Going to the theatre has taken on a whole new meaning for me since I was introduced to live audio description 1 year ago. I have been to 5 performances so far, and I highly recommend this experience to others who are blind or partially sighted.

VocalEye's live audio description is provided as a service through Kickstart Disability Arts & Culture and is the first initiative of its kind in Canada.

Here is how VocalEye is described on their website:

An article posted on SportsOttawa.com a few days ago was brought to my attention, which details how it is that 2008 Paralympian Jon Dunkerley is being sued for $350,000 in damages over a 2010 jogging collision.  You can read the original article at http://sportsottawa.com/content/blind-lawsuit.

Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations states “Knowledge is power.  Information is liberating.  Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family”.  I believe this statement should be our guide in everything we do.  We have opportunities to learn something new everyday.   Learning can be through formal education, classes at our local community centre, reading a newspaper or interacting with others.  Learning and education are lifelong activities and I have decided to try to learn something new everyday.  When my children were in elementary school I would ask them at dinner, “What did you learn today?”  Now I ask myself, “What did I learn today?”

On November 29, 2010 the Federal Court of Canada released a landmark decision concerning the rights of Canadians with disabilities to access government websites. 

Justice Kelen declared that Donna Jodhan's inability to access certain government websites is representative of a system wide failure by government departments and agencies to make their websites accessible, and that the government's failure to monitor and ensure compliance with its own accessibility standards violates the equality guarantee in the Charter. He declared that the government has a constitutional obligation to bring itself into compliance with the Charter within a "reasonable time period, such as 15 months."  If the government is not complying, Justice Kelen indicated Ms.

The question of when and what to disclose to a potential employer can be a difficult one.  For those who are totally blind, or who are only marginally partially sighted, this might not present as much of a challenge: you can't very well hide the guide dog or the white cane.  But for those who have low vision, and who may or may not even be legally blind (but require accommodation nonetheless), the waters are quite a bit murkier. 

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance is calling on interested parties to sign up to have their say to the Pinto Human Rights Code Review by January 23rd.

TALK TO THE PRESIDENT

November 30, 2011

Greetings fellow AEBC members:

It is the end of November and I hope that everyone is getting ready to celebrate the upcoming holiday season. Some of you may have already started to toast the end of another year while others are waiting for the first dawn of December 01. No matter what, I wish each and every one of you the very best!

I'd like to thank those of you who took the time to provide me with feedback for last month and remember! It is only with you and through you that your board can succeed!
I'd like to start with my monthly quote: "You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give." Eleanor Roosevelt

TALK TO THE PRESIDENT

September 29, 2011

Dear AEBC members:

Another month is now in the books and I hope that everyone had a great September. It has been a very busy month for your board as we continue to work to ensure that your priorities take top spot over everything else. I thank those of you who took the time to write to me and again, I would love to hear from you with your thoughtful and respectful comments for it is only through you that we can aspire to achieve better things.

I thank those of you who took the time to respond to my monthly question for August and I'll have another for you to respond to at the end of this email.

I would like to start with one of my favorite quotes:

You are cordially Invited to a Town Hall Meeting

With John Rafferty, CEO of the CNIB

Topic:  Library Services in Canada

Purpose:  to ask questions of, and provide input to, the CNIB on:

How best to move forward on issues pertaining to the future of library services for blind, partially sighted, and deaf/blind Canadians.

When: October 29 2011

Time: 1:00 pm Eastern Standard Time or 10:00 am Pacific Time

Location:

365 Bloor Street East, Suite 902

Toronto

The closest subway is at Bloor and Sherbourne

How Can I Participate?: