Accessibility News Newsletter- September 2006 Edition Contents: 1.Letter from the Editor 2.News a.First Human Rights Treaty of 21st Century for disabled people b.Federal Government Must Offer Interpreters c.Petition for Active Living Alliance d.Human Rights Case e.New Joint Training Program f.New Autism Support Group g.Disabled owed $6M, report says h.Failing the Homeless 3.ODSP/Social Assistance News a.ODSP Diet Changes b.Ontario's New Employment Innovations fund c.Launching Jobs Now d.Improving Ontario’s’ Social Assistance System 4.AODA Update a.NEW EVIDENCE REVEALS MCGUINTY GOVERNMENT HASN'T FIGURED OUT HOW TO KEEP PLEDGE OF FREE LAWYERS TO ALL HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLAINANTS 5.Education a.Toronto Rehab Scholarship Applies to More Schools b.What is your Eye-Q on your child's vision? c.Parenting with a Disability d.Sound Sense: Save Your Hearing for the Music! e.The Parent Consultant in Education Online Training Program, f.Interpreter Wanted 6.Election/ Voting a.The Canadian Hearing Society Spearheads Groundbreaking Initiative in Federal Election: b.Municipal voting legislation c.Disabled voters get sense of independence with devices 7.Health a.Access to Dental Care Study b.Marijuana Compound May Help Stop Diabetic Retinopathy c.Billions of dollars, tens of thousands of lives at stake - Why aren't proven stroke solutions being used consistently in Canada? d.Newly approved Lucentis fights macular disease 8.Technology a.The Problem with PDF’s b.Federal Judge Sustains Discrimination Claims Against Target; Precedent Establishes That Retailers Must Make Their Websites Accessible to the Blind Under the ADA c.Aroga Group and Serotek to Provide Blind and Print Disabled Canadians with Improved Internet and Computer Access d.Lucent Unveils New Speech Software from Bell Labs e.Podcast - Print Speaking to the Blind f. A COAAC Forum Discussion g. DisabilityPolicy Site h.US Firm Seeks Tech, Captioning and Investment Partners. i.Hearing loss and Radio facts j.CDBRA-BC applauds steps towards equality for persons with deafblindness k.Canadian accessibility experts continue to have a worldwide influence on Web accessibility l.A group of eleven national disability organizations and resource persons have begun working with Canada's major telecommunications companies m.There's only two lawsuits known to be filed by the Blind in relation to inaccessible websites n.New Device Helps Blind to Read Machine converts print to audio Device the size of a paperback book o.Availability of free PDF Accessibility Evaluation p.Work has begun on the revision of the Canadian Standards Association' s (CSA: www.csa.ca) accessibility standard B651.1 9.Humor Humorous Commercial Here's a humorous commercial about the not too distance future of Ontario: Ontario Ruled by us 10.Entertainment/Recreation a.For Ontarians With Disabilities Partnership Project Means that More People Can Enjoy a Trip to the Movies b.New Stage Theatre now offers a special service to enhance the theater experience for the visually impaired. c.“Beam Me Up” March of Dimes d. Trails for all Ontarians Collaborative - testing new trail e.Study on Recreational opportunities for Children f.Volunteer and Sports Opportunities 11.Upcoming Events 12.Resources 1.Letter from the Editor- Susan Brunet Hi All, I hope everyone had a great summer! We have (Geof and I) created a new Ontario Online eMagazine for Accessibility News, called simply” The Accessibility News.” This was a huge amount of work for Geof! In collaboration Badeyes Design and Consulting(Geof Collis) and I, we formed Accessibility News as a vehicle which will bring all accessibility information together in one place in Ontario. The Accessibility News is a venue for information sharing, providing statistics, articles, surveys and advocacy issues relevant to living in Ontario. Accessibility News is a way to better inform Ontario organizations on the efforts of others within the Disability Community. To date there has been no entity dedicated to this task, this is the reason the Accessibility News was created. It is also one of the few websites that is fully accessible to all persons with disabilities as well as many of today’s emerging technologies. Along with being the home of the Coalition of Accessibility Advisory Committees Of Ontario (COAAC), the Accessibility News will feature up to date information regarding Bill 118, the AODA Alliance and many other groups in Ontario dedicated to accessibility. The Accessibility News will strive to be a place where all Ontarians with Disabilities can come to, as an information source and as a place where they will be able to inform others on issues that affect our daily lives. Next I must again apologize for the length of this large newsletter-I had a whole summer to catch up on. The Accessibility News Newsletter will be monthly from now on. I hate cutting out information, especially when it can be useful to our readers. Again, I have tried to lay it out in an easy format. This issue, I am featuring alot of information about PDF's as they apply to website accessibility and Deaf and hard of hearing information and technology. Geof asked me to download a document from a City site for him about a week ago. The document was in PDF Format. I worked at changing that PDF into text for about an hour; it was locked, so I gave up. I found this very, very frustrating and I don’t have a visual impairment. I probably would have given up alot sooner if I had a visual impairment. I don't know but it seems very logical to allow people, to be able to turn a PDF into a text or even offer a text alterantive. If you can download the PDF and Print it, then why shouldn't you be able to get it in text version? So please keep this in mind when trying to share PDF's with COAAC Forum and putting them up on websites. A note for all AAC’s, this was sent in by a member; If you are interested in having Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafened people on your AAC, you may want to contact two E-mail distributors who can easily forward your city's call for the open opportunity. Robert Denny (rjdenny@usa. net) and Jim Cripps (jim@deafconnect. com) can easily hit at least 10,000+ E-mail addresses of Deaf, HOH and Deafened people living in Ontario. Take note that they charge $30.00 each. For American Sign Language services, you may forward this information along to the clerical staff of your city. Please visit the city you live in or the city nearest you listed in the Canadian Hearing Society's webpage to ask for such services: http://www.chs. ca/services/ ois.html. Currently, I am unable to find the link to the CART services. I know I had it around here somewhere in my files, but nevertheless, ask the local CHS if they know where to find Intervener and CART services in your area. The Accessibility News Newsletter(ANN) If you have any comments please contact us at The new website, the Accessibility News can be found at url; http://www.accessibilitynews.ca/acnews/ Feel free to contact us at : Geof Collis-Director and Webmaster of Accessibility News e-mail: webmaster@badeyes.com or Susan Brunet- Accessibility News Newsletter Editor e-mail:ottawamobility@sympatico.ca Thank You, Sincerely, Susan Brunet Editor Accessibility News Newsletter 2.News 2a.First Human Rights Treaty of 21st Century for disabled people By Press Release: Human Rights Commission  The Human Rights Commission today welcomed the news that a United Nations committee has reached agreement on a Convention on the rights of disabled people. Finalized in New York on Saturday, the Convention, when adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, will be the first human rights treaty of the 21st Century. Chief Commissioner, Rosslyn Noonan acknowledged the leadership provided by the New Zealand government and its delegation throughout the drafting process and by New Zealand ambassador Don MacKay who chaired the ad-hoc committee. "Don MacKay gained worldwide admiration for the way he managed negotiations and the Disability Issues Minister, Ruth Dyson is to be congratulated for ensuring New Zealand supported him throughout the process." Ms Noonan said today that the challenge for New Zealand now is to ensure that its domestic performance matches the international leadership it has provided. Key issues that need to be addressed include: * Action on public transport - a comprehensive approach to ensure accessibility. * Greater participation in decision making by disabled people, particularly in relation to provision of services, especially residential services. * Support for New Zealand Sign Language and Braille users to enable them to fully participate in all aspects of New Zealand life. * Fully inclusive educational provision and the resourcing for it to be delivered. Countries that sign up to the treaty will have to enact laws and other measures to improve disability rights. They will be obliged to combat negative stereotypes and prejudices and to promote an awareness of people's abilities and contribution to society. Other measures under the treaty include guaranteeing that disabled people have a right to life on an equal basis with others and that access to public spaces, buildings, transport, information and communications is improved. The treaty is expected to be adopted by the UN General assembly during its next session, which starts in September. 2b.Federal Government Must Offer Interpreters In August, the courts ruled that where a Deaf or hard of hearing person receives services or participates in programs administered by the federal government, sign language interpreters must be provided. Visit http://www.cad.ca . 2c.Petition for Active Living Alliance This letter was sent in to COAAC by one of our members; Hi gang, I want to tell you about an urgent issue that we need to come together for. For those who don’t know me personally my name is Marco Pasqua and I was a Youth Exchange participant in 2003 and leader for the past three years. I guess you can say that the ALA has encouraged me to continue my advocacy but more most importantly encourage all the Youth Exchange participants enjoy their time in Ottawa and to encourage them however I can. It has been brought to my attention that the ALA needs our help. After 17 years of doing business, it looks like they may have to close their doors. That means no more Youth Exchanges and other programs that help facilitate healthy active living for Canadians with disabilities. The reason for this: Health Canada is reluctant to release the Healthy Living Strategy that funds many of ALA’s programs and services. I am always looking for ways to help the ALA since they have given so much to me through the exchanges I have attended. That is why I chose to write a letter to the Minister of my riding. Check out my letter here: http://www.youthamb assadors. ca/advocacy/ marco_letter. html. Here is what I suggest we all do now: Step 1: Phone your MP –Tell him/her about the issue. Something like “Hi my name is Marco and I live in your riding. I attended a National Youth Exchange in 2003 that had a very big impact on my life. I am calling you today because I am concerned that future events such as this are in jeopardy because Health Canada is not supporting the Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability (the host organization). Tell him/her about any benefits you see in your life after attending the Youth Exchange. You can find out who your MP is here: http://www.parl. gc.ca/informatio n/about/people/ house/PostalCode .asp?Language= E&source= sm. Step 2: Sign our petition - http://www.petition spot.com/ petitions/ alacd If everyone gets 10 people to sign the petition, our message will be heard! It is really important that your MP hear from you soon! Get your family and friends involved too! The more noise we make right away will help make sure that Youth Exchanges and other great programs exist in the future. Step 3: Tell us about it - Let us know what actions you have taken by responding to ALA’s BLOG at http://alacd. wordpress. com and click on “New Post” at the top of the screen. Remember, that should you need any assistance taking these steps, the folks at the ALA is there to help. You can contact them at info@ala.ca or 1-800-771-0663 or by TTY at 1-888-771-0665. There is no cost to you to contact them at these numbers. Yours in Advocacy, Marco Pasqua Youth Exchange delegate 2003 Youth Exchange Leader 2004-2006 2d.Human Rights Case On another matter, everybody, this just came on-line today, one of Gary's suits: Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario Recent Decisions: http://www.hrto. ca/english/ decisions/ 2006HRTO21. doc Take note that theatre owners will have to disclose their revenues from 2000 to the present, in order for them to prove undue hardship. Ironically, the Canada Press reports that Canadians are attending film theatres more and more and revenues have shot up since 2000. Let's see how they get around to explaining that. Life works in mysterious ways! 2e.New Joint Training Program Bayshore Home Health and the Ontario Brain Injury Association have created a new joint training program that ensures home caregivers are well-equipped to provide brain injury expertise and coping strategies for people with brain injury as well as family and friends. For more information, call 1-866-265-1920 or visit http://www.bayshore.ca . 2f.New Autism Support Group NEW Autism Support Group in Whitby, ON: a free service of Autism Ontario - Durham Region. This group meets at 7:30 p.m. on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. For more info, call toll-free 1-866-495-4680 or e-mail mailto:autismdurham@Gmail.com . Anyone who has an interest in autism is welcome to attend. 2g.Disabled owed $6M, report says An "asinine" government policy has denied thousands of Ontarians with disabilities at least $6 million in benefits owed to them, ombudsman Andre Marin says. People applying for Disability Support Program benefits have to wait up to 10 months for government approval, and then are told retroactive payments are limited to four months. Marin's report, Losing the Waiting Game, calls on the government to provide "restitution" to at least 4,630 recipients and possibly more than 13,000 of them. "My office's investigation revealed that thousands of Ontario's most vulnerable citizens have become losers in a cruelly insensitive and intensely bureaucratic game," Marin said. The four-month rule was brought in under the Tory regime, and has been further entrenched by the Liberals, he said."It became an asinine application of the rule," Marin said. By withholding the money, it was as if the government had obtained an "interest-free loan" from the most vulnerable members of society, the ombudsman said. Community and Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur said her government has eliminated the four-month rule and is looking into the compensation issue. "This government is committed to helping our most vulnerable citizens; we take this matter seriously," she said.Marin's report highlights the plight of many people who had to go without basics like winter boots as they waited for approval of their claims. Henry Aukema descended into a "bureaucratic nightmare" when he tried to get benefits for his severely disabled daughter Lyndsey when she turned 18 years old, Marin's report says. Aukema said there are many good people working in the community and social services ministry, "but collectively they can't seem to have any common sense." 