Minister Qualtrough hosts important conversation with young Canadians on the future of accessibility Français
OTTAWA, Nov. 1, 2016 /CNW/ - Youth are key to breaking down barriers for Canadians with disabilities and creating a more accessible and inclusive Canada. That's why today, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, hosted an exciting one-day national forum on accessibility with youth with disabilities and youth who have life, work or academic experience related to disabilities.
Minister Qualtrough engaged youth participants on what accessibility means to them and their vision of an accessible Canada. She encouraged participants to continue demonstrating leadership in their communities and continue working towards building a more inclusive and accessible society.
The National Youth Forum is part of the consultation process led by Minister Qualtrough to inform the development of planned accessibility legislation. Canadians from around the country have already begun sharing their views on what an accessible Canada means to them. All Canadians are encouraged to have their say in the consultation process, either by attending an engagement session or by participating in the online consultation at www.Canada.ca/Accessible-Canada. Canadians are also encouraged to follow @AccessibleGC on Twitter, AccessibleGC on Facebook and to follow the hashtags #LeadersToday and #AccessibleCanada. The consultation process will run until February 28, 2017.
Quotes
"I am inspired by the incredible leadership shown by youth across Canada in relation to accessibility. The innovative ideas they bring to the table are instrumental to breaking down barriers for all Canadians. By working together and listening to their fresh ideas, I sincerely believe we can make vast progress in creating a truly accessible Canada."
– The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
"As a person on the autism spectrum, I face many challenges. However, it also allows me to look at the world through a different lens. I hope to inspire, and give people a new perspective, on what it means to live with a disability. Most importantly, I would like to show people that just because we have a disability doesn't mean we don't have the ability to do things. "
– Elene Fiala, Member, Youth Forum Planning Committee
"Being able to have a discussion with people who have different disabilities allows us to collaborate as a collective and understand each other more thoroughly."
– Chenyl Graff, Member, Youth Forum Planning Committee
"Accessibility and inclusion are processes that require continuous dialogue and work. As society evolves over time, new barriers arise, and it is important to recognize the expertise of people with disabilities—and especially youth with disabilities—so that disability communities are in charge of identifying the sources of their exclusion and working out the solutions to these issues."
– Natalie Spagnuolo, Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD)
Quick Facts
- According to the 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD), among youth age 15–19, 35 percent of those with a severe or very severe disability were employed at one time or another between January 2010 and May 2011, compared with 44 percent of those with a mild or moderate disability, and 57% of those without a disability.
- The 2012 CSD also revealed that, among people age 20–24, 48 percent of those with a severe or very severe disability were employed at one time or another, compared with 73 percent of those with a mild or moderate disability and 87 percent of those without a disability.
- Approximately 14 percent of Canadians aged 15 years or older reported having a disability that limited them in their daily activities. There are approximately 411,600 working-age Canadians with disabilities who are not working but whose disability does not prevent them from doing so; almost half of these potential workers are post-secondary graduates.
Associated Links
Consultation on Planned Accessibility Legislation
Twitter: @AccessibleGC
Facebook: AccessibleGC
#AccessibleCanada
Backgrounder
National Youth Forum
The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, is hosting a one-day national forum on accessibility for youth with disabilities and youth who have life experience, work experience or academic experience related to disability. The event is part of the Government of Canada's consultation process to inform the development of planned accessibility legislation.
The selected participants have the opportunity to:
- join other youth from across the country and share ideas on how to improve accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities in Canada;
- showcase what youth are doing to remove barriers for people with disabilities; and
- inspire other youth to demonstrate leadership in promoting the participation of all Canadians in society, including those with disabilities.
Consultation to inform the development of accessibility legislation
Minister Qualtrough, Canada's first Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, was mandated by the Prime Minister to lead an engagement process with stakeholders—including Canadians with disabilities, provinces, territories and municipalities—that would inform planned legislation to transform how the Government of Canada addresses accessibility.
The consultation process is now open, and will continue until February 28, 2017.
As part of the engagement process, in-person consultations have been scheduled in the following cities:
- Whitehorse, Yukon / September 22, 2016.
- Iqaluit, Nunavut / September 24, 2016
- Yellowknife, Northwest Territories / September 26, 2016
- Regina, Saskatchewan / September 28, 2016
- Winnipeg, Manitoba / October 3, 2016
- Edmonton, Alberta / October 7, 2016
- Thunder Bay, Ontario / October 11, 2016
- Calgary, Alberta / October 13, 2016
- Moncton, New Brunswick / October 20, 2016
- St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador / November 3, 2016
- Victoria, British Columbia / November 7, 2016
- Québec, Quebec / November 10, 2016
- Montréal, Quebec / November 16, 2016
- Vancouver, British Columbia / November 26, 2016
- Ottawa, Ontario / November 30, 2016
- Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island / December 8, 2016
- Halifax, Nova Scotia / December 9, 2016
- Toronto, Ontario / February 8, 2017
For the most up-to-date information on in-person venues and dates, and to participate online, please visit Canada.ca/Accessible-Canada.
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
For media enquiries, please contact: Ashley Michnowski, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, 819-934-1122 / TTY: 1-866-702-6967; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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