NEWS FROM NATIONAL
Another member is gone
It is with sadness that we confirm what some of you already know—that David Greenfield, a lifetime member from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, died on April 18. He was a former president of the former Saskatoon Chapter, and a strong advocate in his own right. He contributed the following piece to our Canadian Blind Monitor, and it is worth reprinting at this time.
CHAPTER/AFFILIATE HAPPENINGS
BC Affiliate
We're keeping busy! A big thank you to those who participated or contributed to our fundraiser in support of the scholarship program. All donations are greatly appreciated. If you missed the BC Affiliate's fourth annual trivia event "Love is in the Air," could you have answered the following question? In which Italian city was Romeo and Juliet’s famous balcony scene? Florence, Verona, or Venice?
On behalf of the BC Affiliate, the members of our planning committee for this fundraiser sincerely thank Steve Barclay from Canadian Assistive Technology for his generous donation of a $250 gift certificate won by Sue MacAndrew. In addition to several other prizes, two lucky winners are grateful for the gift certificates from Dark Table restaurant in Vancouver. Last but not least, we recognize the Vancouver Renfrew Lions Club for their continued support of our scholarship program by leading our trivia teams and providing additional funds for event planning. It is with deepest gratitude that this year we accepted a donation from the Lions which will help sustain a scholarship in memory of Tom Teranishi for the next five years. Tom was a long-time member of the Renfrew Lions Club and was always eager to help with fundraising efforts.
Public awareness efforts: Three BC Affiliate members attended the Canada Fighting Blindness Viewpoint conference on April 20 and found it informative. The event offered some of the latest information in vision health and research from experts and gave us the opportunity to connect with others who share similar experiences. As exhibitors at the conference, we took every opportunity to advocate on behalf of AEBC by handing out brochures, business cards and other information we had at our disposal to promote our programs and activities.
The Italian city you were looking for to answer the trivia question is Verona!
Ottawa Chapter
Members of the Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter attended a meeting of the City of Ottawa’s Accessibility Committee held last Tuesday, April 16. The item that interested us involves the use of pushbutton doors on Ottawa’s LRT network. Several members of our chapter spoke about the difficulty of locating such buttons and problems related to knowing on which side of the train the doors would open. We were certainly heard, but the project will definitely go ahead as planned. As for the feedback our members submitted, it remains to be seen as to any potential impact.
FROM THE AEBC BLOG
New Study Finds 9 in 10 Canadians Support a Fully Funded Canada Disability Benefit Read the article here
AEBC along with 27 other disability-related organizations across Canada expressed its disappointment in Budget 2024’s underwhelming investment of $6 a day for people with disabilities. Read the joint statement of the National Disability Network here: https://wix.to/8ED7jyM
As most of you are aware, we sadly lost a long-time member and supporter of the Alliance For Equality of Blind Canadians — Paul Thiele, who passed away in early December last year. We have a story on the blog from AEBC Secretary Diana Brent on her personal experience knowing Paul. https://wix.to/M2mQYIu
Blind Tips and Tricks in the Kitchen
Here are a few notes gathered from a recent BC Affiliate chat where we discussed tips & tricks in the kitchen and more. It was great to chat with so many of our members as we engaged in all kinds of conversations and shared so much information. There were at least 16 members who came together that night and from memory, here are a few topics discussed.
OUR VOICE
Here are some of the advocacy initiatives that AEBC volunteers have been working on:
Accessibility Standards Canada
Our Advocacy Committee is working on a submission for the Public Review on Draft Accessibility Standard on Plain Language. Deadline July 8, 2024. If you would like to join our team who are working on a submission, please reach out to governmentrelations@blindcanadians.ca Or to submit a personal response directly to ASC, see information further below.
YOUR VOICE
The following is a list of public consultations or petitions currently open for submission. Make sure your voice is heard!
