December 2018
Inclusion Matters_ News from CACL
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Happy Holidays from the CACL Team!
Policy Forum Highlights

The Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) and People First of Canada (PFC), in collaboration with the Office for Disability Issues, Employment and Social Development Canada, hosted the 9th Annual Federal Policy Forum on Inclusion in Ottawa on December 3, 2018. This year's theme was I nclusion: What Gets Measured Gets Done.

Wendy_s employee with Down Syndrome smiles along side her supervisor.
Another successful year for Ready, Willing and Able

2018 marked a year of both continued achievement and significant operational changes for the Ready Willing and Able program.  Despite the overwhelming success of RWA from coast to coast, on August 31, 2018, Phase 1 of the Ready, Willing and Able project ended. 
CACL in Action!
Highlights of our recent national work.

  • Don Gallant, National Director of RWA attended the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) conference- A Partnering Strategy for Moving Forward - on Dec 4 & 5 in Ottawa
     
  • CACL Executive Vice-President, Krista Carr attended the final two community consultation sessions in Edmonton and Calgary as part of the Government of Alberta's review panel of the Persons with Developmental Disabilities Program. 
     
  • CACL President Joy Bacon and CACL Executive Vice-President, Krista Carr attended Minister Qualtrough's reception on December 3rd in Ottawa on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
  • CACL Executive Vice-President, Krista Carr, CACL Director of Policy and Program Operations, Kurt Goddard, IRIS Managing Director, Michael Bach, along with representatives from IRIS' legal research team presented findings from the recently completed Equal Access to Legal Capacity Research Report and directions for legal reform, to the Interdepartmental Committee on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.   
     
  • CACL hosted its Annual General Meetings, Board of Directors Meetings, Annual Policy Forum on Inclusion, Day on the Hill, and 60th Anniversary Celebration November 30th-December 4th in Ottawa.
Historic steps in recognizing human rights of Canadians with disabilities

The Canadian Association for Community Living applauds the Government of Canada's announcements on December 3rd, International Day of Persons with Disabilities. 

First, the government announced that with the support of all provinces and territories Canada has acceded to the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Second, the government announced its intention to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to empower the Canadian Human Rights Commission to monitor the federal implementation of the CRPD in Canada independently, and to ensure the Commission has the resources for this purpose. 

The Evidence is in: Limit Access to Assisted Death for the Sake of Equality

 The Council of Canadian Academies' (CCA) issued a landmark report last week that makes clear why medical assistance in dying (MAiD) must be restricted to those at the end of life. Their analysis shows that if Parliament were to repeal the end-of-life criterion in the current law, assisted death would need to be made available to anyone with a perceived 'mental disorder.' Experts advising the CCA say that any condition defined by the American Psychiatric Association in the 'Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' ('the DSM') would need to be eligible, which would include people with intellectual disabilities, autism, gender dysphoria and over 200 other conditions.  

Upcoming Dates and Events
December 24 - January 1  - CACL offices closed for the Holidays. Offices reopen on January 2, 2019.
January 4 - World Braille Day.
January 24 - UN International Day of Education. 

CACL in the News
MP Darrell Samson spoke to the House of Commons in support of the continuation of Ready, Willing and Able initiative.  Watch the video here.

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