2h.Failing the Homeless On Tuesday, June 20th, 2006 Street Health released a report on barriers to accessing the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) for homeless people Failing the Homeless The report, entitled ": Barriers in the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) for Homeless People with Disabilities, " shows how Ontario disability benefits are failing homeless people with disabilities. The ODSP is intended to assist low-income people with disabilities, but many disabled homeless people are unable to access this program. Among the many important project findings and outcomes, these are some of the most staggering: -100% of study participants were eligible for the ODSP, but 0% were receiving benefits when they enrolled in the project -100% of eligible participants NEEDED HELP accessing ODSP benefits -100% of homeless participants who successfully secured ODSP benefits were ABLE TO SECURE HOUSING "" also identifies key barriers and delays in the ODSP system for homeless people. It makes clear and feasible recommendations for how to improve access to ODSP benefits for homeless people with disabilities. The full and summary reports are now available on the Street Health website at: www.streethealth.ca 3.ODSP/Social Assistance News 3a. ODSP Diet Changes SPECIAL DIET UPDATE - July 18th, 2006 >From the ODSP Action Coalition's Special Diet Committee 1) Special Diet Tip Sheet - The ODSP Action Coalition has produced a tip sheet to assist people on ODSP in applying for the new Special Diet Allowance or appealing cuts to their Special Diet amounts. The tip sheet is available in English on the ODSP Action Coalition's website at: http://www.odspacti on.ca/SpDiet/ TipSheet_ Clients_Agencies -FINAL-July2006. doc. If the direct link doesn't work, simply go to http://www.odspacti on.ca/special_ diet.htm. A french-language version of the tip sheet will be available on the website shortly. Please check the website periodically for the link. 2) Appealing cuts to the Special Diet Allowance - Community legal clinics can offer advice to OW/ODSP recipients who have been cut off of the Special Diet Allowance or had their amounts reduced. Some clinics may also assist recipients with appeals. To find the nearest community legal clinic, call toll-free: 1-800-668-8258 or go to www.legalaid.on.ca/en/area.asp. 3) Long-term Legal Strategy The community legal clinic system is considering a systemic challenge to the Special Diet Schedule. Updates will be provided as the work moves forward. The Privacy Commission also continues to investigate Dr. Gary Bloch's complaint regarding privacy concerns with the new Special Diet Schedule. On behalf of the ODSP Action Coalition, the Special Diet Committee submitted a letter to the Commission, supporting Dr. Bloch's complaint and recommending a way of reworking the form to better take recipients' privacy into consideration. Health Providers against Poverty, a group of Toronto medical professionals, has also filed an Ombudsman complaint and are awaiting a response. We will forward any updates we receive. 4) Ad Hoc Review Committee - The 15-person Advisory Committee that was set-up by the Ministry of Community and Social Services to review the Special Diet Schedule has completed its review of which medical conditions should be added. Which medical conditions are being recommended for addition to the Schedule is unknown, but there is a recommendation regarding the special circumstances of patients who are experiencing severe weight loss, gain or other eligible symptoms but don't yet have a diagnosis. The committee is now researching the costs of the various special diets and whether they need to be adjusted to reflect regional cost differences. The Ministry hopes to receive the committee's recommendations by late August. They will then be forwarded to the Minister of Community and Social Services Madeleine Meilleur for consideration. Several medical practitioners and advocacy groups made submissions to the committee, at the urging of the ODSP Action Coalition's Special Diet Committee and other anti-poverty groups and OW/ODSP recipients. Read the ODSP Action Coalition's submission: http://www.odspacti on.ca/SpDiet/ ODSP_AC_Submissi on.doc. For future reference, the submission is posted in the "Special Diet Materials" sub-section of the ODSP Action Coalition's special diet section: http://www.odspacti on.ca/special_ diet.htm. According to Dr. De Marchi, Chief Medical Advisor for the Ministry of Community and Social Services, the Ministry hopes to announce any changes to the Special Diet Schedule in the early fall. The credentials of the Review Committee, as well as the committee's guiding principles and the methodology used in reaching its recommendations will also be released. No advance notice will be given to groups who made submissions. However, once the announcement is made, the Income Security Advocacy Centre will ensure the information is forwarded broadly via email and will update the special diet section of the ODSP Action Coalition's website. 5) Future Special Diet Reviews - According to Dr. De Marchi, the Advisory Committee will meet periodically to consider revisions to the Special Diet Schedule but exact timing still needs to be determined by the Minister. However, review dates will be announced well in advance to give the medical community more time to prepare submissions. The Ministry is also developing a submission template, which it hopes to make available late this fall. The ODSP Action Coalition has asked the Ministry to allow public input into the submission template and the criteria and methodology used by the committee to decide future changes to the Special Diet Schedule. The Ministry is considering the request. In the meantime, submissions re: changes to the Special Diet Schedule should be directed to Dr. De Marchi and use the format outlined for the current review. Information on where to send submissions and the format to use is available from the "Getting Medical Conditions Added" sub-section of the ODSP Action Coalition's website: http://www.odspacti on.ca/special_ diet.htm 6) Meetings with MPPs - The ODSP Action Coalition is scheduled to meet with the new Minister of Community and Social Services Madeleine Meilleur on Sept. 6th and will attempt to get some media attention once the changes to the Special Diet Schedule are announced this fall. We encourage community agencies, anti-poverty groups and OW/ODSP recipients to also continue raising concerns about the special diet cuts and inadequate social assistance rates with your local MPPs and the media. For sample letters, see the "You Can Fight Back" section of the ODSP Action Coalition's website: www.odspaction.ca/special_ diet.htm. The above information, as well as numerous special diet materials, can be found on the extensive special diet section of the ODSP Action Coalition's website: www.odspaction.ca. Sincerely, Dana Milne, Chair, ODSP Action Coalition Special Diet Committee Dana Milne Provincial Organizer Income Security Advocacy Centre 425 Adelaide St. W., 5th Floor Toronto, ON M5V 3C1 Tel: 416-597-5820, ext. 5151 Toll-free: 1-866-245-4072 Fax: 416-597-5821 Email: milned@lao.on. ca Website: www.incomesecurity.Org 3b.ONTARIO'S NEW EMPLOYMENT INNOVATIONS FUND As part of the 2006 provincial budget, the government established the Employment Innovations Fund to engage Ontario's employers in creating and expanding job opportunities for people receiving financial assistance from Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program. Organizations that can engage employers in developing sustainable job opportunities for people on social assistance - such as municipalities, not-for-profit organizations and employer associations including chambers of commerce and boards of trade - are eligible to submit proposals for funding. Individuals and individual employers are not eligible for funding in their own right, but may be eligible to apply as a group. Proposals will be evaluated and selected based on the applicant's ability to successfully complete the initiative, as well as meet five key criteria. 3c.Launching Jobs Now Launching JobsNow, a job retention pilot that has, so far, helped over 2,000 Ontario Works clients find and keep meaningful employment -Introducing a refundable apprenticeship training tax credit for employers - Eliminating barriers to employment for social assistance recipients by providing straightforward incentives and extra support to help people find and keep jobs. "We have worked hard to break down barriers to employment in the social assistance system - now we are asking businesses to work with us and find new opportunities to build success," said Meilleur. "By helping businesses to grow and people to reach their potential, we're investing in the future prosperity of our province." 3d.Improving Ontario’s’ Social Assistance System TORONTO, June 14 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government is calling on the Ontario business community to help social assistance recipients get into the workforce and on the path to a brighter future, Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services, announced today. "We're on the side of Ontarians who are trying to improve their lives by finding meaningful jobs and we're tapping into the creativity of the business community to make it happen," said Meilleur. "Ontario employers should be benefiting from the potential, skills and talents of all Ontarians - including those who face social, physical or economic barriers. It just makes good business sense." On September 9, 2004, the Government of Ontario announced plans to transform Ontario’s system of developmental services to make it fair, accessible and sustainable for the future. Since then, we have: * committed significant long-term investments in stronger community services  * continued the commitment made 30 years ago (and supported by all subsequent governments) to move from institutional to community-based services; and * Launched a major review of Ontario’s developmental services system. We are working with individuals who have a developmental disability, their families, service providers, and community organizations to build the foundation for the next generation of services for people who have a developmental disability.   Opportunities and Action:  Transforming Supports in Ontario for People Who Have a Developmental Disability, is the Ontario government's response to the challenges facing our developmental services system.  The paper outlines key directions to achieve the Province's vision of an inclusive Ontario for people with a developmental disability, and is the product of 18 months of consultation with people who have a developmental disability, their families, community agencies, academics and clinical experts.  The input received from the consultation will guide a blueprint for the future of developmental services in Ontario:  one that is focused on long-term solutions to help individuals with a developmental disability realize their potential and fully participate in our communities. We will keep people informed about future developments in the transformation process, including our findings from the broad public consultation process held this spring. For more information, please see: *  “Report on Consultations Regarding the Transformation of Developmental Services” by Ernie Parsons, MPP, Parliamentary Assistant (Disabilities) to the Minister of Community and Social Services, February 8, 2006 Letter from the Honourable Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Community and Social Services, dated March 2, 2006 4.AODA Update 4 a.NEW EVIDENCE REVEALS MCGUINTY GOVERNMENT HASN'T FIGURED OUT HOW TO KEEP PLEDGE OF FREE LAWYERS TO ALL HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLAINANTS September 1, 2006, Toronto: Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) documents disclose six months after the McGuinty government announced its Bill 107 would strip the Human Rights Commission of key powers to enforce the Human Rights Code, it still doesn't know how it will deliver legal representation for all discrimination victims. An LAO internal consultation paper recently made public on the internet reveals Attorney General Michael Bryant has just recently asked LAO to make a proposal on this controversial role. LAO won't decide for weeks whether it wants to make a proposal. The McGuinty government extravagantly pledged its human rights reforms will ensure publicly-funded free independent legal counsel for all human rights complainants, regardless of income. "This is no way to reform our important human rights protections. Six months after releasing their plans, the McGuinty government is still scrambling to figure out how it'll replace Human Rights Commission enforcement. It shouldn't be dithering on such critical details," said Catherine Dunphy, chair of the non-partisan AODA Alliance. "We've pressed for months to get details about the government's plans," said David Lepofsky, AODA Alliance Human Rights Reform Representative. "Then we discover from LAO documents the Government's asking LAO whether it even wants to take on this hot potato if the Human Rights Commission is de-fanged? LAO is chronically under-funded. It can't handle its current burden of meeting the poor's many legal needs. Yet the Government wants them to take on this huge job. It hasn't announced how it'll pay for this." Now the Human Rights Commission must publicly investigate all non-frivolous discrimination complaints. When evidence warrants, it's supposed to publicly prosecute cases it can't settle. Bill 107 strips most of the Commission's enforcement powers. It makes discrimination victims investigate and present their own cases. The McGuinty government pledged free independent legal counsel throughout Human Rights Tribunal hearings to all human rights complainants (annually some 2,500). It promised to establish a Human Rights Legal Centre. The bill's supporters and critics agree it doesn't guarantee this. Relenting to mounting criticism, the Attorney General committed, on June 8, 2006, to amend the bill to address this. However, he wont' agree to reveal his amendments before groups present at the public hearings. The coalition calls for public hearings to halt until LAO decides if it will pick up the pieces, and the government reveals such things as how it will ensure free lawyers for all. At the hearings the public should be able to comment on all the Government's plans. At the first hearings (August 8 to 10) presenters opposing the unpopular bill numbered more than double the supporters. They slammed many flaws, not just unfulfilled legal representation pledges. LAO's consultation paper: www.aclc.net/full-lao-letter.html AODA Alliance's Responses: www.aodaalliance.org/reform/update-082906.asp To learn more, read the AODA Alliance’s draft submission to the Legislature’s Standing Committee on Justice Policy, available at: http://dawn.thot.net/bill_107_brief.html 5. Education 5a.Toronto Rehab Scholarship Applies to More Schools The Toronto Rehabilitation Institute announces that its $20,000 scholarship in Rehabilitation-Related Research for Graduate Students with Disabilities is now available at more schools. Besides the University of Toronto, students at McMaster, Ryerson, Waterloo, Wilfred Laurier, and York are now eligible. Many disciplines may be eligible - from Architecture to Women's Studies, and Engineering and Computer Science to Social Work. The Scholarship Committee actively works with the scholars to support their academic and research success. This unique scholarship also provides an educational disability expense supplement. Deadline to apply is May 1, 2007. For info, visit http://www.torontorehab.com/research/disabilityscholarship.htm or contact Lois Ward at mailto:ward.lois@torontorehab.on.ca 5b.What is your Eye-Q on your child's vision? As children head back to school, optometrists challenge myths about vision TORONTO, Aug. 23 /CNW/ - With parents heading to the mall for back to school basics, the Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO) wants to remind them that an annual eye examination is a fundamental part of academic success, and an item all too often overlooked. "Troubling statistics show that despite the fact that one in six children has an eye or vision problem significant enough to impair their ability to learn, only about seven per cent of children under the age of four have ever had a comprehensive eye examination," said Dr. Derek MacDonald, optometrist and OAO President. "There are a number of common misconceptions creating this disconnect." Myth: Children should have their eyes examined only when they