Toronto Microbility Strategy
Ensure that Toronto just says “no” to e-scooters! On April 25, 2024, Toronto made public a very detailed report. It recommends in clear terms that Toronto City Council should continue to say no to e-scooters. Advocacy efforts by the disability community have had a positive impact. Now we must swiftly blitz to get City Council to accept that recommendation. Please join the fight and take one of the following actions:
1. Write the Toronto Infrastructure and Environment Committee by email. Tell them to vote to approve the City Staff Report on Micromobility at its May 2, 2024 meeting. Email the Committee at iec@toronto.ca
If you live outside Toronto, but can share how much e-scooters endanger you where you live, share that experience with the Infrastructure and Environment Committee.
2. Ask to make a presentation of up to 5 minutes at the May 2, 2024 Infrastructure and Environment Committee meeting. You can present in person, or virtually. Tell them they should approve the City Staff Report on micromobility, don’t lift the ban on e-scooters. Write to request a chance to speak to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee by writing the very same email address: iec@toronto.ca
3. Write Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and members of City Council. Tell them to make sure City Council adopts and approves the City Staff Report on micromobility. Their contact information is all in the March 28, 2024 AODA Alliance Update.
To read the entire story, including the Staff report, go to:
Accessibility Standard on Plain Language
Accessibility Services Canada has launched its Public Review on Draft Accessibility Standard on Plain Language. Deadline July 8, 2024
Would you like to share your opinion on this new standard? Here's your chance! Your input helps the ASC technical committee to consider many points of view. It makes it easier to meet the needs of as many people as possible. Getting input on the knowledge and lived experience of our diverse group of stakeholders improves our standards.
How to provide feedback
1. Consult the draft standard website.
2. Provide feedback by: July 8, 2024
4. download the fillable form in a PDF format or Word format and send it to ASC by email, submitting your comments in text, audio, or video format.
SECTOR NEWS & EVENTS
The Canadian Council of the Blind Presents Its May 2024 Vision Health Month Conference The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Vision Health
Attend Live or VirtuallyTuesday, May 21, 2024 - 10:00 am – 1:00 pm (EDT)
More information and registration info here: https://ccbnational.net/shaggy/may-2024-vision-health-month-conference/
Canadian Congress on Disability Inclusion (CCDI) - May 23, 2024
The Accessible Canada Directorate of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is pleased to invite you to attend the third annual Canadian Congress on Disability Inclusion (CCDI) taking place on May 23, 2024. The theme for the event is Forward Together: Accessibility and Inclusion for All. Please join by registering here: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/campaigns/canadian-congress-disability-inclusion.html
Accessible Canada — Accessible World Conference, an international event dedicated to advancing accessibility and inclusive design across various domains such as standards, policy and journalism.
Conference Details:
Event: Accessible Canada — Accessible World Conference
Date: May 27–28, 2024
Location: Concordia University, Montreal, 1450 Rue Guy, 9th floor, and online
Website: https://idrc.ocadu.ca/projects/acaw/
Save the date! Fourth Annual Braille Literacy Canada Virtual Symposium! June 14, 2024
Braille Literacy Canada (BLC) will be holding its fourth annual virtual braille symposium on Friday June 14th, 2024 from 1 – 5 PM EDT. This event will be of interest to braille readers, educators, transcribers, parents and anyone else who is passionate about braille literacy! A host of exciting and world-renowned speakers will give half hour presentations (beginning at the start of each hour) followed by time for Q&A and discussion, with exciting door prizes sprinkled throughout the day!
The symposium will be free of charge to members and $20 for non-members. As AEBC is a corporate member, this is free for any of our members. More details on theme, registration and schedule coming soon – Mark the date in your calendars! This will be an event you will not want to miss.
MEDIA CLIPPINGS
PODCAST CORNER
Catch up on all the latest Triple Vision podcasts.
REMINDERS
Scholarship Program Deadline is this month!
The 2024-2025 AEBC/Allyant Scholarship Program is open. The application deadline is Friday, May 17th, 2024. For more information, visit the Scholarship page of our website.
UPCOMING AEBC EVENTS
Check out our EVENTS CALENDAR for posted dates and links to information about events.
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:
May 27, 2024: Public Board Meeting
June 17, 2024: Private Board Meeting
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
Facebook: @facebook/blindcanadians
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 9H21-800-561-4774
Copyright (c) 2024 Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians
ALT IMAGE TEXT: Picture of a cherry tree with white blossoms