Compromising Of Confidentiality And Privacy

These are two issues that are very near and dear to my heart. For more years than I can say, the compromising of confidentiality and privacy have been burning issues for special needs Canadians and especially so for the blind and visually impaired but for some very unexplained reason! We as a community have not been able to get our esteemed government to pay sufficient attention. Shocker or shaker I ask? A shocker because our government refuses to pay attention because they do not see it as an issue. Shocker because it does not appear to really bother the majority of blind and visually impaired Canadians. Because if it bothered the latter enough, they would be screaming louder and protesting more!

For the past four years, I have had the misfortune to see how entities such as the Canadian government and the Canadian Human Rights Commission really think when it comes to understanding and protecting our confidentiality and privacy. In a nutshell, they do not really care. They do not respect our right to confidentiality and privacy and in their very narrow tunnel vision: They truly believe that if we can find someone to help us complete forms and provide information that requires us to supply private and confidential information, well, the problem has been addressed and that's that.

Four years ago I was unable to complete online job applications independently at the www.jobs.gc.ca website and I had to spend many hours searching and convincing the Public Service Commission that I needed help. They, bless their simple souls, provided me with a very helpful person to assist me to complete my forms but you know what? My confidentiality and privacy were trampled on! Why? I had to depend on a total stranger to help me complete my forms and we had to do this by phone! In addition, I had no proof that my information was ever entered correctly let alone that my applications were submitted. In short, I had to trust blindly.

I lodged a complaint at the door of the Canadian Human Rights Commission but to no surprise: They dismissed my complaint saying in so many words that I had received sufficient help so there was nothing to complain about. To add insult to injury, I had to work with an investigator who took barely 10 minutes to interview me, did not seem to want to give me the time of day, and never even took the time to interview my important witnesses. I was absolutely amazed to see that such an individual could be working for the CHRC, never mind one who just did not understand the ramifications of compromising of confidentiality and privacy. It appeared to me that he was more concerned with getting rid of my complaint instead of addressing the real issues at hand.

As far as the government was concerned; quite a show was what they displayed! Their lawyers displayed much disdain and condescension and barely acknowledged me. One of their quotes was: "We provided you with assistance so we fulfilled our obligation." They went on to say that in essence they were not obliged to provide equal accommodations to blind and visually impaired Canadians. In short, we were not entitled to equal rights to confidentiality and privacy and the CHRC bought their argument.

Confidentiality and privacy is our God Given right under the charter of rights. It is not a privilege nor is it a nice to have. If we are unable to complete forms independently and without human intervention, it means that our right to confidentiality and privacy are compromised. If we need to depend on someone to help us complete forms that require us to share our private information, then it means that our right to confidentiality and privacy is being trampled upon. The moment we need or are forced to share our private and personal information with someone else in order to complete a form, it means that we have just shared a piece of our personal selves with the rest of the world. Above all, the minute we have to identify ourselves as needing assistance to complete forms, then there goes our confidentiality and privacy.

If the mainstream Canadian is able to complete forms that require them to provide private and personal information, then so should we. If the government finds it necessary to protect the rights of mainstream Canadians to confidentiality and privacy, then hello! Blind and visually impaired persons must be included. I will close by asking the following questions:

• 1 Do you think that the reason why the government refuses to pay attention to this issue is either that they do not care or that they do not consider us as Human entities?
• 2 Do you think that the CHRC really cares or understands?
• 3 If neither of these two bodies seem to care or understand, then who can we turn to for protection?
• 4 How can we as a community work to convince these two bodies that they need to start protecting our rights to confidentiality and privacy?

I'm Donna J Jodhan your free lance writer and reporter wishing you a terrific day.

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