Michelle McQuigge, The Canadian Press, June 6, 2018 As Ontario gets set to elect a new government, some disabled voters say accommodations put in place to allow them to cast their ballots independently and privately are not working as intended. They say elections workers were helpful and respectful, but not always trained on accessible voting…
By Yannis Vardakastanis, President, European Disability Forum, Journal General of Europe, June 4, 2018 Reflections on the occasion of the European Social Economy Day Seven months ago the leaders of the 28 EU member states adopted in Stockholm the so-called European Pillar of Social Rights, by which they committed to a set of 20 principles…
Jaren Kerr, Staff Reporter, The Star, May 15, 2018 Toronto’s subway and train stations, including the TTC’s newest, have design flaws that can make travelling difficult or dangerous for people with disabilities, according to a new video that illustrates the problems. A 30 minute video released Tuesday Making Progress on Disability Issues: The Agenda with…
Sally Abrahams and Lee Kumutat, BBC Radio 4, Money Box, May 6, 2018 HSBC, Metro Bank and Halifax have all admitted to failings after redesigning websites that made it hard for their blind or visually impaired customers to access full services online. In a statement, HSBC told Money Box it has just finished upgrading the…
Andrea Gordon, Education Reporter, The Star, May 4, 2018 Students face daunting academic and social barriers that can leave them excluded, vulnerable to bullying and set them up for low expectations for the future, said the report, a joint project by experts in disabilities law and education. Their parents are asked to keep them home…
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Division, Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, May 4, 2018 The AODA review committee has submitted their final proposed revisions to the Transportation Standards of the AODA to the Minister Responsible for Accessibility. The minister may accept the 32 proposed revisions in whole, in part, or with modifications. Any proposed changes to…
Robin Simmons, The Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT), April 26, 2018 Non-partisan community partners invite persons with disabilities, their friends and families and the public to the Province-Wide Debate on Accessibility and Disability Issues. Representatives of Ontario’s political parties will be fielding questions about housing, employment, poverty reduction strategies, Accessibility for Ontarians with…
Laurie Monsebraaten, Social Justice Reporter, The Toronto Star, April 18, 2018 After five years of lax enforcement of Ontario’s groundbreaking accessibility legislation, disability activists want Queen’s Park to hand over enforcement responsibilities to an independent public agency. The call comes in the wake of a new report that shows a 2015 government crackdown on accessibility…
Michelle McQuigge, The Canadian Press, CTV Kitchener News, March 31, 2018 Accessibility advocates are expressing cautious optimism about measures in the latest Ontario budget that fund programs for developmentally disabled people, enhance social assistance and boost mental health support. Over the next three years, the budget promises to pump $1.8 billion into services for developmentally…
Ben Spurr, Transportation Reporter, Toronto Star, March 29, 2018 More than a decade after an advocate for the blind won a landmark human rights case against the TTC, a hearing-impaired transit user is calling on the agency to improve its communication with riders who have hearing loss. Leona Zultek argues that by not devising ways…
