Category: Advocacy

EQUAL TREATMENT School board agrees to provide information to blind parents

Editors Note: This article was written in 1992 but 20 years later our son is having to cope with the same issues. When will educators learn to respect the human rights of people who are blind?

EQUAL TREATMENT School board agrees to provide information to blind parents
One principal told us: It’s your responsibility to read what we give you.
By Angela Manglacasale
Citizen writer
Chris and Marie Stark wanted to be involved in their children’s education. But it took a complaint to the Ontario Human rights Commission to force a local school board to make it possible.
The Starks are blind. Their children are sighted.
For years, the children had to read aloud to their parents any notices, report cards and other school materials they brought home. The Starks asked teachers, principals and school officials to provide some of the material in a form they could understand without having to rely on their children.
“They didn’t understand what it’s like for a 10- or 12-year-old child to try to read a report card that they themselves are nervous about,” said Marie, a federal civil servant. “It was very a traumatic and distressing situation for all of us.
“One principal told us: ‘It’s your responsibility to read what we give you.’ That’s like saying ‘Flip a switch and see,’ ” said Chris, also a federal civil servant.
Now, as part of a human rights settlement, the Carleton Board of Education has agreed to provide information to visually impaired people in the form of audio tape, braille or large print.
The board has promised to provide
material, including report cards, notices
and newsletters, to the Starks at the same time it is sent to other parents. Also, the board will notify them every three months about school administrative issues, new publications and adult education matters. The board has promised to provide copies of these materials within 10 days of their request.
“This is a significant agreement on the part of a major school board,” said Fran Endicott, chief commissioner with the Ontario Human Rights Commission. “It is a clear recognition of the fact that persons with disabilities are entitled to the same treatment as the rest of the population and that such accommodation must be provided in a waythat respects their dignity.”
The Starks praised the board for coming to an amicable settlement, although it comes a little late for Daniel Stark, 18, who will graduate from Gloucester High School this year. His sister, Chantal, 14, will start high school next year.
The Starks, who live in Orleans, said they reluctantly pressed their case as far as the human rights commission so other families would not have to fight the same battle. As guide-dog users, they were conscious that others had fought so they could have the right to bring their dogs into public places.
The cost of providing this kind of material is about $1,200 to $1,500 per child, said board superintendent John Beatty.
The Carleton Board of Education believes in the importance of effective two-way communication within its system, with parents and the general public. Effective communication with parents/guardians with respect to the program and progress of individual students is considered essential.
1 The Board will make every effort to ensure that parents’ communication needs regarding their child’s educational programs are met in an effective and timely manner.
2. While most communication with parents will be in English through print material, interviews, etc., other methods of comniunication such as braille, signage for the deaf, large print, audio tapes, and translation/interpretation of other languages will be made available upon request.
3. Every effort will be made to ensure that parents who request communication in an alternate format are provided with information regarding their child’s education at the same time as other parents receive this information.
4. Parents with disabilities will be provided with access to other Board publications upon request, in a
format suitable to their needs.
5. The Board will maintain a communications strategy to inform and encourage people with disabilities to
use these alternate forms of communication.
6. The Director of Education will ensure that every reasonable effort is made to access community resources,
either voluntary or profesnional, to ensure effective communication with parents.
7. The Director of Education is authorizzd to establish procedures to support this policy.
ISSUED: 1989 REVISED: 1993
AUTHORITY: Board Minute: 469-89; 37-93
POLICY CO-ORDINATOR Su.?( .interident of School Operations
THE CARLETON BOARD OF EDUCATION

SECTION K: SCHOOL/COMMUNITY/HOME RELATIONS CODE
SUBSECTION KB: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION KBDA
POLICY COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS USING
ALTERNATIVE FORMATS

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Legal group takes on phone firms over lack of accessibility

Legal group takes on phone firms over lack of accessibility

HELEN HENDERSON

(Extracts from an article published in Fall 2003)
ARCH: A Legal Resource Centre for Persons with Disabilities has been gathering information for more than 20 years. It’s about to formally open a library housing a wealth of information on everything from human rights and employment to accessibility.

It’s also in the midst of a David-and-Goliath battle, pitting a blind couple against major telecommunications giants like Bell Canada and Telus. The outcome could affect the way all of us use telephone products in future, so it’s a good time to start paying attention.

ARCH, which started in 1980 as the Advocacy Resource Centre for the Handicapped, specializes in precedent-setting cases. At issue in the battle over telephone equipment is whether the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) should regulate it and, if so, what kind of regulations are needed to make sure people with disabilities can use it easily.