say they are having problems seeing well. Fact: Before the age of 9, children do not have the experience necessary to know what is normal as far as their vision is concerned; they often assume that everyone sees things the way they do. There are signs a parent can watch for, such as trouble reading signs in the distance, squinting or tilting the head frequently, and complaining of headaches, dizziness or nausea; however, just as often, there are no signs that a child needs eyeglasses, making regular eye examinations very important. Myth: If a child is struggling in school they must have a learning disability. Fact: Children with poor vision may find it difficult to focus on their work and may be misdiagnosed as having a learning or behavioral disability. With more than 80 per cent of learning done through visual means, children rely heavily on their vision to help them develop a number of skills including reading, copying, hand-eye coordination, and social skills. Myth: A child must be able to read and verbalize well before they can have an eye examination. Fact: With many child-friendly techniques, optometrists can perform comprehensive eye examinations long before a child knows their alphabet or is able to verbalize well. Children should be examined at six months of age, three years of age and annually, or as recommended by their eye professional, once they begin school. Myth: When my child had an annual physical with the pediatrician or our family physician, they had my child look at an eye chart. Do they still need an eye examination? Fact: Reading the eye chart is only one test. A comprehensive eye examination has multiple components including assessment of eye health, eye coordination and depth perception. A comprehensive eye examination will provide you with critical information on the health of your child's eyes and visual system. Parents should ask their family physician or paediatrician if they are performing a full eye examination; if not, they should take their child to see an optometrist or ophthalmologist. "A child's vision changes from year to year, and should be monitored through annual eye examinations - a service still covered by OHIP for children 19 years of age and under," said Dr. MacDonald. "This is especially critical for conditions such as lazy eye (amblyopia) and turned eye (strabismus), which can often be treated successfully if they are diagnosed early enough by an optometrist, ophthalmologist or family physician." Today there is a wide selection of frames and lenses available that are both stylish and durable, making them capable of standing up to the rigors of an active childhood. Contact lenses are also an option for children mature enough to care for and handle them properly. For more information on children's vision, please visit the Ontario Association of Optometrists' website at www.eyecareoao.com or call 1-800-540-3837 Ext. 231 for more information. Optometrists are the primary providers of eye health and vision care in Ontario. The Ontario Association of Optometrists is the voluntary professional organization that creates the vision and articulates the voice of more than 1,100 registered optometrists in Ontario. Photos available at www.eyecareoao.com. For further information: Christine Parsons, Senior Communications Advisor, 1-800-540-3837 Ext. 231, cparsons@optom.on.ca 5c.Parenting with a Disability You're invited to visit the new and improved DiversityWorx website, where you'll find the "Parenting with a Disability: Diversity, Barriers & Requirements" report and more. Visit http://www.diversityworx.com 5d.Sound Sense: Save Your Hearing for the Music! Sound Sense: Save Your Hearing for the Music! is an exciting hearing awareness program for Ontario's Grade 6 students. Noisy leisure activities are taking their toll on our young people's ears, and this award-winning classroom presentation teaches students and their families why and how to protect themselves from permanent noise-induced hearing loss. If you are interested in helping present this Sound Sense, or for more info, contact Gael Hannan at The Hearing Foundation of Canada, mailto:ghannan@hearingfoundation.ca Register now for "Creating Inclusive Community Organizations," a free 2-hour online workshop to be held Monday, Sept. 25. You'll learn to develop strategies to support diversity and develop more inclusive community organizations and groups. To participate, you will need to be able to be on the phone at the same time as you are online, and you will need to download some software ahead of time. More info will be provided upon registration. Space is limited. E-mail your name, organization (if applicable) and phone number to mailto:inclusion@healthycommunities.on.ca by Sept. 13 5e.The Parent Consultant in Education Online Training Program, The Parent Consultant in Education Online Training Program, presented by the Ontario Association of Education Advocates, is an online program that runs from Sept. 18 to Dec. 1. $365. Learn to be an effective parent advocate for children with disabilities by acquiring practical skills in advocacy and documentation management. Visit http://www.ldao.ca/oaea . 5f.Interpreter Wanted The District School Board of Niagara has an opening for an Interpreter. The incumbent will be responsible to facilitate communication between Deaf and hard of hearing student(s) and their hearing peers, classroom teachers, school staff and administration in the classroom as well as school activities and extracurricular events. This person must be able to interpret in accordance with the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Professional Conduct of the Association of Visual Language Interpreters of Canada (AVLIC). The Board offers a competitive hourly rate along with a comprehensive benefit package. Submit your resume outlining qualifications, experiences and references and salary expectations by 4 p.m. on Sept. 15 to Human Resource Department, District School Board of Niagara, 191 Carlton St., St. Catharines, ON L2R 7P4; fax 905-641-0071. 6.Election/Voting 6a.The Canadian Hearing Society Spearheads Groundbreaking Initiative in Federal Election: Ontario ridings to participate in first-ever fully accessible Candidates Meetings For the first time in a federal election, All-Candidates Meetings accessible to people with disabilities, including hearing loss, are being held in five Ontario ridings. The Canadian Hearing Society (CHS), Canada's largest agency serving people who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing, has invited candidates in the ridings of St. Paul's (Toronto), Ottawa South, New market-Aurora, Hamilton Centre, and Sault Ste. Marie to address their constituents with the provision of sign language interpreting, real-time captioning/computerized note taking, assistive listening devices, deaf-blind intervening services, and attendant services. Those who experience hearing loss and the almost half a million Canadians who are culturally Deaf - using sign language as their first language - consistently face enormous systemic barriers to communication and information. During an election, these barriers are no less apparent: "People with hearing loss - indeed people with any disability - are often excluded from the democratic process as there are so many barriers in directly accessing their candidates," said Gary Murkowski, Chas’s Special Advisor to the President, Public Affairs. "Many candidates' offices don't have TTS (text telephones) and interpreters and cautioners are rarely, if ever, provided for direct interaction. " To ensure accessibility for all people with disabilities, CHS has partnered with The Accessibility Centre of Sault Ste. Marie, The Canadian National Institute for the Blind for intervening services for deaf-blind voters, and the Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario, the Disabled Persons Resources Centre and Ontario March of Dimes for attendant services for people with physical disabilities. 6b.Municipal Voting Legislation This Letter was sent from a member asking for information; Dear COAAC listserv members, As there is a municipal election coming up this fall, I feel it is imperative that there be consideration among this group as to what the present legislation says, as well as the information on the Accessibility Ontario web site and what that means regarding making these elections as accessible as possible. For your information, I have copied and pasted the following: Taken directly from the ODA, which is still in effect: Election Act 24. (1) The heading immediately preceding section 55 of the Election Act is repealed and the following substituted: Complementary Amendments Electors with Disabilities (2) The Act is amended by adding the following section: Report on accessibility 55.1 (1) Within three months after polling day in the election, every returning officer for an electoral district shall prepare a report on the measures that the officer has taken to provide accessibility for electors with disabilities in the district and shall submit the report to the Chief Election Officer. Availability to the public (2) The Chief Election Officer shall make the report available to the public. Election Finances Act 25. The definition of "campaign expense" in subsection 1 (1) of the Election Finances Act, as amended by the Statutes of Ontario, 1998, chapter 9, section 51, is further amended by adding the following clause: (b.1) expenses that are incurred by a candidate with disabilities and that are directly related to the candidate's disabilities, Under "Municipal Obligations" on the Accessibility Ontario web site: MUNICIPAL OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT What are the requirements for municipalities under the Act? a.. All municipalities will be required to prepare accessibility plans and make them public, and consult with persons with disabilities. b.. Municipalities of 10,000 or more residents will be required to establish accessibility advisory committees, and a majority of their members must be people with disabilities. Smaller municipalities must consult with people with disabilities and others. Municipalities with fewer than 10,000 residents may establish or continue to have an accessibility advisory committee. c.. Joint accessibility committees and plans will be permitted for example where an upper and lower tier municipality (such as a county and the towns and cities it incorporates) work together on accessibility initiatives. Joint plans may also be undertaken by municipalities with their school boards, hospitals and community colleges where appropriate. Other obligations: a.. Municipalities will be able to stipulate accessibility requirements when granting business licenses if they wish. b.. Municipalities will also be required: a.. to make accessibility a consideration when purchasing goods and services, in planning and in subdivision approval b.. Develop accessibility plans for municipally- administered, sub-contracted or licensed transit providers in consultation with persons with disabilities c.. Improve access to municipal elections by giving greater consideration to accessible voting locations d.. Ensure that new social housing additional units or replacement units include a percentage of modified units for persons with disabilities e.. Enforce new penalties for counterfeiting and misuse of Disabled Person Parking Permits f.. Increase the minimal penalty for misuse of designated parking under municipal by-laws to $300.00 I would be curious to know if any municipalities, other than London, are taking proactive measures to make voting more accessible? What is being done in your community? I am concerned that decisions may be made soon or may have already been made in many municipalities. Has the AAC or have people with disabilities in your community been asked for their input about how to make these municipal elections more accessible? Is there any information on city web sites about what they are planning to do? I can't seem to find much concrete information out there. Is there a mechanism in place in any municipality for people with disabilities to find out what will be available (in all formats/means of communication) well in advance of voting and a mechanism to bring any concerns regarding past or potential barriers forward in enough time to have them addressed? Any information you may have would be welcome. Thanks. Dorothy Macnaughton Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario 6c.Disabled voters get sense of independence with devices By Anastasiya Bolton pWews Some Colorado voters will go to the polls today to cast their ballots independently for the first time. It's not that they're new voters. They're adults with disabilities who, until now, have been unable to vote without assistance. But Denver's federally mandated addition of 240 new computerized machines which include headphones and pads with large buttons are expected to make voting more accessible."I've never voted on my own," said Bibi Gamel, a Denver criminal justice student who is blind. Gamel, who travels around with the help of her black Lab Odie, was at the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building on Friday casting her primary ballot. She says her previous voting experiences haven't been easy because she had to have another person read her the material. "If I wasn't sure, I'd have to ask somebody to repeat the reading for me," she said. "It would take me awhile to decide. Sometimes I would feel like I'm holding the person up by trying to stand here and decide, versus where I could sit here and scroll throughon the menus and listen to my choices on what I want to vote." The machines also provide a printout of the choices the voter just made. On Friday, Gamel took her time. When she was done, she woke up Odie, and the two prepared to leave. "I feel like I'm mere independent, " Gamel said. "I'm not required to wait for someone to come and help me." In Boulder, Bruce Goguen, who is legally blind and a quadriplegic, is happy to be able to vote for himself. "Usually, the night before, we would go over the ballot and all the questions," said his wife, Paula Bolduc, "and I would mark the sample ballot with how he wanted to vote. Then I would walk in and do all the paperwork. Then I would walk over and he'd stand next to me, I'd vote for him and we would leave," she says. Boulder's 219 leased voting machines have switches for people with limited motor skills. So Goguen, who can move only his head, was able to make choices on the ballot. "He has to depend on a lot of people to provide and support for a lot of his needs, so anything that's independent really is very meaningful for him." Election judges at the Boulder County building held switches on both sides of Goguen's head. He wore headphones and moved his head from left to right to make his choices. "This is so good, being able to do this by myself," said Goguen, "feeling really independent and be able to vote how I would like." 7.Health 7a.Access to Dental care Study Researchers at the University of Toronto are conducting a study on access to dental care for persons with disabilities. People with disabilities in Ontario are encouraged to fill it out at http://www.utoronto.ca/dentistry/facultyresearch . 7b.Marijuana Compound May Help Stop Diabetic Retinopathy A compound found in marijuana won't make you high but it may help keep your eyes healthy if you're a diabetic, researchers say. Early studies indicate cannabidiol works as a consummate multi-tasker to protect the eye from growing a plethora of leaky blood vessels, the hallmark of diabetic retinopathy, says Dr. Gregory I. Liou, molecular biologist at the Medical College of Georgia. "We are studying the role of cannabinoid receptors in our body and trying to modulate them so we can defend against diabetic retinopathy, " Dr. Liou says. