Reports

President's Report

May 2008

Your Voice Leads to Equality
- Robin East

I thank the Toronto Chapter for hosting this year's Annual General Meeting. A great deal of planning and work occurs behind the scenes before, during and after this event. I am certain the members present at this 2008 AGM will show their gratitude to the Toronto Executive and chapter members.

The past year has been very busy and I invite you to review our bi-monthly activity reports. You will find that the AEBC has been on TV, in newspapers, and on radio, making presentations to all levels of government, and at various conferences. We set up an information picket to share information on the dangers of Hybrid and electric automobiles, wrapped up a very successful alternative for delivery of technical aids, and discussed filing a Charter challenge regarding our right to gain access to an accessible and verifiable vote in federal elections, with ARCH Disability Law Centre. We have sent briefs to the CRTC regarding our right to access communications, a brief to Federal, Provincial, and Territorial governments on accessible elections, a brief on poverty, and many more.

These are some briefs we have prepared and activities in which we have participated:

• A COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC STRATEGY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES
• HYBRID CAR BRIEF to be presented at international Vision Conference
• MAKING CANADA'S VOTING SYSTEM TRULY ACCESSIBLE
• THE ROLE OF TAXATION IN ENHANCING THE SELF SUFFICIENCY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN CANADA
• A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE Brief
• BOOMERS AGING WITH VISION LOSS: Public Attitudes Are Key

We presented at these conferences:

• Ontario vision teacher’s conference, Oakville
• York University's Critical Disabilities Studies Conference
• A debate at the 5th annual Breaking Down Barriers Conference of the Canada-wide accessibility for post-secondary students (CanWAPSS )
• The “25 in 5” network anti-poverty conference
• End Exclusion (co-sponsored by CCD, CAILC & CACL)
• The ODSP Action Coalition
• Walk International Conference
• 11th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED)
• Festival of International Conferences on Care giving, Disabled, Aging & Technology FICCDAT 2007 Conferences

Some important meetings we have attended:

• Consultation on the provision of library services in Canada as part of Library and Archive Canada's Initiative for Equitable Library Access.
• Arch Disability Law Centre re: court action for blind electors
• Consultations re: Saskatchewan Elections Act
• Connectus Consulting re: CRTC issues
• Ongoing meetings with the Ontario government's information & communications standard development committee
• Hon. George Smitherman, Ontario Minister of Health, re: elections, hybrid car, nondrivers' license
• CCD Social Policy Committee
• Guide Dog Users of Canada AGM
• PAWS Biennial Conference
• Ongoing consultations with Royal Ontario Museum
• Ongoing meetings re: antipoverty with Ontario Coalition for Social Justice

I would like to thank the 2007-08 board of directors for their commitment of time and work to the AEBC. Each National Board member brings unique talents and experiences to the table and volunteers many hours to promote the issues of the AEBC.

To Marcia Cummings and Devon Wilkins, who are leaving the board, I look forward to your continuing participation as active AEBC members. Devon will continue to be active as President of the Collingwood chapter and Marcia has decided to take a more active role in the Toronto chapter.

I am pleased to report that this year four scholarships were awarded. We wish these students all the best in their studies and future plans.

1. The Campbell River Lions Club of British Columbia Scholarship: Ms. Christine Nieder of New Westminster BC, attending Douglas College. Christine would like to work within the post-secondary system as either a transition counsellor, teacher in adult special education programs or work in a disability centre. Classroom Community Support w/ Autism Specialty.
2. The Business, Education and Technology Scholarship: Mr. Chima Andrew Akomas, Vancouver to attend the Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia. Chima is pursuing a Degree in Business, toward a career as a Consultant, Manager/Administrator.
3. The Alan H. Neville Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Ms. Natalie Martiniello Montreal, Quebec, currently in her first year at McGill University, pursuing a BA Honours undergraduate degree in Sociology, with a minor in Educational Psychology. Natalie states she would like to obtain a Masters degree in Rehabilitation Teaching from the University of Montreal. Sociology.
4. The AEBC National Achievement Scholarship: Ms. Deborah Adams of Sackville, Nova Scotia, attending Mount St. Vincent University. Overcoming the loss of sight in the midst of a successful military career, Ms. Adams turned her focus to education and is proceeding toward a BA in Political Studies.

