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The Equalizer: July 2024


NEWS FROM NATIONAL 

 

AEBC at the Canadian Telecom Summit by Marcia Yale 

I was honoured to recently attend the Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto representing AEBC. At the event, I participated on a panel discussion entitled, “Approaching Innovation and Accessibility in Telecommunications.” The panel featured Stephanie Cadieux (Canada’s Chief Accessibility Officer) as Moderator, and on the panel along with me was Adam Balkovec (CRTC Senior Legal Counsel), Harry Lew (Neil Squire Society) and Michael Gottheil (Chief Accessibility Commissioner). Read my article about the panel here: 

 

Report on the National Air Accessibility Summit by Lee Pigeau 

AEBC has been working hard to ensure that blind and partially sighted travellers have a great experience “from curb to cloud” when travelling in Canada by air. I attended the Air Accessibility Summit in late April, and recently, Dean Steacy, the Chair of our Advocacy Committee, had a personal follow-up meeting with Todd Peterson, the Director of Regulatory Affairs at WestJet. Read the full article here: 

 

Governance Committee 

The Governance Committee is working its way through updating and developing new policies.  We are also finalizing a National Board Terms of Reference which outlines the roles and responsibilities of the National Board as a whole and those of individual Board members.  This document will better prepare those who wish to run for National Board positions at the 2024 AGM. 

 

AGM/Symposium Committee 

The AGM/Symposium Committee is on track with plans for the AEBC 2024 AGM to be held at the River Rock Hotel/Casino in Richmond, British Columbia. The hybrid meeting will be held on Sunday September 22, 2024 starting at 10:00 Pacific, 1:00 Eastern.  Official notice will be sent out in the next few days.  The AGM will be followed by a hybrid Leadership Symposium on Monday September 23 for National Board members and Chapter/Affiliate Presidents.  

 

 

CHAPTER/AFFILIATE HAPPENINGS  

 

BC Affiliate 

BC Members & Friends: Help shape BC's First Accessibility Standards!  AEBC’s BC Affiliate and the Canadian Council of the Blind BC Division are hosting public consultations. Our first session was held on June 27 and the second on Employment Standards is coming up on July 4, 2024 so there is still time to get involved! You can also submit your feedback by emailing  accessiblebc@urbansystems.ca  or you may contact one of us to request your comments be included in the collaborative submission written by AEBC and CCB. Please provide feedback by July 19, 2024. For more information and for the July 4 zoom link, visit our website page here.  

 

Ann McNabb: ann4council@telus.net  

Chantal Oakes: bc@blindcanadians.ca  

 

For more information on the draft standards and how you can participate, go to www.engage.gov.bc.ca/AccessibleBCActStandards 

 

The BC Affiliate endeavors to respond to local and Provincial activities. If you have information to share with us and you think we can positively assist by getting involved, let us know. 

 

On the fun side, many of us are enjoying wonderful entertainment provided by our own members from time to time, thanks to Ryan Fleury’s passion for music. Depending on the availability of performers, Ryan organizes a program usually on a weekend day, guaranteed to provide a relaxing and joyful atmosphere. (No stress in this room.) Our next musical event will be on July 21st at 3 pm PT with performers John Lyon and Sue MacAndrew. Zoom details below or remember to look for details on how to connect with us in the Monday Morsels or ask a BC Affiliate member. This is an open invitation to members and friends, the more the merrier. If you have musical talent, maybe you’d like to be included in the lineup? Performers are not necessarily limited to AEBC members.   

 

AEBC Music Event – July 21 

Zoom Link – no registration required 

 

 

Meeting ID: 844 6705 3736 Passcode: 265278 

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kMgcOhk1u 

 

 

FROM THE AEBC BLOG 

 

Protected Bike Lanes with Mid-Block Bus Stops Now Proven to be a Danger to Blind Bus Riders  

Linda Bartram provides an update on the floating bus stop issue in BC, but relevant to all of Canada. The BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has published its Design Guide for Bus Stops Adjacent to Cycling Infrastructure and our concerns about the recommended design persist. Read the full article here: 

 

Busting Myths About Blindness by Linda Bartram 

During National AccessAbility Week, Linda Bartram published some myth-busting articles on our blog. Check them out here if you missed them: 

 

ICYMI: Fundraising Campaign and New History & Achievements Webpage 

As you may have already heard, in June we launched our mid-year fundraising campaign to our past donors and our full mailing list. As part of our campaign, we recently combed through many historical documents to compile a complete list of activities, achievements and milestones. AEBC has worked incredibly hard over the past 32 years, and we are excited to celebrate all of the amazing work and people involved on a new webpage called History & Achievements. We highlighted some of this information in our fundraising campaign, but we hope you will also enjoy reading through the full information on our website page here: 

Be My AI – What a Find! By Linda Bartram 

Check out this article on a new feature that Linda recently had a chance to test out in her Be My Eyes app! 

