Dr. Jennifer Zwicker, deputy chief scientific officer for Kids Brain Health Network, Calgary Herald, June 17, 2020 The federal government recently announced a one-time, federal tax-free payment for Disability Tax Credit recipients intended to reduce financial barriers for persons with disabilities during the pandemic. This proposed bill failed to secure unanimous consent in the House…
The Agenda with Steve Paikin, TVO, May 8, 2020 More than 2.5 million Ontarians live with a disability. Many of them are seniors, one of the most vulnerable groups when it comes to contracting COVID-19. How has Ontario’s response been toward ensuring people with disabilities are protected from the disease and are safely and effectively…
a slap in the facefor Ontarians scraping by on disability payments
Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco, CBC News, May 3, 2020 Some Ontarians who rely on provincial disability support say the federal government’s new emergency benefit for people affected by COVID-19 is laying bare a double standard when it comes to the question of what’s considered a livable income. The federal government’s Canada Emergency Relief Benefit (CERB) provides about…
David Lepofsky, Contributor Opinion, The Star, April 20, 2020 Media have reported on some of the most extreme COVID-19 impacts on people with disabilities, the tip of a horrific iceberg, like the government’s scandalous failure to effectively protect residents in nursing homes and independent living residences. Let me reveal a worrisome but unreported thread running…
Samantha Renke, Metro News, April 7, 2020 Mike Marsland says: I have been referred to as vulnerable a lot over the past few weeks. Although, as someone with a disability, I am no stranger to the word, according to society, vulnerable is almost synonymous with having an impairment. Up until now, however, I had not…
Antonella Artuso, Toronto Sun, April 7, 2020 A document that has left people with disabilities scared they’ll be denied an intensive care bed or ventilator during the COVID-19 pandemic is just a draft, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott says. The Clinical Triage Protocol for Major Surge in COVID Pandemic, a copy obtained by the Toronto…
Hosted by ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE and ONTARIO AUTISM COALITION, April 7, 2020 organized by Ontario grassroots disability advocates, revealed that people with disabilities are disproportionately exposed to the risks of COVID and the hardships this pandemic is causing. Ten experts gave the government practical priority measures needed now to alleviate these…
Natalie Spagnuolo and Michael Orsini, CBC News Opinion, March 29, 2020 Disabled people know a lot about social isolation. Many, including those with intellectual and psychiatric disabilities, are relying on the success of COVID-19 containment strategies, and lives are indeed at risk if they are not taken seriously. However, public health measures that restrict visiting…
Kathy Bates, a teacher, advocate, and writer, March 28, 2020 I just want to share some things that have been on my mind lately. I find it ironic that it takes a pandemic like a coronavirus (COVID-19) for everyone to start thinking about some of the issues that people with disabilities have been struggling with…
Mythili Sampathkumar, Digital Trends, March 27, 2020 As universities and schools try to quickly transition learning from physical classrooms to online ones, disabled students have been (and will continue to be) disproportionately affected. The rapid migration to virtual classes has forced disabled students into using websites and apps that were never designed to accommodate them….
