The Services to People with Print Disabilities Working Group (SPPD) of the BC Library Association and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) are jointly issuing a survey to people with print disabilities through their networks. The goal is to better understand the needs of people with print disabilities in regard to library services in order to begin building better provincial and federal supports.

The survey will be available until December 19, 2011 Please share this survey link widely.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LibraryServicesForPeopleWithPrintDisabilitySurvey

If you have questions or concerns about the survey, please contact Deb Thomas, Co-chair of SPPD, at 604-436-5432, deb.thomas@bpl.bc.ca or Lori Sutej, consultant with CNIB at Lori.Sutej@cnib.ca

Every organization should be prepared for an emergency but are you? Is your organization prepared to deliver its services to your most vulnerable clients if a disaster hits? How will your organization respond to a large scale emergency? What will your role be in the community?

Volunteer Richmond Information Services and Richmond Centre for Disability team up to deliver a valuable workshop to help your organization plan for an emergency. This workshop will get you talking about Service Continuity and Emergency Preparedness with a focus on ensuring that people with disabilities are not left without support.

Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Time: 9:00am Registration, 9:30am – 3:30pm Workshop

Location: Room M2.004, Richmond City Hall (6911 No. 3 Road)

Cost: FREE – Breakfast and Lunch Provided. Please inform us of any dietary or accessibility needs.

Register by April 15: call 604 – 232 – 2404 or email ian@rcdrichmond.org

This training was developed through a joint project of the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities and Volunteer Canada, funded by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnership Program – Disability Component.

Click here for more information about BCCPD’s Emergency Preparedness Project.

“Blind persons all across Canada join in celebrating the landmark decision in Donna Jodhan’s victory in her Charter of Rights case against the federal government for its failure to provide “equal access to, and benefit from, government information and services provided online to the public,”” says Robin East, President of the nationwide Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians.

This Charter challenge was all about access to information and usability of federal information and websites.

“It is very regrettable that rights holders of Canada were forced to go to court and fight to gain access to information. This should not be an issue in 2010,” added East. “Blind, partially sighted, and deaf-blind Canadians must not be closed off from accessing Government information forms and applications.”

“I launched this case for all blind Canadians and for the kids of the future,” says a jubilant Donna Jodhan upon hearing of the successful outcome of her case.

“Blind Canadians want to be able to access information on websites independently and privately, just as our sighted counterparts can,” added Jodhan. “Today an increasing number of job applications and purchases are carried out electronically, and we must not be left on the sidelines,” added Jodhan.

“We hope this decision will send a signal to all website designers and organizations that it is time that accessibility gets included in all websites,” said John Rae, 1st Vice President of the AEBC.”It is time that governments used taxpayers dollars to remove barriers to our equal participation in society rather than wasting time and money fighting individual Canadians with disabilities like Jodhan,” added Rae.

The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC) is a national organization of rights holders who are blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted whose work focuses on improving public attitudes and providing input on public policy issues that affect the lives of members of ourcommunity. For further background, visit our fully accessible website, www.blindcanadians.ca.

For interviews, please contact:

Robin East, President, Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC), 306-934-1547
John Rae, 1st Vice President, Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC), 416-941-1547
Donna Jodhan, 2nd Vice President, AEBC and complainant: 416-497-7306