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults and affects nearly 16 million Americans. High glucose levels resulting from unmanaged diabetes set in motion a cascade ultimately causing the oxygen-deprived retina to grow more blood vessels. Ironically, the leaky surplus of vessels can ultimately destroy vision. Dr. Liou, who recently received a $300,000 grant from the American Diabetes Association, wants to intervene earlier in the process, as healthy relationships inside the retina first start to go bad. Cannabinoid receptors are found throughout the body and endogenous cannabinoids are produced to act on them. "Their function is very different from organ to organ but in the central nervous system, cannabinoid receptors are responsible for the neutralization process that should occur after a nerve impulse is finished," says Dr. Liou. Nerves come together at a point of communication called a synapse. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that excites these nerves to action at their point of communication. "There are also inhibitory neurotransmitters such as GABA," Dr. Liou says. Endogenous cannabinoids help balance the excitation and inhibition, at least until oxygen gets scarce. In the face of inadequate oxygen, or ischemia - another hallmark of diabetes - nerve endings start producing even more glutamate, setting in motion an unhealthy chain of events. Pumps that keep the right substances inside or outside of cells start to malfunction. Excess nitric oxide and superoxides are produced, which are toxic to the cells. Another irony is the heightened activity increases the retina's need for oxygen. "We are talking about nerve cell death," Dr. Liou says. "In the retina, if a lot of our nerve cells die, our vision is directly affected." And that's not all that goes wrong in the nerve-packed retina. Nearby microglial cells, which can function as cell-eating scavengers in the body, sense something is going wrong with the nerve cells, become activated and start an inflammatory process that can be fatal to nerve cells. Interestingly, the body starts producing more endogenous cannabinoids to stop glutamate release, then produces an enzyme to destroy the cannabinoids to keep them from continuing to accumulate. The same thing happens in the brain after a stroke. That's why cannabidiol, an antioxidant, may help save the retina. Test-tube studies by others, as well as Dr. Liou's pilot studies in diabetic animal models show cannabidiol works to interrupt essentially all these destructive points of action. "What we believe cannabidiol does is go in here as an antioxidant to neutralize the toxic superoxides. Number two, it inhibits the self-destructive system and allows the self-produced endogenous cannabinoids to stay there longer by inhibiting the enzyme that destroys them." Cannabidiol also helps keep microglial cells from turning on nerve cells by inhibiting cannabinoid receptors on microglial cells that are at least partially responsible for their ability to destroy the cells. "Cannabinoids are trying to ease the situation on both sides. They help save the neuron and, at the same time, make sure the microglial cells don't become activated. How good do you want a drug to be?" Dr. Liou says. His earliest studies in animal models, published in the January issue of the American Journal of Pathology, indicate it may be very good. Co-authors on the study include Dr. Azza B. El-Remessy, MCG Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology; Drs. Mohamed Al-Shabrawey, Nai-Tse Tsai and Ruth B. Caldwell, MCG Vascular Biology Center; and Dr. Yousuf Khalifa, MCG Department of Ophthalmology. "We are very pleased," he says of studies in which cannabidiol is injected into diabetic rats and mice. 7c.Billions of dollars, tens of thousands of lives at stake! Why aren't proven stroke solutions being used consistently in Canada? OTTAWA, June 14 /CNW Telbec/ - Widespread access to organized stroke care could prevent more than 160,000 strokes, prevent disability in 60,000 Canadians and save $8 billion net in health-care costs over the next 20 years in Canada, according to an economic analysis released today by the Canadian Stroke Network (CSN) and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSF). Despite solid evidence, prevention measures, stroke treatments and health practices that could prevent death, reduce disability and save billions in health-care costs are not being routinely used in Canada. These include organized stroke care units, use of clot-busting therapies, better access to rehabilitation and building awareness of the signs and symptoms of stroke among the public and health workers. "If we implement proven stroke therapies and practices across the country, the savings in lives and dollars will be significant," says Dr. Mike Sharma, a neurologist and spokesperson for the CSN and HSF. "Most proposals to improve health care result in substantial costs to provide benefits to people. With eight billion in net savings, our model demonstrates that the benefits of a comprehensive stroke program far outweighs the costs." The economic analysis was developed by Dr. Sharma and the Caro Research Institute for the Canadian Stroke Strategy, a partnership between the Canadian Stroke Network and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada to revamp the health-care system by doing what research has proven to work in stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. The Strategy will provide tools and support to provinces in areas like defining best practices, building awareness, and coordinated research, so that they can build provincial stroke strategies appropriate to their needs and resources. The ultimate goal is to ensure that all Canadians have access to organized stroke care by 2010. National data released last week by the Canadian Institute for Health Information showed that we are not moving the needle when it comes to stroke survival. "We can clearly do much better in improving stroke outcomes," says Sally Brown, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. "Prevention, specialized care and rehabilitation made a huge difference in improving survival and quality of life for cancer and heart disease patients, and we can do the same in stroke." "The reality is that patients are not getting the care we know we could provide," says Dr. Antoine Hakim, CEO and Scientific Director of the CSN. "The evidence is so overwhelming. If we just did today what we know works, we can save lives and reduce disability from stroke." The projections of savings from organized stroke care are based in part on the experience in Ontario, where a coordinated stroke system has been in place since 2000. The Ontario Stroke Strategy is already showing significant results, including: - 65% of stroke patients released from hospital emergency department following a "mini-stroke" (TIA, or transient ischemic attack) are followed up in a provincially funded stroke prevention clinic (where available), compared to nine percent in 2000-01. This "secondary prevention" means that many more patients are less vulnerable to a full stroke. - 32% of stroke patients are receiving clot-busting medications at specialized regional stroke centres, compared to a rate of 9.9% in 2000-01. Use of this medication within three hours after the onset of a stroke can greatly reduce the level of disability that the person may ultimately experience. - 72% of Ontarians can cite at least two warning signs and symptoms of stroke, compared to 53% in 2003, thanks to public awareness campaigns led by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and funded by the Government of Ontario. Better recognition means faster access to treatment, and therefore better health outcomes. Progress and momentum are also building in other provinces as they develop integrated stroke strategies. The HSF and the CSN are working with governments, professional organizations and individuals across the country, through the Canadian Stroke Strategy, to ensure that every province can achieve better stroke care by implementing organized stroke care. Data used for the economic analysis come from the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network, the Canadian Heart Health Survey, Statistics Canada and the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences. The results do not account completely for indirect costs such as the impact on caregivers, lost productivity and costs to families and communities. As well, they do not account for the substantial impact of stroke prevention measures on rates of related conditions like dementia, heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease. Dr. Sharma's work is motivated by his personal experience. "I've seen the incredible impact of better stroke care with my own eyes," he says. "I'll never forget the smile on the face of the first patient who got up and walked away after what would have been a devastating stroke - because they were seen early and got the right treatment. That image will never leave me." The Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Stroke Network urge health policymakers in Canada at all levels to act now to support efforts to improve stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation underway across the country. For further information: on the economic analysis and the Canadian Stroke Strategy, contact : Jane-Diane Fraser, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, (613) 569-4361, ext 273, jfraser@hsf.ca; Cathy Campbell, Canadian Stroke Network, (613) 562-5696, cathy@canadianstrokenetwork.ca; For more information on the status of provincial stroke strategies, contact your local Heart and Stroke Foundation media representative -see "contact us" at www.heartandstroke.ca/media 7d.Newly approved Lucentis fights macular disease By PATRICK KURP Drug saving seniors' eyesight One day, Shirley Smith's vision was just fine for a woman approaching 70 who had worn glasses for much of her life. The next morning while making coffee, Smith noticed the lines on her kitchen wallpaper had grown wavy. More alarmingly, she could see a frame hanging on her wall, but not the picture inside of it. "This was scary. Everything was fine, and all of a sudden, I couldn't see right. I knew something serious was going on," said Smith, 70, a retired office manager living in Pasadena. That first scare came in May 2004. Her family doctor sent her to an ophthalmologist at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, who diagnosed her with the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in her left eye. Smith's condition is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in people 65 and older in the United States. In 2004, the Archives of Ophthalmology estimated that 1.75 million Americans have symptoms associated with age-related macular degeneration. The disease is caused by damage to the macula, the central portion of the retina responsible for focusing central vision and fine details. Wet AMD is less common than dry AMD, but is more serious and accounts for some 85 percent of all AMD-related blindness. The causes of AMD remain unknown. Women tend to be at greater risk than men, and whites are likelier than African Americans to develop the disease. Other risk factors include cigarette smoking and a family history of AMD. The wet form occurs when new blood vessels form in the macula to improve the blood supply to oxygen-deprived retinal tissue. These new vessels are delicate and rupture easily, damaging surrounding tissue. Smith's doctor treated her with Macugen, a medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2004, which targets the protein associated with abnormal growth of blood vessels in the macula. By the end of the year, however, Smith had lost about 95 percent of the vision in her left eye, and within a few months AMD began to develop in her right eye. Soon, she could no longer drive and became legally blind. In March, Smith enrolled in a clinical trial at Methodist Hospital for a new medication, Lucentis, which received final FDA approval last month. Lucentis is injected into the eye. Four days after her first injection of Lucentis, Smith noticed more brightness. She could see distant objects. After a second injection, 30 days later, her vision improved from 20/200 to 20/80. "This is why you study so hard and work so hard to be a physician. We live for results like this that are so dramatic," said Dr. Matthew Benz, an ophthalmologist at The Methodist Hospital. Smith will continue to receive monthly Lucentis injections for a year. She never will regain vision in her left eye, but considers her right eye a miracle. "I'm a very visual person," she said. "I love flowers. I love decorating my house. I'm the one who takes the family pictures." For questions or comments on the Health & Medicine page, contact matthew.schwartz@ chron.com 8.Technology 8a.The problem with PDF's After trying unsucessfully to open a PDF to turn it into a text file. I worked for an hour and then gave up, I had even downloaded new software. I had a small taste of how frustrating it is to face these PDF's on a regular basis, so I asked readers what they thought, here are some of their responses. This sent in by a reader; There is a Ministry of Community and Social Services report on establishing a municipality AAC. Included are terms of reference and other information providing key points in establishing a committee. What strikes me is that the report is a .PDF report. The ministry's other resource guide for AAC’s are nothing but .PDF reports. http://www.mcss. gov.on.ca/ NR/rdonlyres/ 83A98C75- 5EE5-44A1- B2A3-71939F2CF1D C/15/Establish_ Municipal_ ACC.pdf This sent in by a reader; I've been assured that a PDF is not as safe as one would believe. Much of the problem with pdf's in the past is that the person would just scan an image of text and wrap it in a PDF, kind of defeats the purpose. With today's new accessible version, you have the option to save it as a text file, assuming of course they didn't scan an image as well. So rather than you having to go to all the trouble to convert, an alternate format should be created along with the PDF. I don't know about your version of Kerzwell but mine doesn't always convert properly and again it should not be up to us to find time consuming work, especially when you consider that more often than not, a PDF starts off in an accessible format. This sent in by a reader; Hi there. One of the reason's that a .PDF is like it is, is to protect the author. Many file and/or documents that are available on the internet, that are downloaded, can be modified and sometimes for malicious purposes. Adobe, in using the .PDF format, allows the author of the document to secure their document from modification which protects the integrity of the saved item. The shortcoming of this file format, is that screen readers, can not read these files. Some older version screen readers stall or hang on opening such a file where some newer screen readers will read the file line by line without recognizing column's. Most recent version of Adobe Acrobat do allow the author, when saving the file, to select a "save" option that allows a screen reader to navigate the file a little smoother. That said one can not tamper with the file in a non screen reader assisted environment either. People that have spoken to wish to maintain the integrity of certain files on their site. In those cases they are quite resilient to change. My work around has been to use the "Virtual Printer" that is available in Kurzweil, and after scanning the document, I can save the .PDF as a .doc or .txt and manipulate or read the file with my screen with as reasonable degree of certainty. 