The Confusing Mission Statement From CSSD

by Donna Jodhan

Hello there! Today I would like to bring your attention to something that could potentially set a precedence for others to follow if we do not nip it in the bud now and I truly mean now! A real shocker!

A few weeks ago my attention was drawn to an ad on TV being sponsored by the CSSD, the Canadian Society for Social Development. In this ad, the CSSD announced that they were seeking disabled students for enrollment in a course sponsored by them called Internet Business Development for Entrepreneurs (IBDE) Web Design Training.

I was quite interested in this ad and as a visually impaired systems engineer with an extensive background in programming, I wanted to know more so I visited the www.cssd-web.org website and followed the trail to the www.ibde.ca website to learn more. At the www.ibde.ca website I learned that the program in question was indeed opened to disabled entrepreneurs of Canada but curiosity got the better of me and I decided to contact them to find out if they accepted blind and visually impaired applicants. Lo and behold! I was in for the surprise of my life!

Before taking any further action I checked and rechecked the CSSD's mission statement which is as follows:

Mission Statement
" To ensure equal opportunities for all Canadians, the CSSD, using internet based technologies, will provide entrepreneurial training and will enhance employability for persons experiencing barriers to employment."

I wrote to Mary Alton, the student coordinator and she confirmed the following:

(Extract from her note to me)
" Hi Donna, Thank you for your inquiry. CSSD offers the IBDE Web Design Program, a 6 month online program that teaches individuals the skills necessary to build web sites. Our next intake for the program is November 1, 2008-May 1, 2009. This program is designed for individuals who want to start their own small business designing web sites or those wishing to build their own website to sell products or services via the internet. Go to our website at www.ibde.ca/about for details about our program. We determine suitability for the program on an individual basis during a one-on-one telephone interview. We do accept students that are visually impaired however it can be no greater than a 30% vision loss."
(End of extract)

Imagine my surprise when I read these very blunt and cutting words. Here in Canada? Was I really reading this correctly? Was someone really daring to tell me that despite their mission statement, I was being deliberately excluded because I had vision loss of more than 30%? I was determined to get more out of this lady and decided to follow up with a phone call and true to form she echoed the sentiments of her note and added a few additional zingers.

MS Alton informed me that their instructors had determined that it was not feasible for access technology such as Jaws to work with their software. She added that it was too costly to change the structure of the course in order to accommodate a person with greater than 30% loss of vision. She affirmed that the program had no plans to change this policy in the near future and when I asked her if her instructors had consulted anyone with accessibility expertise, the answer was a firm no.

This phone call greatly disturbed me for the following reasons.
MS Alton was very blunt and definite with her remarks. She seemed completely oblivious to the fact that her statements were discriminatory and it is not that she did not care or that she was heartless! No, quite the opposite. She just did not believe that her message was in any way offensive or out of line. This lady was extremely friendly in her manner, very courteous, and this scared me because I was hearing from someone that what the CSSD was doing was completely acceptable despite the fact that it was outright discriminatory!

When I pointed out to her that under the charter of rights, all Canadians had to be accommodated equally, she simply swept my statement aside without seeming to understand why I was so surprised.

When I told her that if the Federal government was funding them, it meant that they had to accommodate all Canadians with disabilities, she simply ignored me.

When I told her that whenever the Federal government got involved in the funding of any project, they had an obligation to make it accessible to all Canadians, her reaction was that in this case they did not.

When I suggested that they should change their mission statement to say that their course was opened to Canadians with disabilities except those with greater than 30% vision loss, she simply dismissed my suggestion like someone swatting a fly.

Here is a list of the funders of this course:

• Human Resources Development Canada
• Government of Canada
• Vancouver Foundation
• Selkirk College
• CFDA

Here is a list of the partners to this course:

• CCRW
• Neil Squire
• eBC
• Microsoft
• ReBOOT Canada

This whole affair has the smattering of once again, blind and visually impaired Canadians are being deliberately ignored and if we allow this kind of thing to continue then we'll have no one else to blame but ourselves when we are left behind. It amazes me that such impressive lists of funders and partners are not aware that blind and visually impaired Canadians are being treated like this or is it that they don't really care either? Some thing is terribly wrong with this picture and we need to do something about it now!

In summary, what we have here is as follows:

• The CSSD advertising a course through their IBDE program seeking disabled Canadian applicants.
• Their mission statement states that their course is open to all Canadians.
• Their student coordinator emphatically stating that it is not open to those with greater than 30% vision loss.
• The student coordinator stating emphatically that they do not have any plans to change this policy in the near future, it would be too costly to accommodate a blind student with greater than 30% loss of vision, and that there is nothing wrong with the criteria for accepting disabled applicants.
• This program is being funded in part by the federal government and it is their obligation to ensure that any program that they fund must be made accessible to all Canadians, including blind and visually impaired persons.
• Finally, this program is also being funded by some prominent organizations and partners to this project include such companies as Microsoft along with the CCRW and Neil Squire.

If you care then I urge you to stand up and take some action. Take this matter to your Federal MP, take it to Social Development Canada. Tell other Canadians about it. Write to and phone the CSSD. Here is their contact info.

Mary Alton
IBDE Student Coordinator
Phone: 1-250-399-4885
Fax: 1-250-399-4886
Email: mary@ibde.ca

visit:

• www.ibde.ca
• www.cssd-web.org
• www.businessabilities.ca

I'm Donna J Jodhan your free lance writer and reporterwishing you a terrific day. If you require accessibility, research, and writing services visit
www.sterlingcreations.ca
If you require translation and language related services visit
www.translationpeople.com
If you visit www.untappedwealth.com/businessdesk.html you will learn the latest news on very important issues as they happen and you can check out my weekly feature called important answers to consumers concerns. To reach me please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca and I would also be delighted to send you a copy of our latest newsletter.

More commentaries.