Genna Buck, Metro News, July 31, 2017 Former federal worker Abigail Shorter is taking the government to task in a human rights case. After her position was made redundant, she was not able to find a new one in the public service. Because of her disability, she claims she is not able to use much…
Michelle McQuigge, The Canadian Press, July 31, 2017 Ontario’s privacy commission says the provincial government significantly overcharged an advocacy group fighting for information on accessibility law compliance in the province and must now hand over the material. The commission’s decision says the government tried to charge the Access for Ontarians with Disabilities Alliance $4,200 for…
May Warren, Toronto MetroNews Canada, June 27, 2017 The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) is putting small battery powered beacons in 200 restaurants and shops. The beacons will transmit to an app called BlindSquare, to verbally guide people around indoor buildings. The program is funded through a grant from the the Rick Hansen…
Kevin Rollason, Winnipeg Free Press, June 8, 2017 David Lepofsky is in Winnipeg this week to speak during Manitoba Access Awareness Week. He spoke on Wednesday at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights about accessibility rights legislation. The world has been designed as if the only people living in it successfully are people without disabilities….
Creating new national accessibility legislation: What we learned Following eight months of consultations held with Canadians from coast to coast, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, released a report on May 29 entitled, Creating new national accessibility legislation: What we learned from Canadians. Through the consultations, Canadians from across the…
Lucas Oleniuk, Toronto Star, June 6, 2017 The province’s new strategy to address the high unemployment rate among Ontarians with disabilities was panned by advocates who said it lacks specifics and will take months if not years to have an impact. Plan focuses on students and youth, and aims to connect employers with potential workers….
Update: Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC) If we are to meet the Ontario goal of a barrier-free society by 2025, the AODA standards must prohibit the creation of any new barriers immediately. According to the OHRC report the proposed Integrated Accessibility Regulation (IAR) fails to identify basic human rights principles to guide its…
The 2017 AEBC National Conference and Annual General Meeting will take place in Toronto, Ontario, at the Court Yard by Marriott Downtown Toronto, from April 28 to April 30, 2017. The theme is Celebrating AEBC’s 25th Anniversary. Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC) is a national grassroots, peer support organization that comprises Canadians who…
Graham Steele, CBC News Political analyst, March 8, 2017 The Bill 59 Community Alliance is only a few months old, and has already become a powerful player in any discussion around the future of the Accessibility Act. Last week the legislature saw a remarkable example of effective citizen action. The alliance has been working from…
Linda Stuart, Cartt.ca News, Cable and Telecom, February 2, 2017 For most of us, location-based augmented reality apps might be considered nice to have, entertaining technology that conjures up images of last summer’s PokaMon Go craze. But for blind and visually impaired people, the use of augmented reality technology in audio-based navigation apps can provide…