8b.Federal Judge Sustains Discrimination Claims Against Target; Precedent Establishes That Retailers Must Make Their Websites Accessible to the Blind Under the ADA BERKELEY, Calif., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- A federal district court judge ruled yesterday that a retailer may be sued if its website is inaccessible to the blind. The ruling was issued in a case brought by the National Federation of the Blind against Target Corp. (Northern District of California Case No. C 06-01802 MHP) The suit charges that Target's website ( http://www.target. com ) is inaccessible to the blind, and therefore violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the California Unruh Civil Rights Act, and the California Disabled Persons Act. Target asked the court to dismiss the action by arguing that no law requires Target to make its website accessible. The Court denied Target's motion to dismiss and held that the federal and state civil rights laws do apply to a website such as target.com. The suit, NFB v. Target, was filed as a class action on behalf of all blind Americans who are being denied access to target.com. The named plaintiffs are the NFB, the NFB of California, and a blind college student, Bruce "BJ" Sexton. The plaintiffs are represented by Disability Rights Advocates (http://www.dralegal .org ), a Berkeley-based non-profit law firm that specializes in high-impact cases on behalf of people with disabilities; Brown, Goldstein & Levy (http://www.browngol d.com ), a leading civil rights law firm in Baltimore, Maryland; and Schneider & Wallace (http://www.schneide rwallace. com ), a national plaintiff's class action and civil rights law firm based in San Francisco, CA. The court held: "the 'ordinary meaning' of the ADA's prohibition against discrimination in the enjoyment of goods, services, facilities or privileges, is that whatever goods or services the place provides, it cannot discriminate on the basis of disability in providing enjoyment of those goods and services." The court thus rejected Target's argument that only its physical store locations were covered by the civil rights laws, ruling instead that all services provided by Target, including its Web site, must be accessible to persons with disabilities. "This ruling is a great victory for blind people throughout the country," said NFB President Dr. Marc Maurer. "We are pleased that the court recognized that the blind are entitled to equal access to retail websites." Dr. Maurer explained that blind persons access websites by using keyboards in conjunction with screen-reading software, which vocalizes visual information on a computer screen. Target's website contains significant access barriers that prevent blind customers from browsing among and purchasing products online, as well as from finding important corporate information such as employment opportunities, investor news, and company policies. The plaintiffs charge that target.com fails to meet the minimum standard of web accessibility. It lacks compliant alt-text, an invisible code embedded beneath graphic images that allows screen readers to detect and vocalize a description of the image to a blind computer user. It also contains inaccessible image maps and other graphical features, preventing blind users from navigating and making use of all of the functions of the website. And because the website requires the use of a mouse to complete a transaction, blind Target customers are unable to make purchases on target.com independently. The plaintiffs originally filed the complaint in Alameda superior court on February 7, 2006. The case was removed to federal district court and assigned to Judge Marilyn Hall Patel. Target responded to the suit by filing a motion to dismiss the case, which argued in part that no civil rights laws apply to the Internet. "We tried to convince Target that it should do the right thing and make its website accessible through negotiations, " said Dr. Maurer. "It is unfortunate that Target took the position that it does not have to take the rights of the blind into account. The ruling in this case puts Target and other companies on notice that the blind cannot be treated like second class citizens on the Internet or in any other sphere." Explaining the ramification of the ruling, Mazen M. Basrawi, Equal Justice Works Fellow at Disability Rights Advocates, noted that: "the court clarified that the law requires that any place of public accommodation is required to ensure that it does not discriminate when it uses the internet as a means to enhance the services it offers at a physical location." "I hope that I can soon shop online at Target.com just like anyone else," said UC Berkeley student BJ Sexton, who is a named plaintiff in the lawsuit. "I believe that millions of blind people like me can use the Internet just as easily as do the sighted, if websites are accessible." About the National Federation of the Blind With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind. SOURCE National Federation of the Blind Related links: http://www.target. com http://www.dralegal .org http://www.browngol d.com http://www.schneide rwallace. com http://www.prnewswi re.com/cgi- bin/stories. pl?ACCT=ind_ focus.story& STORY=/www/ story/09-07- 2006/0004428698& EDATE=THU+ Sep+07+2006, +02:31+PM 8c.Aroga Group and Serotek to Provide Blind and Print Disabled Canadians with Improved Internet and Computer Access People with print disabilities such as blindness and dyslexia now have new tools to help them access computers and use the Internet VANCOUVER, Sept. 15 /CNW/ - Aroga Group, a leading supplier of technology solutions for the disabled, announced today that they will immediately begin distribution of computer access products from Serotek Corporation of Minneapolis Minnesota. Serotek is the creator of the FreedomBox Network, a simple-to-use system that allows people with low vision, blindness and other print disabilities to navigate the internet and access a vast array of information and media. Accessing the Internet has always been challenging for people with visual impairments. Web browsers and web pages are typically set up to be visually appealing; quite often they are difficult for blind people to navigate using screen reading software. Where a sighted person can immediately focus on the information that is important to them, a blind user has to read most of the information on the page before finding what they are looking for. A blind computer user often has to sort through banner ads, multiple menus and buttons before finding any meaningful content. The process can challenge the skills of even the most experienced blind web-surfers. The FreedomBox Network organizes information from the Internet in a simple-to-access system of menus which can be navigated easily with a computer's arrow keys. Although the means of access is simple, the amount of content available to the user is immense. It includes access to email, which can be composed through the keyboard, or for people who don't know how to type, it can be recorded and sent as a voice-mail. The network also provides access to news services from around the world, online music, shopping, chat rooms, and even audio-described movies for people who are blind. Members of the network can also create their own web pages and share them for other users. By allowing this flexibility and by harnessing the creativity of their user community, Serotek has made FreedomBox Network one of the fastest growing online communities in the world. "What attracted us to Serotek was the fact that they were designing products with the understanding that not everyone is a computer expert," said Steve Barclay, Aroga's Director of Customer Care. "FreedomBox Network provides access to a broad array of information sources, but requires almost no training to use. In order to access this kind of information previously a visually impaired user might have needed weeks of training. Now we can have them up and running in a day." Serotek is also the creator of System Access, a simple yet powerful screen reader which verbalizes information from a computer. A user can carry it with them on a USB memory stick and access nearly any Windows computer with a USB port. The FreedomBox Network and System Access also work together to help facilitate remote computer training. A user can log on to the FreedomBox Network and invite another FreedomBox network user to assist them. This allows someone to remotely control their computer to provide training and support from anywhere in the world. "In a country like Canada this is a huge advantage," explains Steve Barclay. Many people with disabilities have been unable to get any kind of computer training because they lived in a remote location. Very few people are able to provide good training to blind computer users. Now we can connect directly to them and provide one on one training without ever having to leave our office." Aroga and Serotek have provided 22 CNIB offices across the country with free copies of both System Access and FreedomBox Network for demonstration to their clients. In addition, Aroga can provide 30 day demo copies for people who want to try the software at home. For further information: For more information on Aroga Group please visit the website at www.aroga.com, or contact Steve Barclay, Director of Customer Care, Toll Free: 1-800-561-6222, Or (604) 431-7997; Written enquiries may be directed to: 150-5055, Joyce Street, Vancouver, BC, V5R 6B2; For more information on Serotek, please visit the website at www.freedombox.info, or contact Mike Calvo, CEO, 1-866-202-0520 8d.Lucent Unveils New Speech Software from Bell Labs MURRAY HILL, N.J. - Lucent introduced a speech software package based on Bell Labs research called the Lucent Speech Application Platform that will enable professionals to develop Windows-based applications for speech-enabled products. Lucent also announced that it will work with Intel Corporation to advance away-from-the- office business applications. Other initial customers for the Lucent Speech Application Platform include Cambridge Consultants, Ltd. and 900 News Inc./Stock News Now. The new Lucent software developers kit (SDK) integrates automatic speech recognition (ASR) and superior text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis technologies for computer applications that work with a microphone or over the telephone. These capabilities can be combined to provide a platform for multilingual natural language environments. Distributed on a CD-ROM with multilingual engines for ASR and TTS, the Lucent Speech Application Platform allows software developers to create such applications as e-mail readers, voice-controlled Web browsers, and automatic news readers. The Lucent Speech Application Platform is compliant with Microsoft Software Application Programming Interface (SAPI). The TTS engine provides unrestricted text input and options for both male and female voices as well as multilingual engines. The Lucent TTS Engine currently supports American English, German, and Spanish (Mexican). The engine will soon handle French, Spanish (Castilian), Italian, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese (Mandarin). The Lucent ASR engine supports speaker-independent , continuous speech recognition and run-time vocabulary change. Both sub-word (phonetic) models and whole-word models are supported. The engine can reject out-of-vocabulary utterances and offers a SAPI-compliant grammar compiler. The speech recognition engine uses 32 MB of RAM and requires a 166 MHz Pentium Pro. It is currently available in English and Spanish, with other languages planned. Cambridge Consultants will develop Web e-commerce applications using the Lucent TTS engine. 900 News Inc./Stock News Now developed a stock news and quote reader, Stock News Now, which will use Lucent's TTS engine for an over-the-telephone application. The Lucent TTS engine has logic to support pronunciation of names, addresses, numbers, date and time, as well as context-sensitive abbreviation expansion. The TTS playback includes male and female voices at both 8 KHz and 11 KHz; and supports adjustment of speed, volume, pitch, and vocal tract size. http://www.speechte chmag.com/ ME2/Audiences/ dirmod.asp? sid=679D2297DFF4 4A8BBF 8e.Podcast - Print Speaking to the Blind By Alastair McPhee If you or a friend has an ipod or you use mp3 download sites you can now listen to a podcast of the newspapers produced by our service. All that you need to do is paste the url below into your podcast or player bar and log in for regular updates. http://www.daisymed ia.co.uk/ podcasts/ feed.xml For further information phone 0141-563-0306 and ask for Alastair McPhee. Cue and Review Recording Service is Scotland's largest independently funded talking newspaper group, transcribing fifteen print magazines and newspapers into audio formats for the benefit of visually and reading impaired people. Cue and Review Recording Service is one of over 600 talking newspapers and magazine groups throughout the United Kingdom, but the only one providing the specific titles that it records. Cue and Review Recording Service is based in Bishopbriggs, Glasgow. It is a Scottish registered charity and a company limited by guarantee but without share capital. As a non statutory organization it must raise every penny it spends. Income is drawn from membership fees, donations, street collections, individual grants and from transcription work carried out for public and private sector clients. This helps them meet their responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. In 2004 over 5,000 Scots were helped by the charity specifically through its recording of public/private sector information. Since January 2004 the service has introduced a membership fee which presently stands at 60p per week enabling people to gain access to the full range of audio titles. Titles recorded by the service are The Herald, Sunday Herald, Evening Times, Scottish Sun, Radio Times, Inside Soap, Earth Matters, Star Trek, SFX, Empire, History Today, Kerrang, Cue and Review, Four Four Two and More magazines. LINK: For more information visit http://www.cueandre view.org. uk (SOURCE URL BELOW) http://www.cueandre view.org. uk/news-daisy_ media.html 8f. A COAAC Forum Discussion Sometimes members of the COAAC Forum have differing opinions. This, I believe contributes to the creative process. Alot of us are consultants, so when our opinions differ, we have to agree to disagree. Here is one of those examples. Here is the anwser from a member when asked his opinion on the discussion. I believe this is a wise anwser. "Well, I kind of agree with the both of you, without the heat. On the one hand, any effort towards accessibility is positive. On the other, when efforts fall short of standard, we don't want to give credibility to "any effort is better than nothing." I found myself with egg on my face this month, over that very thing. It was during one of my Cities Accessibility Events. They started with a flyer which read, "Access: ASL". I sent them a memo to anticipate a storm of protest over that one! ASL serves only about 5% of the hearing loss population. Suggested that CART serves the needs of the largest number, above and beyond the microphone that also helps the mainstream know what is going on. A got a call as to where to find CART. Gave the organizer a phone number or two. Later in the week, I talked to the AAC liaison. As I recall, they were having problems finding CART service. I commented that, "If you can't get CART, then note-taking is better than nothing." Day after the event, one of the groups is up in arms that note-taking doesn't meet standards. I agree - it doesn't. But, in my shoes, what would you have recommended?" 