Reports
Activities Report
July 2005
FIRST ALBERTA CHAPTER A REALITY
Calgary is now the home of AEBC’s ninth chapter. Its new chapter president, Mike Hambly, assisted by our national treasurer Denise Sanders, formally opened the chapter on Saturday, June 18 with a newly elected executive and members in attendance. We are excited to have a vibrant presence in Alberta and look forward to helping Mike and our new members build a successful chapter. Contact Mike Hambly at braille@telus.net
CONGRATULATIONS ROBIN!
Robin East, AEBC's Saskatoon chapter president, has been appointed chair of the Council on Disability Issues by Saskatchewan’s Minister of Community Resources and Employment Joanne Crawford. He and the council will work closely with the Office of Disability Issues and report directly to the minister. With his diverse background in community, labour and consumer organizations, Robin is well equipped to carry out this demanding and important role.
AND CONGRATULATIONS JOHN!
Our national president John Rae has been asked to represent the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) on the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF), which meets three times per year. John will offer his lengthy background in consumerism and advocacy issues and will also bring his background in union work to this multi-partite body.
BROADCASTERS ACTUALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT WE THINK
In a wide-ranging discussion on all matters relating to the media, Judy Smith, Kim Kilpatrick and John Rae talked with Richard Cavanagh, a consultant representing the Canadian Association of Broadcasters on June 3, 2005. The broadcasters want our opinions and feelings on how we, as blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted people, wish to be portrayed in the media. The one and a half hour meeting was a follow up to previous discussions with the association. Topics most often raised by participants were:
- How rarely persons with disabilities are portrayed in the media
- How they are depicted
- If the role calls for a person with a disability, then cast a person with that disability
- The need for more persons with disabilities to work in all areas of the media, including behind the scenes
As well, Board of Directors member, Devon Wilkins represented AEBC at a face-to-face meeting in Toronto on July 15. Representatives from various organizations and broadcasting sector officials explored in considerable depth some of these issues. The report based on this work is to be filed with the CRTC and distributed to all participating organizations in late August or early September and will appear on the CAB’s website, www.cab-acr.ca.
AEBC PARTICIPATES IN CCD NATIONAL COUNCIL MEETING AND AGM
Transportation, human rights, social policy, home care support, development of a legal defense fund, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Human Rights Museum and Peter Julien’s proposed Canadians with Disabilities Act were on the agenda when our National Secretary Marcia Cummings represented the AEBC at the Council of Canadians with Disabilities National Council and AGM in Winnipeg from June 10 to 12. A Canadians with Disabilities Act was not supported at this time because the groups decided the legislation required is already in place and that political will to enforce existing legislation is what is needed.
BRAILLE IS STILL NEEDED, NOT JUST COMPUTER SKILLS
At a conference called Access Ontario 2 held in Burlington, Ontario on June 13th and 14th, Devon Wilkins attempted to emphasize the need to maintain a good grounding in Braille for children. She feels too much weight is now placed on computer skills rather than reading and writing in Braille. Members of Accessibility Advisory Committees from across the province had gathered to share ideas and Devon tried to get her point across during the discussion on education issues. Even though questions and comments were cut off before she could speak, Devon did manage to get her opinion recorded on the feedback sheets that were collected at the end of each discussion.
The conference took place only a month after the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act was passed unanimously.
MEETING WITH CNIB
During the past couple of years, the AEBC has been approached by CNIB to sit on several committees overseeing CNIB research projects, and more recently to participate in joint advocacy initiatives. On June 29, the AEBC Board had a one-hour teleconference with Jim Sanders, Dick Hale-Sanders, Fran Cutler and Cathy Moore of CNIB. Our objectives were to provide CNIB with an update on our organization, seek information on changes at CNIB we keep hearing about, and to put forward our views on advocacy since we believe that advocacy should be led by consumers and not by any service agency. A briefing on changes at CNIB is being arranged.
AEBC AND THE FUTURE OF LIBRARY SERVICES
Following a meeting with the Canadian Library Association and reps from several other organizations, Peter Field and Lawrence Euteneier prepared an extensive response to Draft #3 of “Opening the Book,” on the future of library services for blind Canadians. The draft incorporated the content and spirit of many resolutions that were adopted at this year’s AEBC AGM. This paper is available from the AEBC’s National Office.
SIGN UP FOR COMMITTEES
The AEBC has a wide range of Committees, and we want to invite members to sign up and participate in our ongoing work.
- Access to Electoral Process Committee: Penny Leclair, Chair
- AGM Committee, Chair, to be determined
- Education/Employment Committee, Chantal Oakes, Chair
- Finance Committee, Denise Sanders, Chair
- Fund Development Committee, Rick Oakes, Chair
- Human Resources Committee (HRC), Denise Sanders, Chair
- Library Working Group, Chair to be determined
- Membership Committee, Devon Wilkins, Chair
- Mentorship Program Committee, Penny Leclair, Chair
- Products Committee, Marcia Cummings, Chair
- Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee, John Rae and Carole Robertson, Co-chairs
- Scholarship Committee, Marcia Cummings, Chair
- Web Design Committee (WDC), Marcia Cummings, Chair
While new members are always welcome, the Committees that are particularly looking for new participants are: Fund Development, Education/Employment, Public Awareness and Advocacy, and Membership. Please contact our National Office at 1-800-561-4774, or e-mail info@blindcanadians.ca.
MENTORSHIP PROGRAM SEEKS MORE MENTORS
The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (formerly the National Federation of the Blind: Advocates for Equality) offers an exciting opportunity for children, youth and adults experiencing partial or total vision loss to connect with experienced blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted role models, in order to share experiences, ideas, and strategies.
The Mentorship Program provides support, information and inspiration through regular contact with mentors via telephone, email, letter writing or in person.
The mentorship relationship allows individuals to learn from the experiences of others, as well as gain valuable emotional and practical support for many of life's challenges.
To read more about or register with this exciting program, please go to: http://www.blindcanadians.ca/programs/
AEBC HAS TWO DISCUSSION LISTS
The AEBC operates two discussion lists: one contains discussions and information on a wide range of topics, and the second focuses on our efforts to expand funding for the purchase of assistive devices.
To join the AEBC listserv, send a message to majordomo@blindcanadians.ca, leave the subject line blank, and in the body of the message, type subscribe AEBC. You will receive a confirmation message.
To join the assistive devices listserv, send a blank e-mail to majordomo@blindcanadians.ca and in the body of the message type subscribe devices. You will quickly receive an e-mail indicating that you are subscribed. Alternatively, you can use our automated subscription form: http://www.blindcanadians.ca/listserve/
RECYCLING CASSETTES
The national office reuses cassettes so members are welcome to return cassettes at any time; they can be sent “Free Matter for the Blind” to AEBC, 6-1638 Pandosy Street, Kelowna BC V1Y 1P8.