I would like to welcome all the new members that have joined AEBC during the past year. In particular, I would like to highlight three new Chapters and their members to AEBC. Welcome Fraser Valley, Nanaimo, and Halifax. We expect that two more chapters will join us soon after our AGM, so I will take the liberty and welcome both the Brandt and Prince George chapters to our fold. To existing chapters, I thank all the chapter executive members for their commitment to the work of AEBC.

As you can see our organization is growing, and with growth comes challenge in how we operate as an organization. Our membership is our strength and our membership gives our organization direction and voice.

Our active, hands-on National Board of Directors has led the way in moving issues regarding vision loss on the Federal and Provincial levels. We are now at the point where the Board of Directors is too small a group to continue in the manner they have. In addition, more and more decision makers today want to hear from individuals and groups at the local level, and less from leaders at the national level. While the National Board will continue to keep its fingers on the pulse of the issues and continue to be vocal in sustaining our rights and moving the disability agenda forward, the Board can only do so much.

It has become clear that it is now time for our Chapters to take on more of our advocacy and fundraising projects, and the Board will be there to support chapters in taking on a larger share of our work.

As rights holders, we must continue to speak with one common voice and continue to be heard through our many activities which involve our members, chapters, and National Board.

As Canadians focus more and more attention on our economy, it seems that disability rights and other human rights are being relegated to the back burner by our elected members of parliament and the elected members of our legislatures. Canadians who are blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted are still the most vulnerable in our society. Most of us live in poverty even though our education levels rise. To this day, we continue to seek meaningful jobs, the right to travel, the right to vote independently and in secret, and access to information, from print materials to internet access. The barriers are still there. Although we move forward in some areas we seem to fall behind in others.

As we, AEBC members, speak to each other, speak out at conferences, deliver our voice through briefs and the media, and by having our voice heard in the legislative assemblies and parliament, we have come to the understanding that we have reached full citizenship but we have not reached full participation in Canadian society. As Canada grows stronger economically our elected members of parliament and members of the legislatures will listen only if we are there. However we must expect tangible progress. As citizens we need to ensure our voices are heard and that progress is made.

And progress is taking place in some areas. Many cities across Canada are putting in more and more audible signal lights. This is occurring only because of your voices. Many cities are having bus stops being called out by the drivers or automatic voice announcements using GPS technology, because of your voices.

More and more pressure is being put on manufactures of Hybrid and electric cars, so expect that these vehicles will be fitted with sound emitters in the future. Provinces and States will legislate this and the manufactures are being forced to do the right thing. This is the result of your voices. It is happening not because of a few, but because of concerted action. Members of Chapters across this country are sending letters, making presentations, visiting their elected officials and expecting full participation. Advocacy is alive and well in Canada and as rights holders we should be very proud of our accomplishments.

The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians through its members, through it's Chapters, through our National committees, and through our National Board are continuing to speak out not for frivolous things but for concrete and tangible advances that give us full participation and citizenship in our country.

Our future is with our voice and as rights holders we expect to be heard. It is your voice that leads to equality. Governments and Educators will listen if we continue to speak out loudly and with substance. We will continue moving our agenda forward and continue to expect that our rights to full participation are fully entrenched and not considered as a future possibility.

An active member is a catalyst that mixes with their local Chapter and inspires empowerment.

Our voice will only get stronger if each of us commits to speak out as a Rights holder. We must expect to participate in our communities and expect all the rights and privileges of being a citizen of Canada.

We do not need to demand these rights as if someone may grant them. We already have these rights, and it is time to simply expect that our rights and privileges be respected and given tangible effect, as we are, indeed, full citizens of Canada.

Sincerely,
Robin East