8g.DisabilityPolicy Site DisabilityPolicy.ca looks at the issues and concerns surrounding disability-related policy in Canada. This site can be viewed at www.disabilitypolicy.ca. The site is intended to serve three main purposes: To build the capacity of people with disabilities in general and of organizations of people with disabilities more specifically, to respond to issues regarding disability-related policy in Canada; To be a website that is jointly owned by many organizations of people with disabilities around Canada for the purposes of knowledge-sharing, communication and mobilization; and To allow researchers, writers and the general public to share their knowledge about the effectiveness of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) as a tool for engaging the disability community in eDemocracy initiatives. The website arose from a need identified by the Council of Canadians with Disabilities and Canadian Association of Community Living's joint project "Connecting People to Policy". The Dis-IT Research Alliance proposed to take over the website portion of the initiative to facilitate the continuation of the goals of the project. This site was built by a group of committed volunteers from several different organizations, including: the Canadian Association for Community Living; ARCH: A Legal Resource Centre for Persons with Disabilities; the Council of Canadians with Disabilities; Alliance of Equality of Blind Canadians; Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres; and various Independent Living Resource Centre groups. On behalf of the Advisory Committee we would like to invite you to come and browse our new site. Your feedback will be essential in making this website a truly interactive experience for people in the disability community. Please take the time to tell us what you think. Disabilitypolicy.ca is trying to meet a high level of website design accessibility standards. If you have any suggestions that will help make our site more accessible, please contact us at: Christine Kelly, Research Assistant (English) tel.: 204-480-1411, email: umkell37@cc.umanitoba. ca Francis Charrier, Research Assistant (French) tel.: 418-529-9141 ext. 6107, email: francis.charrier. 1@ulaval. ca 8h.US Firm Seeks Tech, Captioning and Investment Partners. An American company is looking for partners to develop and launch a new service to give deaf and hard of hearing people access to radio content. Saint Louis, Missouri-based iMobile Access Technologies plans to introduce a system that will provide real-time captioning of radio content to hearing-impaired individuals. "We will deliver captions to the eyes of the user through our patent pending solution that consists of a receiver and an eye piece," said company founder Stephen Foster, who is himself deaf. "The eye piece projects the captions into the users' field of view and is portable; this allows the user to engage in simultaneous activity while 'watching' radio." The company's Chief Technical Officer, Hari (Sam) Samrat says iMAT currently is seeking technology partners, captioning partners and deaf and hard of hearing organizations to participate in various aspects of the launch of the service. The company's system will use voice recognition and context-based language processors, in conjunction with humans to caption radio programming in real time with a maximum delay of two to three seconds between what is spoken and what is displayed. The company is therefore very interested in identifying captioners and captioning organizations willing to work with it to refine that part of the system. The company has obtained seed funding for the system, but it is also seeking additional investors. Meanwhile, work continues on the development of a beta version of the caption display. To find out more about the company and the project, contact Stephen Foster, CEO, iMobile Access Technologies, 210 North Tucker Blvd. Saint Louis, Missouri, USA 63101 tel.: 314-333-0430, email: sfoster@imobileaccess.com. 8i.Hearing loss and Radio facts This is a story and Information from one our members, outlining the importance of advertising the proper symbols for meetings and information; There was a city meeting which I did not attend. Afterwards one of the organizers sent me a strongly worded email demanding why I did not attend since they had ASL interpreter services available. I told him that when I checked the advertisement that provided all the information on the meeting, and there was an ear symbol at the bottom. Now, like every other Deaf person, I took it to mean that the FM loop system will be available but I do not wear hearing aids and I cannot hear. I told him if he had ASL interpreters available he should have used the two hand symbol (in which two hands are signing "interpreter" ). Boy, oh boy, money was spent and lost for that meeting and no Deaf people showed up all because the incorrect symbol was used. Lesson learned. I am glad you like the CART services, besides it's not just a useful tool for those with a hearing loss, but the audience gets the opportunity to receive the notes of the meeting. We had that once at a meeting in which a hard of hearing man, who never used ASL interpreters nor any assistance, but loved it so much and that after the meeting was over, a few days later he asked me to do him a favour and hunt the meeting organizers in order to get the name of the CART providers. But with the stigma of high costs in using the services companies may not be so keen using it often enough. Here in Toronto we do not have enough ASL interpreters, let alone CART operators and interveners. Many do not consider these positions are good careers and in high demand. No one is visiting high schools and speak on the topic of the career opportunities. Sometimes the public needn't bother to go out of their way to get an education in working with those with disabilities, unless they have personal experience or personally affected or consider it a career. As for personal experience, I have met many hearing who would become friends and later ask me: Where can I learn sign language? George Brown College offers Community Services courses. Among them are "Assisting a Person with Mobility", "Role of the Personal Support Worker", "Care giving Skills", "Introduction to the Deaf Community", etc. How would it be rightfully marketed to high school students as well as to the general public? I'm sure we all know this, that for the general public, our media isn't providing too many articles on the disability community and only when they deem it newsworthy, they pick up the story. The British Broadcasting Corporation of United Kingdom has a segment for the disabled, called OUCH! Now why would a large corporation like BBC go out of their way to invest in this venture when Canadian media, such as CBC, CTV, Toronto Star, Global Television is not doing same? Not even the larger American media has a disability segment. When you look at hearing loss, you have three different aspects. The hard of hearing often DO listen to radio, even if it might be blaring as far as their neighbors are concerned. These folks make up about 85% of those with hearing loss. The deafened are out of luck, since no amount of amplification would avail. There is a move afoot in the US to caption radio, but it is still in its infancy. The deafened make up about 15% of those with hearing loss. The Deaf are in the same boat as the deafened - they cannot hear the broadcast. The defining definition between Deaf and deafened is that the former use sign language where the latter mostly do not. One is best described as prelingually deaf, while the deafened became so after learning to talk and rely on sound for communication. The Deaf comprise 5% of those with hearing loss. Another member writes; Regardless of hearing status, deaf, deafened and hard of hearing individuals have communication preferences (i.e. use spoken English, use signs in English order, some use ASL signs in ASL order. Most deaf oral, most hard of hearing and some deafened individuals prefer to use Spoken English. Some of them are able to listen to radio with assistance of hearing aids, cochlear implants and some of kinds of listen devices systems (i.e. FM system or sterophone). Many hard of hearing of deaf parents use ASL and most of them are able to listen to radio. 8j.CDBRA-BC applauds steps towards equality for persons with deafblindness VANCOUVER, Sept. 13 /CNW/ - For an individual with deafblindness, life as a Canadian is not an equitable one. To fully participate as Canadian citizens, one must be granted the same rights to access and inclusion as the balance of society. Individuals who speak multiple languages are provided interpreters, individuals who require legal assistance are provided with lawyers, but if you are a deafblind person in Canada who requires assistance to communicate, you must fight for your rights. On August 12, 2006 the Federal Court of Canada released a decision dictating that all government services must be available in sign language free of charge. The decision declared that deaf, deafened, deafblind and hard of hearing Canadians should have the same access to government services and programs and that when required the Government of Canada should provide for the required communication services. Over the past number of years there have been many decisions supporting efforts to include these individuals fully in Canadian life. Almost ten years ago, the Supreme Court of Canada declared that sign language interpreters must be provided to deaf persons in hospitals. Sometimes equality takes a long time. Deafblindness is frequently referred to as a communication disability; in that the only disability is the inability to clearly receive data from one's surroundings and/or to clearly provide data to one's surroundings. Providing written and electronic media, technology, interveners, interpreters and other communication specialists would allow Canadians with deafblindness to have the access they need. The Canadian Deafblind and Rubella Association of BC (CDBRA-BC) hopes that the government will utilize these communication formats as they move towards providing full and equitable services to deafblind Canadians. "This decision is a huge step towards communication equality for our members", said Wylie Bystedt, President CDBRA-BC, "We support this recent decision and as an agency that focuses on deafblindness we want to encourage any activity that enhances or contributes to our members' ability to fully participate as citizens in our society." Like all Canadians, individuals who are deafblind want to work, raise their families, enjoy recreational activities and talk or work with their government. Hopefully we can continue to move in positive steps towards these outcomes. Canadian Conference on Deafblindness On September 21, 2006, individuals from across Canada and around the world will be attending the 7th Canadian Conference on Deafblindness in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This conference is co-hosted by the Manitoba and the National Chapter of the Canadian Deafblind and Rubella Association. Experts in the field of deafblindness, medical professionals, interveners and individuals with deafblindness will be provided the opportunity to share resources, exchange information and discuss advocacy issues that affect us all. For further information on deafblindness and the Canadian Conference, please go to the CDBRA-BC website at www.cdbrabc.ca. 8k.Canadian accessibility experts continue to have a worldwide influence on Web accessibility Canadian accessibility experts continue to have a worldwide influence on Web accessibility. This year alone, Derek Featherstone of Further Ahead (www.furtherahead.com), an Ottawa-based accessibility consultancy, will be speaking and training in San Francisco, Texas, the UK and Australia, as well as keynoting a conference in Florida. "We've got some top-notch accessibility people in Canada with a great deal of experience in development, testing, user experience and all aspects of Web accessibility. Audiences at these conferences are eager to hear what we've learned and sessions fill up quickly. Whether for ethical or legal concerns, they are enthusiastic about making the Web universally accessible and want in-depth information on specific Web development techniques," says Featherstone. For more information, contact Derek Featherstone via email at feather@furtherahead.com, or call Further Ahead at: 613-599-9784 or 1-866-932-4878 (toll-free in North America). 8l. A group of eleven national disability organizations and resource persons have begun working with Canada's major telecommunications companies A group of eleven national disability organizations and resource persons have begun working with Canada's major telecommunications companies (Bell Canada, Allstream Inc., Saskatchewan Telecommunications, TELUS Communications Inc., Aliant Telecom Inc., Société en commandite Télébec and the former TELUS Communications (Québec) Inc.) on the development of a series of projects intended to improve the accessibility and usability of Canada's telecommunications systems and services. The telecom companies were directed by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunication Commission to earmark at least 5% each of the money held in their deferral accounts to be used in accessibility projects. On June 5, the disability groups met to develop their strategies for working with the telecoms. On the 6, the disability groups met with the telecoms and began the process of establishing a collaborative effort that will culminate in the development of accessibility project proposals. Cathy Moore of the CNIB arranged the meeting, which was held in Toronto. The first day of the meeting was funded by DisIT and the telecoms picked up the tab for Day 2. 8m.There's only two lawsuits known to be filed by the Blind in relation to inaccessible websites There's only two lawsuits known to be filed by the Blind in relation to inaccessible websites Bruce Maguire vs. Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games in Australia (http://www.contenu. nu/socog. html) and the American National Federation of the Blind (NFB) filed a class action suit against the Target Corporation earlier this year (http://www.dralegal .org/cases/ private_business /nfb_v_target. php). 8n.New Device Helps Blind to Read Machine converts print to audio Device the size of a paperback book Jun. 26, 2006. 06:06 AM JAMIE STENGLE ASSOCIATED PRESS DALLAS—A whole new world opened up for Tommy Craig as he tested a new hand-held device for the blind that converts print to audio. Craig was able to "read" everything from menus to cooking directions by positioning the reader over print and taking a picture. In seconds, the device's synthetic voice read the printed message to him. "The reader provides access to materials that a lot of times you just didn't read," said Craig, 51, of Austin, Tex., who was one of about 500 blind peoplewho tested the device over the past few months. "It certainly makes you more independent. '' The U.S. National Federation of the Blind plans to put the device on sale Saturday, when its annual meeting gets under way in Dallas. "It's not quite like having a pair of eyes that work, but it's headed in that direction," said James Gashel, executive director for strategic initiativesat the Maryland-based National Federation of the Blind. The device, combining a personal digital assistant and a digital camera, was developed by inventor Ray Kurzweil and the membership organization of more than 50,000 blind people. "This is really the hottest new technology to be developed for blind people in the last 30 years," said Gashel, who calls it "the camera that talks.'' About three decades ago, Kurzweil invented the first device that could convert text into audio. It was about the size of a washing machine. That gave way to software that could be used by a computer and scanner to perform the same function. The latest device, about the size of a paperback book, introduces portability. "It's always been considered desirable to have a reading machine that a blind person could carry along with them," Kurzweil said. "We're getting phenomenal feedback.'' There are more than 10 million blind and visually impaired people in North America, and that number is expected to double in the next few decades as baby boomers age. The device also can be useful for those who have limited vision, said Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind. The federation expects that the reader, which costs about $3,500, will be a big hit among the 3,000 participants at the annual meeting. It will be sold though Massachusetts- based Kurzweil Education Systems Inc. and will be available on the Internet and in stores. People who have tested the reader said they enjoy being able to read text they couldn't before. Maurer also points out another advantage: "Sometimes you get something that you want to read that you don't want anyone else to read.'' 8o.Availability of free PDF Accessibility Evaluation Ottawa's NetCentric (www.net-centric. com) recently announced the availability of a free PDF accessibility evaluation service for its Government clients. Called CommonLook Accessibility for PDF, the product is currently in use in both the Government of Canada and the American government. The service, which can be found at: www.net-centric. com/documents/ english/cl_ adobe_home. asp, allows clients to assess the accessibility of their PDF holdings, including documents that contain complex tables or forms. For more information, contact Andrew Oestereich at 613-270-9582, ext. 204 or email him at aoestereich@net-centric. com. 8p.Work has begun on the revision of the Canadian Standards Association' s (CSA: www.csa.ca) accessibility standard B651.1 Work has begun on the revision of the Canadian Standards Association' s (CSA: www.csa.ca) accessibility standard B651.1 Barrier-Free Design for Automated Banking Machines. This document was originally published in 2001 and is subject to the CSA's normal review and update cycle for existing standards. Deb Finn is on the committee developing the new version of the standard, which is expected to be available in 2008. 