East Coast Rules

Congratulations to Liberals on their overwhelming victory!  And even more kudos to all Canadians who have now committed to this platform plank:

• To eliminate systemic barriers and deliver equality of opportunity to all Canadians living with disabilities, we will consult with provinces, territories, and other stakeholders to introduce a National Disabilities Act.

Although Liberals did not commit to implementing the Optional Protocol of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, they may do so anyway, and if not, a national disabilities act is a better idea.

As long as it isn't modeled on Ontario's failed Access for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, which flunked its five-year review not to mention its ten-year review and has a ludicrously long timeline.  By granting sweeping exemptions, it trivializes Charter rights.

Better it should be modeled on the forthcoming Access for All Nova Scotians legislation, which is focused on fair and equitable treatment for all, mindful of the promises of the Charter.  It is intended to be a courageous piece of civil rights legislation, more aptly named than the Americans with Disabilities Act, but equally far-reaching.

I have an abiding distrust of anybody who claims to know the needs of people with disabilities.  I've seen a thousand roll-under sinks where I couldn't reach the soap and ten thousand dangerous curb cuts.  So I was disappointed but unsurprised to see that newly-minted MP Andy Fillmore had a step at his campaign HQ on Quinpool.

Except for the little sign 'Ramp Available on Request'

Those four words make a difference.  There's a sign like that at Hali-Deli and Argyle Fine Art. They get it.  There isn't one at Epicurious Morsels or Jennifer's of Nova Scotia, both run by people who share Stephen Harper's parsimonious vision of Canada.

It'll be a tedious process, with foot dragging (and knuckle dragging), so here's a place to begin.  Put it on your calendar:

Halifax Accessibility and Inclusive Design Meetup

Wednesday November 4th at 6:30PM

Lindsay Children’s Room, Halifax Central Library

Accessible Media Inc. is hosting our first Accessibility and Inclusive Design Meetup in Halifax. AMI’s Accessibility Officer, Robert Pearson has hosted these events previously in Toronto and Vancouver as a means to promote a greater understanding of digital and media accessibility as well as inclusive design. This group is about regularly bringing together the accessibility community to share ideas, best practices, our experiences and hopefully to raise the bar when it comes to inclusion.

We look forward to starting the conversation to build, develop and grow the accessibility community on the east coast. Bring your questions, thoughts and curiosity about accessibility and inclusive design and how they can be used to serve the needs of persons with disabilities. This will be an open forum discussion to start and we will then plan out more meet-ups in the months to come.

Attendance is free, snacks and refreshments to be provided. Please RSVP to confirm your attendance via the meetup website: http://www.meetup.com/a11yHFX/events/222923289/

Contact Ryan Delehanty ryan.delehanty@ami.ca with any questions.

Ontario

MORE THAN VOTING BOOTHS: ACCESSIBILITY OF ELECTORAL CAMPAIGNS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN ONTARIO is a long article from Ontario about the rather sorry state of accessibility at campaign offices.

The page, on the website of the 

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (AODA) Note: This is NOT a Government run Site!!.

reminds everyone of the ineffectiveness of the Ontario Legislation:

The AODA Clock is Ticking
There are 9 years, 49 weeks, 1 day till a fully Accessible Ontario! Will you be compliant?

This timetable, seemingly based on the end of the world scenario, when asteroid Apophis collides with Earth in 2029, promises four years of accessibility before everyone is blown to smithereens.  

In the lengthy article, no reference is made to Nova Scotia's pioneering requirement that MLA offices be accessible (since 2013, mind you).

Nor do those Ford voters seem to grasp that not being able to get into such an office means a person with a wheelchair could never ever be employed there.  

Of course bodily functions are not a consideration in Ontario, but here in Nova Scotia we treasure our right to pee in constituency offices, where accessible washrooms are mandated.

If I lived in Ontario (shoot me!), the glacial pace of accessibility reform  would drive me crazy.  It's demeaning, counterproductive and just plain cowardly.

As we lead up to our own accessibility legislation in Nova Scotia, let's remind ourselves that the best example is right here at home.  MLA constituency offices must be accessible.

Gus Reed

ps for the not-faint-of-heart, here's more on the failure of The AODA:

PREMIER WYNNE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOP MINISTER DUGUID RESPOND TO AODA ALLIANCES DETAIL PROPOSALS TO GET ONTARIO BACK ON SCHEDULE FOR FULL DISABILITY ACCESSIBILITY BY 2025

and it just gets worse (sorry for the ads):