Think about the rapidly growing array of telephones, electronic message pads, hand-held computers and the like. They have thousands of applications that rely on visual acuity and manual dexterity. If your fingers have difficulty pinpointing targets, how do you master a tiny, cramped keyboard?

If you are blind and there’s no uniformity in the way keys are placed, how do you know whether you’re pushing “hold” or “redial”? And what use is call display for screening calls?

Chris and Marie Stark, an Ottawa couple, have fought long and hard to help those with so-called perfect vision see the other side of the coin.

Because of the Starks and other pioneering advocates, banks have tried to make automatic teller machines more accessible to people with disabilities. But the marketers of telephone equipment haven’t been so accommodating.

The technology exists to use audio instead of visual cues. And it’s not difficult to manufacture raised symbols that can be identified by touch. But Canadian marketers have chosen, by and large, to ignore accessibility issues.

The Starks note that phone keypad layouts are not consistent and function keys are seldom at the same place, even on different models from the same manufacturer.

“The most frustrating thing about this issue is that all the equipment is new,” says Marie Stark. “It was developed without considering the needs of people who are blind. Operation without sight thus becomes an after-the-fact retrofit, rather than a design element to ensure that the terminal is usable by as many people as possible.”

The Starks initially took their complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Commission. It referred the issue to the CRTC.

The Ottawa couple hopes regulation by the commission would, among other things, force manufacturers to build in accommodation for customers who are blind. ARCH has joined the battle, hoping to get the commission to recognize the needs of all people with disabilities.

“The goal is to improve the quality of life for others,” says Stark. And that includes able-bodied people.

Take car cellphones, for example. A driver who has to reach out and press buttons to make a phone call does not have both hands on the wheel. If phone numbers could be reached by giving voice commands, it would be safer and more convenient for everyone, Stark points out. The CRTC suspended proceedings on the issue, saying it wants more time to do research on the accessibility of telephone equipment.
register@ami.ca

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Hearing on Accessible Telecommunications and Broadcasting

Hearing on Accessible Telecommunications and Broadcasting at the CRTC
by Lana Kerzner, Staff Lawyer

Telephones and televisions are essential forms of communication that allow us to work, go to school, call for help in an emergency and participate in community life. However, many people with disabilities cannot participate in these activities because telephones and t.v. programming are not accessible to them. For example, the buttons on cell phones may be too small and their screens may be inaccessible for people with visual disabilities. People with cognitive disabilities or disabilities that affect their speech may not be able to get customer service because of voice activation features which they cannot use. Often people who are deaf or blind cannot easily watch t.v. The captioning of programs used by people who are deaf is unsatisfactory and people who are blind do not have access to the audio description they need to access information.

However, there is now some hope for advancement in relation to accessible telecommunications and broadcasting. November, 2008 was a historic month for the disability community in this regard. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), for the first time, held a six day hearing in Gatineau, Quebec to specifically address unresolved issues related to the accessibility of telecommunications and broadcasting services to people with disabilities.

The hearing provided a good opportunity for the disability community to express their views. It was a unique hearing for the CRTC in that special attention was paid to making it accessible for people with disabilities. ASL and LSQ interpretation was available throughout the hearing. French and English captioning were available in the hearing room as well as on the CRTC website. The hearing room was accessible for wheelchair users and CRTC staff were available throughout the hearing to assist with disability-related needs. The Commissioners on the panel at the hearing asked many questions in a genuine attempt to understand the concerns and perspectives of the disability community.

This hearing was particularly welcome because, notwithstanding the efforts over the past several years of ARCH and other disability organizations and people with disabilities, disability issues have largely been addressed by the CRTC in a piecemeal fashion. The CRTC had not taken its own initiative to systemically and proactively resolve the many barriers that exist. Rather they have dealt with limited, discrete concerns: Charges for TTY long distance calls and alternate format billings, for example, have been addressed in separate cases. Many other concerns, such as inaccessible cell phones, have been left unresolved.

The disability community was broadly represented at the hearing. Long time advocates, Chris and Marie Stark, and Henry Vlug made presentations, as well as several disability groups, including, the CNIB, Neil Squire Society, Canadian Association of the Deaf, Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians, Council of Canadians with Disabilities, Canadian Hearing Society, Centre quebecois de la deficience auditive and Regroupement des aveugles et amblyopes du Quebec. The presenters documented the experiences of their communities, the changes they desire and the ways in which they see this being achieved. As a whole, it was apparent that the presentations moved the Commissioners to a much deeper understanding of the barriers people with disabilities face, and the solutions that the community believes to be necessary.