9.Humor 9a.Humorous Commercial Ontario Ruled by Us This commercial is sort of a "turn-about is fair play message", where people who do not have disabilities are made to feel like outsiders in society. It was very well done! http://www.ad- awards.com/ inc/video. swf?id=104 For people with visual impairments there is an explanation below of video; The film opens to a city street, a business district centre, where people in shirt, ties and good suits are going by. The pedestrians are filmed from the waist up, and in the next shot there is an able bodied woman, filmed from the waist up too, who then suddenly looks down. Deeply worried, she turns to her right and in the next shot we see her trying to find a friendly pedestrian to ask something. We see that all pedestrians are wheelchair users and going about their business. Now while the woman tries vainly to ask for help and the wheelchair users zoom away on the sidewalk, there's a city street in the background, traffic and a bus coming forward and suddenly she is almost hit by a wheelchair user. She tries to find a friendly person to help her, but she is totally ignored. Obviously, it's someone hopelessly lost in the big jungle of a cold hearted city. In the next scene a hearing woman shows up in which looks like a large courtroom or tax file office. There are no chairs for anyone to sit. Everyone is sitting in a wheelchair. She goes up to the clerk's table and she is mouthing that looks like a letter "w". For me, she is mostly likely to ask a "where" or a "who". Unfortunately for her the woman is taken aback and then at a loss and doesn't understand as the clerk continues to talk in sign language. I see him signing the signs for "transcript" , “listing”, "advice". No one has bothered to book an ASL interpreter for her. She stands there awkward, eyes darting right, left and then looking straight at the clerk and then grimaces. In the next shot, it is pouring rain. In the background there is a large building, three floors up, designed for car parking. In front of the building is a sloped road. On the road's right lane there is a bicycle lane and in the centre of the road are the right and left lanes. All wheelchair users are using the lanes, but an able bodied man is using the bicycle lane. Hard time at that too, as he is plummeting forward, slipping in the rain, trying to stop himself from a hard landing. The flat and slippery lane obliviously wasn't designed for those who walk with shoes, except for stairs! All wheelchair users are going steadily by. It continues to pour rain and from across a street, an able bodied man under an umbrella and in huge discomfort as he stands steadily next to a phone booth with both knees bent, listening on to his call. The phone booths are half the size of the regular phone booths, so that wheelchair users could access the phones. And from across the street, a wheelchair user points out the able bodied man across the street at the phone booths. The wheelchair user continues to point out the person and is seen to enjoy the misfortune. In the next shot, at a street intersection, everyone waits to cross the street. As people use sign language in the background, in the foreground the pedestrian's no-walk signal is a lighted red wheelchair and then it changes to a lighted green wheelchair, in which the stick figure in the wheelchair now has an arm to indicate a wheelchair push. I wonder if you can hear any chirping for a signal change here. Two wheelchair users now stroll across the street, smiling and making conversation. Flash to the library, rows and rows of bookshelves in the background. A sighted man moves for a girl who walks past with a cane, and she takes no notice of him. He looks away and checks the book that he just removed from the bookshelf. Pages and pages are blank, no words written in, and he continues to flip through the pages mystified. The library contains only books in Braille. He sits next to the library windows, frustrated, with nothing to do, nothing to read and nothing to enjoy. The film ends with two screens that proclaim the following French messages: LE MONDE EST PLUS DUR QUAND IL N'EST PAS CONCU POUR VOUS. DESORMAIS, LES ESPACES EDF SONT ACCESSIBLES A TOUS. 10.Entertainment/Recreation 10a.For Ontarians With Disabilities Partnership Project Means that More People Can Enjoy a Trip to the Movies OTTAWA, June 9 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government, Cineplex Entertainment and the Canadian Standards Association are working together to provide better service for people with disabilities when they go to the movies, Madeleine Meilleur, Minister Responsible for Ontarians with Disabilities, announced today. "We're on the side of Ontario businesses. Better accessibility benefits all businesses and individuals with disabilities, " said Meilleur. "It means more customers, a larger pool of potential employees and long-term business growth. Our goal is to make Ontario an accessible province by 2025, but businesses like Cineplex Entertainment are proving to us that improved accessibility is something we can begin right now." Meilleur joined Pat Marshall, Cineplex Entertainment' s Vice President of Communications and Investors Relations today to celebrate the results of Cineplex Entertainment' s participation in the Building Champions program. Through this program, the Canadian Standards Association worked with seven "champion" businesses and organizations to develop and test a voluntary customer service standard for businesses to use when serving customers with disabilities. As part of the program, Cineplex Entertainment trained employees on how to better serve customers with a disability. The training included such diverse elements as: - How best to guide a person with a visual impairment - Simple ways to make the premises more accessible for people with physical disabilities - How to best serve someone with a mental health illness. "This program provided our staff with tremendous insight regarding the needs of people with disabilities, " said Marshall. "We employ thousands of teens across the country and working in our theatres is often their first job. I believe the Building Champions program has instilled greater awareness, compassion and understanding of their unique needs that will stay with our staff long after they leave our employ." The Canadian Standard Association' s Building Champions initiative is one of the innovative projects funded by the Ontario government under the EnAbling Change Partnership program. It is just one of the ways in which the McGuinty government is working to break down barriers to help people with disabilities participate more fully in Ontario's communities. Since 2003, the government has: - Provided $28.2 million to help universities and colleges provide services for students with disabilities to help them succeed. - Improved the Disabled Parking Permit program - now called the Accessible Parking Permit program - Committed nearly $276 million in new funding to strengthen community supports for adults with a developmental disability. www.mcss.gov. on.ca Backgrounder BUILDING ACCESSIBILITY CHAMPIONS Improving accessibility for people with disabilities in employment, customer service and universal design is the driving force behind the projectsfunded under the Ontario government's EnAbling Change partnership program. The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) developed a customer service standard for people with disabilities with the help of a grant under the EnAbling Change partnership program. The standard was voluntary, and was accompanied by tools and resources to help businesses of all sizes to improve customer service to people with disabilities. CSA has recently finished piloting customer service training for serving customers with disabilities with seven business "champions" through its Building Champions program. The inaugural "champions" include small, medium and large businesses that collectively serve hundreds of thousands of Ontarians every day and share a commitment to improving customer service and access for people with disabilities. They include: - Cineplex Entertainment - The Shaw Festival - Entertainment (including Toronto's Panorama Restaurant and Bloor Street Diner) - Delta Chelsea Hotel, Toronto - Sears Canada - Wal-Mart - Wendy's Restaurants Canada The CSA standard guided their work, providing the resources and tools these companies and their staff needed to identify and remove barriers and topromote an accessibility culturethroughout their operations. EnAbling Change The EnAbling Change partnership program provides funding for strategic projects that will make a significant impact on improving accessibility for people with disabilities throughout an industry or sector, or across several sectors. EnAbling Change partnerships are selected based on their capacity to promote change and the extent to which they improve access for people with disabilities. Projects have a broad range of benefits that will positively impact people and organizations beyond the immediate project participants. The Ontario government invests $500,000 annually in EnAbling Change projects and targets partners who have the expertise to be catalysts for change. The focus of EnAbling Change is to improve accessibility for people with disabilities in three core areas: - Employment: To improve access to employment for people with disabilities by increasing the awareness of employers of the benefits of hiring and retaining employees with disabilities - Customer Service: To develop and promote voluntary codes of practice or voluntary standards to improve access to customer oriented services for people with disabilities - Universal Design: To promote the benefits of applying new design principles to create universally accessible products, designs and environments that everyone can use and enjoy. www.mcss.gov. on.ca 10b.New Stage Theatre now offers a special service to enhance the theater experience for the visually impaired. For the second season, visually impaired patrons can reserve an Audio Descriptive Device to use during the play. A volunteer attends the play's rehearsals, and during the performance, sits in the lighting booth and provides a description of the onstage action that feeds into an audience member's earpiece through the device. With 10 Audio Descriptive Devices, the theater can accommodate up to 10 patrons requesting the service at one performance. The audio description service is offered on the second Friday night and second Sunday matinee of the shows' runs. The program has five volunteers now and could use more. For training, call Virginia McGrane at (601) 829-2919 or (601) 953-9428. On a different frequency, the devices can be used to enhance the audio for the hearing impaired. That service, which doesn't require a live volunteer, is available for any performance. Call the theater's box office, (601) 948-3531, to reserve a device; they are available on a first come-first served basis. New Stage's 41st season opener is the musical comedy revue, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. It runs Tuesday through Sept. 24. 10c.“Beam Me Up” March of Dimes July 10, 2006 March of Dimes Canada (MODC) is pleased to welcome iconic Canadian screen star William Shatner as the organization’s new spokesperson. Known to many Canadians for his starring role as Captain James T. Kirk in the 1960s Star Trek TV show and seven subsequent Star Trek movies, the Emmy-winning actor will be helping to promote the programs of MODC, including Conductive Education Canada, Stroke Recovery Canada and Polio Canada. “We couldn’t be more excited to have someone of Mr. Shatner’s stature onboard as our spokesperson,” says Mary Lynne Stewart, Director of Fund Development and Communications for March of Dimes Canada. “I have no doubt he will help to raise the profile of our organization immeasurably.” Born in Montreal in 1931, Mr. Shatner spent his formative years in Canada and witnessed first hand the often devastating impact polio had on Canadians. “As a child growing up in Montreal, I remember well the polio epidemics, and the commitment of the Marching Mothers, who went door-to-door to collect money to help fund a polio vaccine,” said Mr. Shatner. “I knew that since then, March of Dimes had shifted its mandate to help children and adults with physical disabilities, a cause that is also close to my heart.” “When I was invited to participate in March of Dimes Canada as a spokesperson, I was delighted to be able to help out the organization, and support such a worthy and vital cause.” Mr. Shatner recently completed the filming of a series of Public Service Announcements to begin airing in the fall of 2006. He will also help out at March of Dimes Canada events when his schedule allows. For more information contact: Mary Lynne Stewert Director of Fund Development and Communications March of Dimes Canada Tel: 416-425-3463, ext. 7292 mstewart@dimes.on.ca. 10d. Trails for all Ontarians Collaborative - testing new trail Looking for groups or individuals with or without disabilities to help with the TAOC project. The Trails for all Ontarians Collaborative (TAOC) has been working to develop standards for trail construction and maintenance that will enable Ontarians of all abilities to enjoy our wonderful outdoor environments. The first trail built using the draft guidelines is part of the Oak Ridges Trail just south of Goodwood. We are looking forward to obtaining feedback from trail users with and without disabilities about the attractiveness and accessibility of the new trail segment. The Oak Ridges Trail Association hosted a "media event" on June 22nd . If you would be interested in participating, please contact Harold Sellers, Executive Director ORTA (execdir@orta.on.ca) for more information. Patti Longmuir and I walked the newly constructed trail and thought you might be interested in the nature of the trail. The section of trail that was constructed using the draft TAOC guidelines has a surface of crushed stone and is 250 feet long. It links the new parking lot to an inactive laneway that already existed on the property. The new section of trail was built to blend with the width and crushed stone surface of the existing laneway. Our assessment of the new trail section is that it will be highly accessible. The trail is wide and relatively level, although there is a short section (less than 50 feet) with a 7% grade. The new section of trail and existing laneway are a total of 1000 feet in length. The path goes south from the parking lot through a meadow and then it goes over a bridge and along the edge of a small lake with geese and ducks. The walking time from the parking lot to the lake and the junction with the Oak Ridges Trail is 5 to 10 minutes. The laneway connects with the Oak Ridges Trail going either east or west. However, the Oak Ridges trail itself has not been re-built according to the TAOC guidelines. Although many nearby sections of the ORT would be very accessible without modification, in this location the trail is not heavily used and when we were there on Monday the deep grass made the path very narrow and the recent rains had made the soil surface quite muddy. If you have any questions about this, please don't hesitate to call me. Sincerely, Linda Gurd Project Assistant lindagurd@sympatico.ca 416-691-1670 10e.Study on Recreational opportunities for Children This letter was sent to us by one of our members; Good Afternoon, My name is Craig Kohler and I am the Research Assistant at the Accessibility Centre of Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma. My co-worker and I are under contract funded through the National Child Care Benefit Strategy to research recreational activities for children and youth with disabilities in our area. Two programs we are currently researching are a sledge hockey program and a drop in centre concept. We have been in contact with the Ontario Sledge Hockey Association, children's treatment centres across Ontario, municipal staff and now I have received your contact information from our AAC Chair and am reaching out to you for information. I am attaching our lists of questions regarding our program developments as a guide. Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated. Yours Respectfully, Craig Kohler Craig Kohler B.A. Accessibility Research Assistant Accessibility Centre of Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma 260 Elizabeth St. Sault Ste. Marie ON P6A 6J3 Tel: (705) 541-2831 Fax: (705) 541-2849 TTY: (705) 541-2815 c.kohler@cityssm. on.ca 10f.Volunteer and Sports Opportunities Volunteer Ottawa has a new supported volunteer program for people with physical disabilities in Ottawa! Would you like to explore new volunteer opportunities in the community? Are you already an experienced volunteer and would you like to be a peer for a new volunteer with a physical disability? Would your organization like to promote an inclusive atmosphere for volunteers with physical disabilities? This program is running thanks to a grant from the Ontario Trillium foundation. To find out more, please contact Kim Kilpatrick at 613-736-5266 Ext. 227 or e-mail mailto:kim@volunteerottawa.ca . 11.Upcoming Events September is National Arthritis Month: http://www.arthritis.ca September is National Muscular Dystrophy Month: http://www.mdac.ca Alzheimer Coffee Break Day (Sept. 28): http://www.alzheimer.ca Self-Help Awareness Week (Ontario) (Sept. 24-30): http://www.selfhelp.on.ca/ Family Services à la famille Ottawa Advocacy Workshop Series September 14 to October 19, Ottawa, ON This free, six-part workshop series explores the steps necessary to begin creating an advocacy campaign within your community. Ideally, participants will come with a specific issue in mind to work. Space limited to 15 participants. To register, call 613-725-3601 (dial 0 for reception). ARCH Disability Law Centre Annual General Meeting September 21, Toronto, ON  Visit Metro Hall at 5:30 p.m. Laurie Beachell of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities will be the guest speaker. He will be focusing on the national initiative "End Exclusion" and also bring disability-related news to us from around the country. For more info, visit http://www.archdisabilitylaw.ca . THE ONTARIO MAINSTREET ACCESSIBILITY AWARDS 2006 Deadline for nominations: September 28th, 2006 If you are aware of small businesses or communities that have shown leadership in improving accessibility through physical modifications or customer service - please encourage them to apply for the Award. Detailed CRITERIA and NOMINATION FORMS can be downloaded from: http://www.toronto- bia.com/resource s/OMAawards. php http://www.toronto- bia.com/resource s/OMAawards. php People with disabilities are a growing consumer market in Canada. Nationally people with disabilities account for an estimated $25 billion a year in consumer spending and influence the spending decisions of twelve to fifteen million other Canadians. The "Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act" (AODA) is new legislation that applies to hundreds of thousands of businesses in Ontario, as well as to community groups and public services. The AODA aims to remove many of the barriers people experience in public and commercial areas. More information on the AODA and how it will affect businesses can be found at: www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/ english/pillars/ accessibilityOntario The following additional resources can be viewed or downloaded at: http://www.toronto- bia.com/resource s/accessibility. php http://www.toronto- bia.com/resource s/accessibility. php 3D Animated Video "Mainstreet Ontario" - Take a stroll down Main Street and see if you can solve the accessibility dilemmas. Missed Bu$iness? A guide for small business: How to attract more customersby providing better access to your business. For this document in MS WORD format, go to the following link to download: http://www.toronto- bia.com/resource s/accessibility/ Missed_Business. doc http://www.toronto- bia.com/resource s/accessibility/ Missed_Business. doc Accessibility Tipsheets - Tips to help you welcome customers with disabilities and make your business more accessible. Visit the following link for these tipsheets in Adobe PDF and HTML format: http://www.toronto- bia.com/resource s/tipsheets. php>http://www.toronto- bia.com/resource s/tipsheets. php Awards brochures can be obtained by sending an email to: mailto: info% 40toronto- bia.com>info@toronto- bia.com Or downloaded at: http://www.toronto- bia.com/resource s/OMAawards. php http://www.toronto- bia.com/resource s/OMAawards. php TABIA Contact Information: Attn: OMA Awards TABIA 2257 Bloor St. West, Toronto, ON M6S 1N8 Phone: 416 263-3295 Fax: 416 263-3125 Email: mailto: awards% 40toronto- bia.com>awards@toronto- bia.com PLAN Institute Launches Cross-Canada Tour To give families the tools they need to secure the well-being of children with disabilities who outlive their parents, The Plan Institute is launching The Ties That Bind National Tour this fall. Each stop includes a public screening of the National Film Board documentary "The Ties That Bind," about an Ottawa family's struggle to create a secure future for their son. Families can also attend a workshop to learn practical steps that they can take. For dates and locations, visit http://www.planinstitute.ca . Rick Hansen Marks 20th Anniversary of Legendary Tour Rick Hansen traveled to Cape Spear, Newfoundland, at the end of August to mark the 20th anniversary of the final leg of his Man in Motion fundraising tour. By August, 1986, Hansen had spent 17 months wheeling through 33 countries, but had only raised $172,000 of his $10 million goal for spinal cord research. During the final phase of his trip, from Newfoundland to British Columbia, Hansen raised $26 million. Since then, the Rick Hansen Foundation has raised nearly $180 million. For info, visit http://www.rickhansen.com . “BACK TO THE FUTURE” CONTEST In celebration of the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centre’s (CAILC) 20th Anniversary, we have created a “Back to the Future” Youth Contest for youth with or without disabilities. This contest needs the imagination, creativity and spunkiness of Canada’s youth in order to envision the world of disability 100 years from now. The Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC) is the national umbrella organization, representing and supporting the network of 28 Independent Living Resource Centres (ILRCs) at the national level. The ILRCs work to provide information, peer support, opportunities for skills development, community based research and disability supports in their areas. As organizations that are run by and for persons with disabilities, both CAILC and the ILRCs promote full integration and participation, helping to strengthen the social and fiscal economies of Canadian society. Canadians with disabilities have skills, determination, creativity and a passion for life, yet many are unable to fully participate in the economic, political and cultural life because barriers to full citizenship persist in Canadian society – outdated attitudes, inflexible laws and regulations, and fragmented and uncoordinated approach to everything from hiring, to housing, to public transportation. The barriers that people experience are shown in daily life through inaccessible buildings, non-inclusive policies, lack of access to technology, etc. In contrast to this, the IL movement envisions a Canadian society where we all live, work, play, learn, worship, parent, and volunteer side by side For more information on the IL movement, the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC), or to find your local ILRC, see http://www.cailc.ca/>www.cailc.ca. A National initiative is being designed to celebrate these past events and build toward a Forum in Ottawa on November 2, 2006. Building an Inclusive and Accessible Canada will bring together people from across Canada, national, provincial and local disability groups and civil society organizations to participate in this unique and historic campaign. Read more at : English www.contaac.ca/coaac/ archive/files/ end_exclusion_ english.doc French www.contaac.ca/coaac/ archive/files/ end_exclusion_ french.doc Ottawa Wheelchair Rally Sept 23rd It's that time of year again to begin preparing for the 11th Annual Ottawa Wheelchair Relay in support of Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario. We need to know, are you up for the no limits challenge? We're inviting you to take part in this year's race on Saturday September 23, 2006 at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility at Mooney's Bay. As you'll remember there's an array of exciting prizes, tasty food and lively entertainment for all ages, not to mention the reward of giving back to the community. Let out your competitive side and show us how you roll! To register a team call or fax a completed team registration form from the attached brochure. Confirm your current email address. We'll send you this year's Captain's Package with everything you and your team will need to begin collecting pledges. We'll send you race updates and information throughout the summer to keep you informed. All teams registered in June will be entered in our early bird draw! Here's a new challenge! Consider splitting your team from last year to create two! Double the competition, double the fun! You could be eligible for a Recruitment Prize, ask me how. Need more information? Contact Anne Laybolt by phone: (613) 723-1033, x222 or by email: anne.laybolt@ cpaont.org See you on the track! Anne You can contact Anne at: Anne Laybolt Community Development Coordinator Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario 1101 Prince of Wales Dr., Suite 230 Ottawa, ON K2C 3W7 (613) 723-1033 x222 www.cpaont.org Rethink Breast Cancer's Booby Ball 5: Mandarin Oriental Hotel September 29, Toronto, ON For info about this fundraiser, visit http://www.boobyball.com Mix Community Club - Performance by DRP Heat Band September 29, Toronto, ON The Durham Regional Police can rock - see them play at this party, plus a martial arts demo. $10, or $5 for members. For info, visit http://www.mixcommunityclub.com . Jobs in Motion - Career Fair for Job Seekers with Disabilities October 3, Toronto, ON Visit the Hilton Hotel on Richmond St. W. from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and network among up to 20 potential employers from the financial, retail, telecommunication/information technology, manufacturing sectors and more. Register early to receive your Fast Pass. E-mail mailto:CCAP@CIBC.com or call 416-307-3226. 2006 McMaster Fall Symposium: Keeping Our Patients Safer October 3, Hamilton, ON All disciplines including long term care, hospitals and the community will benefit from these presentations. For further info, visit http://www.socsci.mcmaster.ca/gerontology/ . The Scrabble Walk is Back On Saturday, September 30, 2006, teams will collect letters by answering fun and (semi) skill-testing questions about downtown London. After the walk we'll celebrate with lunch, games and prizes, which will be awarded for: * highest word score * most creative costume and team name * most money raised in pledges * There will also be a prize draw for teams that raise more than $1000. All proceeds will benefit the London/Woodstock chapter of Positive Action for Conductive Education® (P.A.C.E.). P.A.C.E. supports the Conductive Education (CE) Program of Ontario March of Dimes, a combination of rehabilitation and education that helps kids with impaired motor skills learn the basics of movement and physical control. Details: Registration takes place from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at The Covent Garden Market, 2nd Level Lounge, London. The walk will follow from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., then lunch and prizes until 2:30 p.m. You can register by calling Deb at 519-432-6537 or Fab at 519-641-8109 Screenings of SHAMELESS: The ART of Disability October 4 and 27, Toronto, ON See the new film by Bonnie Sherr Klein, presented by the National Film Board of Canada. SHAMELESS launches the 2006/07 Doc Soup series at the Bloor Cinema on Oct. 4 ( http://www.hotdocs.ca ) and plays again on Oct. 27 at Workman Theatre as part of the ARCfest (Art for Real Change Festival): Toronto's Social Justice Arts Festival. Catherine Frazee, one of the artists featured in the film and Distinguished Professor at Ryerson University, will participate in the post-film discussion. Please visit http://www.arcfest.org for ticket info. For info about the film, visit http://www.nfb.ca/shamelesstheartofdisability . Holistic World Expo October 13 to 15, Toronto, ON Visit the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to see speakers and more than 200 exhibitors offering holistic health therapies. Details at http://www.holisticworld.org . 2nd National Spinal Cord Injury Conference October 26 to 28, Toronto, ON Learn about "The Evolving Architecture of Research, Patient Care and Education" at this event with other clinicians, educators, researchers and consumers. For more information, please Visit http://www.torontorehab.com/education/scrindex.htm . NEADS 20th Anniversary National Conference November 10 to 12, Ottawa, ON celebrate the 20th anniversary of the National Educational Association of Disabled Students at its conference, "Creating Our Future: On Campus and Beyond." Workshops include job search strategies, the future of post-secondary education and more. For info, visit http://www.neads.ca/conference2006 Festival of International Conferences on Caregiving, Disability, Aging and Technology June 16 to 19, 2007, Toronto, ON FICCDAT will include five important conferences running concurrently as well as many joint events. For more info about the conference or submitting an abstract, please visit http://www.ficcdat.ca . TRANSED 2007 - 11th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons June 18-21, 2007, Montreal, QC This conference will review advances in research, evoke international breakthroughs and explore perspectives for technological innovations in order to respond to the mobility challenges of an aging population and of persons with disabilities. For info, visit http://www.tc.gc.ca/transed2007 Canadian Conference on Deafblindness On September 21, 2006, individuals from across Canada and around the world will be attending the 7th Canadian Conference on Deafblindness in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This conference is co-hosted by the Manitoba and the National Chapter of the Canadian Deafblind and Rubella Association. Experts in the field of deafblindness, medical professionals, interveners and individuals with deafblindness will be provided the opportunity to share resources, exchange information and discuss advocacy issues that affect us all. For further information on deafblindness and the Canadian Conference, please go to the CDBRA-BC website at www.cdbrabc.ca. 12.Resources: Please go to our new site to check out our new resources!