AEBC Volunteer of the Year Award 2021

AEBC's Volunteer of the Year 2021 is Dean Steacy!

As a lifetime member of AEBC, Dean Steacy participates in more than one area. During the past couple of years, Dean has joined committees/groups to lend a hand at the National level, With the work related to the accessible Canada Act, (ACA), as well as he represents us at the federal level along with John Rae, with the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission, (CRTC) and the Commission for Complaints for Telecommunications Services. (CCTS) He serves as a volunteer without reservation, by sharing valuable knowledge and by proposing changes in an effort to remove barriers faced by so many Canadians. As an active member of the Ottawa chapter, he collaborates with like-minded peers who advocate on behalf of blind, deafblind and partially sighted individuals when the need arises in their community. As the current chair of the Government Relations committee, he has invested much of his time working with members writing submissions to all levels of government, including briefs related to the ACA regarding standards and regulations, letters of support, as well as making himself available for presentations to senators and other heads of government when appropriate. In addition to his involvement with AEBC this past year, Dean has recently joined the Governance and By-Law committee, as well as the Communications committee.

As many of our members do, Dean keeps informed by attending National board meetings, Town Halls and special workshops, where he welcomes the opportunity to offer ideas and solutions to resolve issues important to us all. He actively works to inform members in areas of interest by communicating information such as: matters related to diabetes, the work which has been done with ScripTalk, ensuring it is available to anyone who needs the service and anything tech related just to mention a few.

During his nearly 40 years as a Federal Public Servant, Dean has acquired much knowledge and wisdom, including his experience with investigation and mediation and he is happy to put his skills To good use by assisting where he is needed. An example of Dean‘s willingness to serve as a volunteer which stands out for me, is related to the National boards decision to move forward with filing a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. David Best and myself are very fortunate to have had Dean’s help throughout this arduous, frustrating, not to mention time consuming process. Dean‘s knowledge of procedures to be followed in this case proved to be a valuable asset for AEBC, as he made sure we had the necessary support in place in order to achieve our goal. He stayed the course even when things became difficult. When we were notified the Commission would not accept the complaint, he encouraged us to move forward to a higher level, which would become even more important as we would enter unchartered territory on behalf of AEBC. Dean‘s commitment to complete the task he had undertaken is worth mentioning, as it required dedication in order to meet our objectives and have a chance to succeed. We continue to be grateful for Dean‘s support, as we work to bring this matter to a close.

I hope you will recognize the many contributions Dean has made on behalf ofAEBC, as he strives to make a difference by advocating for equality and inclusion whenever he sees the opportunity. I enjoy working with Dean, as a friend and a colleague I appreciate his patience and understanding as he has the ability to recognize that we are all individuals working toward the same goals.