Targets, Report Says full article

AFB Calls on Congress and Government to Move Swiftly toward Making the Internet Accessible for All

NEWS PROVIDED BY American Foundation for the Blind

WASHINGTON, May 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — On the 12th anniversary of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) urges the United States government to close the digital inclusion gap for Americans with disabilities and act immediately to fulfill the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the digital age.

AFB Calls on Congress and Government to Move Swiftly toward Making the Internet Accessible for All full article

Rishi Sunak Alt Text Tweet Criticised for Misusing Accessibility Feature

Published May 19, 2023

Rishi Sunak is in Japan at the G7 summit – but a tweet from his official account has caused a social media storm closer to home By Jordan Kenny
Newsbeat politics reporter

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been criticised for misusing alt text on social media – weeks after big brands were called out for doing it.

His official Twitter account posted a four-picture photo grid showing cabinet members having a meeting.

The alt text fields – which are supposed to describe what’s in the images for blind users – simply read: “We’re growing the economy”.

Rishi Sunak Alt Text Tweet Criticised for Misusing Accessibility Feature full article

Recruitment for Accessibility Standards Canada’s Board of directors

The Government of Canada is seeking applications from diverse and talented Canadians to fill the positions of Chair and up to six directors for the Board of Directors of Accessibility Standards Canada. These positions are part-time Governor in Council (GIC) appointments.

The mandate of Accessibility Standards Canada is to contribute to a Canada without barriers by 2040 by:

Recruitment for Accessibility Standards Canada’s Board of directors full article

  • developing and revising accessibility standards;
  • providing information, products and services about new and revised standards;
  • supporting and conducting research on barriers to accessibility; and
  • sharing best practices for removing and preventing accessibility barriers.

She Just Sees Me as Dad

MAY 16, 2023 BY DABC

This article was written by Marco Pasqua, and originally appeared in the edition of DABC’s Transition magazine, Parenting with’Disabilities'(Spring 2023).

If you’re interested in contributing to Transition as an individual or an organization, please email send an email to transition@disabilityalliancebc.org.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a dad. But I was born with Cerebral Palsy, so I wasn’t sure it would be possible.

I used to have a fear. I was afraid that, if I became a parent, my child wouldn’t respect me as much as other parents without a disability. I thought they wouldn’t see me as an authority figure because I use a wheelchair.

She Just Sees Me as Dad full article

Ableism and Disablism – How to Spot Them and How We Can All Do Better

Published: May 14, 2023

When the 2022 Australian of the Year was announced, Dylan Alcott wheeled onto the stage. Australian audiences are tuning in to watch TV shows featuring people with disability: You Can’t Ask That, Love on the Spectrum and Employable Me.

The Disability Pride movement is gaining momentum and people with disability are becoming part of the diversity conversation.

On the surface, it would appear we have come a long way in our collective attitudes towards disability. But two of society’s biggest “-isms” still go largely unnoticed and unaddressed: ableism and disablism.

What do these terms mean? And how can we all do better to dismantle them?

Ableism and Disablism – How to Spot Them and How We Can All Do Better full article