INVOLVEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
CRUCIAL TO SUCCESS OF ACCESSIBILITY TECHNOLOGIES
Ottawa (ON) – Including people with disabilities in the research, development, and
marketing of accessibility technologies can be the difference between the failure and
success of those technologies, according to a new study by the Canadian Association
of the Deaf – Association des Sourds du Canada (CAD-ASC).
“Unfortunately, this kind of involvement doesn’t happen often,” laments Jim Roots,
The following message is brought to you by our friends at Inclusion Canada. It’s an important one. Don’t skip it.Literally, people with disabilities lives are at stake.The passing of Bill C-7 – new Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) legislation – could mean being disabled is the reason to end your life.What?!?Take that last sentence and replace the word “disabled” with any other diversity group. Now, that wouldn’t fly with any other group, would it? And it shouldn’t with us…As you may know, the Canadian government is considering Bill C-7 which, if passed, will threaten the lives, rights, and dignity of people with disabilities. Currently, in Canada, medical assistance in dying (MAiD) can only be provided to people who are near end of life. If passed, Bill C-7 will no longer restrict MAiD to end of life circumstances and will make disability a justification for ending a life. When a person without a disability suffers to the point of wanting to die, we do everything possible to prevent this from happening. The very same needs to be true for people with disabilities whose lives are no less valuable, no less deserving of every protection and preventative effort, and no less a loss to family, friends, and society in general. The Government is rushing Bill C-7 through the parliamentary process during a global pandemic and at a time when the disability community is already experiencing significant hardship. Bill C-7 risks setting the disability rights movement back by decades. There is no question – we must not go forward with these changes to MAiD. Government has a responsibility to work with people who have a disability and their families; to find an approach that protects their lives and ensures a more equitable and inclusive Canada. This is a public fight. Please join us in taking a public stand with a strong voice expressing your opposition to Bill C-7 on every front. You can support these efforts by taking action through the Life Worth Living website where you will find lots of resources and ways to voice your concerns. But if you do one thing today, please send letters to Members of Parliament and Senators telling them that Bill C-7 is not acceptable. |
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POSITION AVAILABLE:
Webinar Coordinator Position
The Canadian Association of the Deaf – Association des Sourds du Canada (CAD-ASC) is accepting applications for the position of Webinar Coordinator. This is a contract position.
Term: Beginning December 14, 2020, and concluding March 31, 2021. An extension may be possible.
Our families are the reason we exist and why we do what we do. So on behalf of our Executive Director, Dr. Noreen Simmons, and our whole team we wanted to invite you to join us at our upcoming virtual Annual General Meeting. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear what we’ve accomplished over the past year and learn about our plans for the future.
ATTENTION SRV CANADA VRS APP USERS ON MAC
Dear SRV Canada VRS user:
Mac has just updated their operating system to Big Sur. The older version of the SRV Canada VRS app will not work with Big Sur. Please do not update your operating system to Big Sur until you switch to the new SRV Canada VRS app.
To download the new SRV Canada VRS app from the Apple Store, go to:
Or, for more details and the steps on how to install the new SRV Canada VRS app please go to:
https://srvcanadavrs.ca/en/
If you require technical help, please contact Customer Service during hours via:
Sincerely,
SRV Canada VRS Support Team
Please watch a message from Accessible Communication Services below. (Don’t forget to turn on CC on YouTube)
Please note all Wavefront Centre Services are currently by appointment only. Contact our office for more details.
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DeafDots News Writer
DeafDots provides “Alerts & News” signed video reports and announcements in American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ). Launched in September 2020, DeafDots is the first Deaf media news service exclusively for Deaf Canadians.
Hello Deaf BC
My name is Reizel Balmes. I am a student medical radiographer attending BCIT. I am reaching out to you on behalf of my study group and was wondering if there would be anyone part of your online community willing to complete a short survey for us. We are working on a project that explores the differences in health care provided to various cultural groups, and our specific focus is on how health care is presently provided to members of the Deaf community. Our goal is to identify any shortcomings that deaf individuals have experienced in a medical environment so that we can find ways to improve – both on efficiency and accuracy of the procedure, as well as to improve patient connection. This survey is completely anonymous; no names or identifiable information will be shared at all. We are radiography students, so we would love to hear about any x-ray/CT/MRI experiences specifically; however, we would appreciate any experiences you’d be willing to share in any health care environment. If you have any questions or concerns, please ask us. We are keen to make a connection with you and appreciate your time. If you deem this appropriate, we would greatly appreciate you sharing this note and link to the survey for anyone in your group to complete.
Questionnaire deadline is Friday, November 6th 2020. It should take around 5 minutes to complete.
https://forms.gle/
Thank you again for your time,
Reizel Balmes
• If yes, we are interested in learning more about your use and satisfaction with the service.
• If no, we would like to understand why not.
Canada VRS has partnered with Ad Hoc Research, an independent company, to conduct a survey on our behalf. Your feedback will help us provide the best possible service and we would appreciate it if you’d take a few minutes to fill out the survey below.
To thank you for your participation, you will be able to enter a prize draw for a chance to win an iPad Air. To qualify, please complete the survey by November 1st, 2020.
My name is Kyra Newton, I am a dance teacher, choreographer, and performer in Calgary. I am emailing you today because I am looking for participants for a case study that will assist me in creating pre-recorded four, 45-minute digital dance classes for people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, people over the age of 55, and folks with different disabilities.
The CAD-ASC Board of Directors announces 3 open opportunities to be on our Board of Directors: 2 positions available for Director at Large and one position for National Francophone Director.
Please refer to CAD-ASC bylaws (link is below) section 18 for the Qualifications of Directorship. Also, refer to the bylaws section 30 for the specific expectation of each Director position.
Researchers at the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management at UBC Okanagan have teamed up with Ontario-based Abilities Centre to launch a national COVID-19 disability survey.
So, what makes this survey different from everyone else’s survey happening right now? The disability community will have access to the information from these surveys. This survey is not a snapshot in time, or used for any purposes other than to identify the needs of our community. The information collected will help develop meaningful advocacy, strategies and actions that will work towards meeting these needs. This survey will address needs over the long term, and questions will be informed directly by our disability community.
Home Sharing is a residential option that provides safe, nurturing, community-based, shared living arrangements for adults with diverse abilities. The service is provided by Home Share Providers who welcome an individual into their home, offering a warm, inclusive environment and customized supports.
Join us for the next round of conversations on the proposed Canadian Disability Benefit!
You may have previously joined us for part one of this series: At long last, a Canada Disability Benefit is coming – What should it look like? The collaboration of individuals, groups, coalitions and organizations from across Canada have come together again to offer a free, 4-part webinar series throughout November on Building momentum for the Canadian Disability Benefit.
This new series will have us learn from four Canadians with expertise and experience at system change. Together we will learn from other successful movements, strengthen the power of the Canadian disability movement, and clarify the roles we all play in supporting disability leadership.
This series will have live French-English translation, English live caps, ASL & LSQ interpretation and plain language.
We hope you will join us for this conversation, and on this journey of ensuring that together we secure a Canadian Disability Benefit that is meaningful, inclusive and ends disability poverty.
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