Monthly Archives: December 2010

Equal Access Delayed is Equal Access Denied!

By Geof Collis

The Industry and World at large already knows what constitutes an accessible PDF and Government and Business are doing it as a matter of daily routine, so why do Ontarians have to wait until it is the Law of the land?

While our Government drags its feet on implementation of the Standard in question, thousands and thousands of inaccessible PDF’s will have been created and the equal access that Ontarians are supposed to be given under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)will be delayed.

Read more at
http://www.aoda.ca/?p=895

Ontario Mental Health System Faces Overhaul

Published On Wed Dec 29 2010
Rob Ferguson Queen’s Park Bureau

Ontario is going to change the way its “fractured” $3 billion mental health system works so that people get steered to the help they need, Health Minister
Deb Matthews said Wednesday.

Her comments followed a report from an expert advisory panel slamming the bureaucratic maze of agencies and government ministries offering a patchwork of services that often reach people too late — after they’ve had a breakdown or ended up in jail.

Read more at
https://www.accessibilitynews.ca/ontario-mental-health-system-faces-overhaul/

How Learning Disabled Can Make College a Reality

Most of the 3 percent or so of teens who have been diagnosed with learning disabilities struggle so much in high school that they give up on hopes of college, setting back their job and career prospects, according to statistics compiled by the National Center for Learning Disabilities.

But there are reasons for hope for anyone with attention deficit disorder, dyslexia or other common learning challenges. College admissions officers and
learning disability counselors recommend these steps:

Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/?p=1899

Emotional Abuse of Workers vs. Those Who are Disabled

Monday, December 27, 2010
By Wheelchair Demon

The sad part about disability and/or the poverty story is that there are often times when we were led into the poverty trap due to circumstances beyond
our control. It could be a family break-up, the illness of a family member, alcoholism or addiction of a family member, attitudes of family and or society,
or a whole host of other things. It’s too bad society insists on judging the person and not the circumstances that led that person to where they are today.
Often, the circumstances are those of a tragedy, not that of laziness.

Read more at
http://wheelchairdemon.blogspot.com/2010/12/emotional-abuse-for-workers-vs-those.html

Autistic Adults Being Left Behind: Parents

By JAMIE LONG, Ottawa Sun
Last Updated: December 26, 2010 9:35pm

Martin Couture, left, stands with his mother Rolande and his father Laurent. Couture, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, has been unable to hold down a job, but is having a hard time getting financial support.

Ottawa is lagging behind the rest of Ontario in supporting adults with autism and their families, according to a local support group.

Read more at
https://www.accessibilitynews.ca/autistic-adults-being-left-behind-parents/

Group Opposes Contact Limits

The chairman of Kingston’s accessibility committee says the city is setting up unnecessary barriers to open communication.

Glenn Outhwaite and members of the Kingston Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee received a letter from city staff earlier this year that he says
restricts to whom they can talk.

Read more at
http://www.coaac.ca/?p=458

Accessibility News December 25,2010 Update

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For a long term strategy in meeting the AODA and Section 508, Accessibility News recommends Accessibil-IT Inc for all your accessible PDF documentation needs, for more info or visit them on the web at
www.accessibilit.com
.
****

In this Issue

1) Message Board
2)Articles
*Car Sound Bill Approved
*Workshops for Disabled ‘Antiquated,’ Says Advocate
*Chirping Crosswalk Changes Its Tune; Safety Matters
*BSI Accessibility Documentary Endorsed on United Nations Website
*Stuck on the Road
*Disability Rights Activist Still Waiting For a Fully Accessible Transit System
*No Human Rights Enforcement for Transit?
*Disabled Nortel Employees Face a Bleak Future
*BMO Survey: Canadians With Disabilities Not Taking Advantage of RDSPs
*Woman Gets Electric Wheelchair OK
*The Process of Civic Engagement
3) Classifieds
4) This and That

Read more at
https://www.accessibilitynews.ca/accessibility-news-december-252010-update/

Car Sound Bill Approved

House OKs deadline for hybrid, electric levels to warn blind

Washington— The House voted 379-30 Thursday to give federal safety regulators 18 months to set minimum sound levels from quiet electric and hybrid vehicles to warn blind pedestrians.

Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/?p=1897

Workshops for Disabled ‘Antiquated,’ Says Advocate

A national advocate for the disabled on Thursday called for an end to sheltered workshops after it was revealed that a Saskatchewan non-profit group pays a stipend of $150 a month for work on a recycling sorting line.

SASKATOON — A national advocacy organization is calling on Saskatchewan to move away from sheltered workshops for people with disabilities, saying the practice has “outlived its usefulness.”

Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/?p=1895

Chirping Crosswalk Changes Its Tune; Safety Matters

Canadian municipalities are finding themselves on opposite sides of an odd debate: whether to change the sound used to help the visually impaired
safely cross the street.

The reason for the proposed change? The chirping sound that has become commonplace at crosswalks from coast to coast sounds too much like the
northern cardinal.

Read more at
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com/?p=1891