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2002-11: Poverty Issues
Whereas: despite enormous technological advances which have opened doors to employment and opportunity to many blind, deaf-blind and partially-sighted Canadians, such technologies are often not available to all blind Canadians; and
Whereas: the unemployment rate among blind Canadians remains many times the national average for Canadians of working age, (statistics vary, often above 75%); and
Whereas: due to lack of opportunity generally, far too many blind Canadians are forced to live at or below the poverty line without much hope of improving their status and
Whereas: many blind seniors are forced to live in the most dire state of poverty; and
Whereas: social assistance rates for blind people of all ages are appalling, in some provinces frozen for years, and often not linked to cost of living or inflationary increasers; and
Whereas: recent email discussions related to poverty issues on the NFB:AE list led to the Board of the NFB:AE appointing a subcommittee on poverty to make a preliminary report, the findings from this report have led to this resolution:
Be it resolved by the membership of the NFB:AE that:
- The membership of the NFB:AE establishes poverty concerns and the reduction of poverty among blind, deaf-blind and partially-sighted Canadians as one of the primary issue and focus of our organization.
- That the Board of the NFB:AE be instructed to appoint a subcommittee on poverty to be made up of interested members and non-members, which shall report and take direction through a named Board member acting as liaison with the subcommittee.
- That the subcommittee begin its efforts by studying the many emails collected on the topic of poverty, many of which recommend specific areas for attention, through letter-writing, media releases, and other similar means.
- That the subcommittee make regular reports to the NFB:AE Board, post quarterly reports to the membership, and make a presentation at the 2003 NFB:AE conference in Montreal on its efforts, findings and results to date.