 

 

ADVOCACY NEWS 

Accessible Multi-Use Pathways 

The Consumer Access Group (CAG) of which AEBC is a member, has published another position statement; this time on Multi-Use Pathways. It can be found at: 

Join the AMI Research Panel 

AMI's Research Panel serves as an ongoing feedback mechanism between AMI and the community. Canadians from the disability community are invited to join and share insights and opinions on accessible technology, TV programming, media consumption and more through focus groups, online questionnaires and telephone surveys. Join the AMI research panel today and help shape the future of accessible media. 

 

B.C. Accessibility Standards: Public Sector Engagement Session 

 

Accessibility Standard on Plain Language  

Accessibility Services Canada has launched its Public Review on Draft Accessibility Standard on Plain Language. Deadline July 8, 2024 

 

 

AEBC HISTORY HIGHLIGHT 

Talking Automatic Teller Machines: An Accessibility Milestone for the Blind. By Linda Bartram  

Most Canadians take Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) for granted these days and even those of us who rely on talking ATM don’t give much thought to how they came about. So, here’s a brief history that describes the work of AEBC member activists who took on this important achievement. Read the story here: https://www.blindcanadians.ca/post/talking-automatic-teller-machines-an-accessibility-milestone-for-the-blind 

 

 

MEDIA CLIPPINGS 

 

 

 

Note that since seeing this article in the news, our Advocacy team spoke directly with the Director of Regulatory Affairs at WestJet and he confirmed that this fee will be waived for anyone with accessibility needs. 

 

 

UPCOMING AEBC EVENTS 

 

Check out our EVENTS CALENDAR for posted dates and links to information about events. 

 

Chapter/Affiliate Chats 

 

National Public Chats: Join us every Friday at 4PM Pacific, 5PM Mountain, 7PM Eastern 

 

BC Affiliate Public Chats: Join us Thursday Nights at 8 PM Pacific 

 

Halifax Mid-Week Meltdown: Join us on the second Wednesday of every month at 8 PM Atlantic. The Halifax Meltdowns are open to anyone--both members and friends of AEBC. If you are not a member, please email us at halifaxchapter@blindcanadians.ca so we can send you information about the meltdowns. 

 

AEBC National Board meeting dates 2024 

July 22, 2024: Public Board Meeting 

August 2024: no meeting, possibly Board opportunity session 

All meetings begin at 4 PM Pacific 7 PM Eastern 

 

Annual General Meeting 2024: 

The 2024 AGM will be held in person in Vancouver, BC at the River Rock Casino Resort September 22, 2024. We will be designing a special day including a guest speaker, luncheon, and AGM meeting. Members will be able to attend in person if desired. We have a limited number of hotel rooms available at a reduced rate. Please email Carol at operations@blindcanadians.ca if you are interested in reserving a room at the hotel. The AGM will also be streamed live using Zoom and members across Canada can join virtually. 

 

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ALLIANCE FOR EQUALITY OF BLIND CANADIANS 

 

The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC) is a national charitable organization committed to empowering blind, partially sighted, and deafblind Canadians to lead a life filled with opportunity, inclusivity, and equality. We advocate, support, and strive to make the world a better place for everyone, regardless of their visual abilities. Together, we can create a brighter and more accessible future for all. 

 

Visit our website at www.blindcanadians.ca and follow us on social media 

Mastodon:  @blindcanadians 

YouTube:  @blindcanadians  

 

The Equalizer committee is committed to bringing you timely and informative news from the organization. We appreciate your feedback on our newsletter or submissions for consideration. Contact us at EMAIL Newsletter.  

 

If you are interested in becoming more involved in our advocacy work or joining any of our working committees, please reach out to EMAIL Government Relations. 

 

If you’re not already a Member and would like to support us as a Member or Donor.  


Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians 

PO Box 20262 RPO Town Centre  

Kelowna, BC V1Y 9H2 1-800-561-4774 

Copyright (c) 2024 Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians 


ALT IMAGE TEXT: Man laying in a hammock in the summer sun.

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