Some general and essential recommendations were echoed by several groups. These include:

* The CRTC must see this proceeding as the beginning of an ongoing and perpetual systemic approach to addressing accessibility issues.
* A Disability Unit with an understanding of disability issues and technical expertise must be established within the CRTC.
* Consultation with people with disabilities and disability organizations is essential.
* A user-friendly mechanism must exist for people with disabilities to raise concerns.
* The CRTC must require service providers, both broadcasters and telephone companies, to ensure that their products and services are accessible for people with disabilities. Service providers have not, and will not, take action unless they are told to do so.

In addition to these broad recommendations, many detailed recommendations were made, such as the need for a national video relay service which allows people who are deaf to communicate using sign language with voice telephone users through video equipment; concerns about emergency notices on t.v. which are in print only with no voice component for people who are blind; concerns about captioning of television broadcasts and inaccessibility of cell phones.

ARCH’s presentation focussed primarily on telecommunications because of our expertise in this area. We supported the recommendations of the disability community and grounded our submissions in some fundamental realities about the community. Our submissions stressed the importance that the CRTC apply a cross-disability perspective, as well as one that ensures affordability of products and services and takes into account the many people with disabilities who live in poverty. We argued that the CRTC must take action to require that products and services are accessible and that in moving forward on accessibility, a disability unit within the CRTC must be established.

We supported our submissions with a disability law analysis to the statutory obligations that exist in relation to telecommunications. We argued that anti-discrimination and equality rights laws and principles apply to the entitlement of people with disabilities to accessible telecommunications. In particular, we articulated the applicability of human rights obligations and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to the CRTC’s considerations of accessibility issues.

In addition to the November hearing, much of this proceeding has taken the form of written submissions. These include initial comments and responses to questions posed by the CRTC. Each party has an opportunity to submit final reply comments by January 12, 2009. The CRTC’s decision will be issued after this date, although we do not know when and cannot speculate what the CRTC will decide. In the words of Chris Stark, we are hoping that the Commission scores a home run.

The proceeding is referred to as: Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing CRTC 2008-8 Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2008-8. More information can be accessed on the CRTC website and the transcripts, which are a verbatim record of everything that was said by each of the parties at the hearing, can be accessed at
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/transcripts/2008/index.htm#tt1117. ARCH’s submissions in this proceeding can be accessed on our website at http://www.archdisabilitylaw.ca/publications/submissions.asp

This proceeding is just one step in the process towards accessible telecommunications and broadcasting. We are hoping that it marks the beginning of a new era at the CRTC, one in which people with disabilities are active players along with the CRTC and industry, and the CRTC takes proactive, systemic and informed measures in addressing accessibility.

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Braille Telephone Bills

phone bills give blind more independence: Needing others to read statements reduces privacy, woman says
BYLINE Lisa Gregoire, Journal Staff Writer

About 600 words and just as many numbers. Fine print,
graphics, charts, dates and explanations. That’s your monthly phone bill. But say your eyesight was failing. How would you read it?

Two months ago, the Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) forced phone companies and their subsidiaries to provide bills in braille, large print or
electronic format for the visually impaired. The CRTC ruled on a
case launched by a middle-aged blind man from Ottawa more than five years ago.

With so many companies offering competitive long distance and
cellular packages, the regulatory body deemed it unjust
discrimination to deny blind customers the necessary tools to make
informed consumer choices.

And not a moment too soon, said CRTC spokesperson Campbell Laidlaw. Canada’s aging population will increasingly need help to read all that small print.

“Its implications were and remain quite profound,” said Laidlaw,
director of consumer policy. “It and subsequent rulings are
indicative of the awareness of people who are disabled that not only do they have rights they can exercise, but technology abounds to
meet their requirements.”

Edmonton physiotherapist Janet Brandly has been blind since birth and recalled, as a university student, having to hire someone with sight to read through her mail once a week. A confessed control
freak, Brandly resented someone else going through her bills and she couldn’t always be sure every word was read.

“It comes down to the privacy issue. As blind people, we have to
give up a lot of privacy that sighted people don’t. Even something
as simple as the mail,” said Brandly, whose sighted husband reads
through the bills. “I think the principle of billing in alternative
format is long overdue. We just have to make sure it’s handled
properly.”

* That means privacy again. If companies contract out braille
services, third parties have access to people’s private information.
“There must be a clause, a safety net built in there to protect
information,” she said.

Telus spokesperson Nick Culo said Telus has been providing
alternative billing for the visually impaired for about four years.
The latest CRTC ruling requires major carriers such as Telus and
Bell to ensure its long distance resellers, such as Sears or
Zellers, provide the same billing options on demand.

Right now, about 1,200 Alberta and British Columbia customers get
* their bills in large type, 50 get braille bills and 20 receive
electronic diskettes which run off expensive software to vocalize
text for users.

Telus electronically transfers billing information to the Canadian
National Institute for the Blind which then transforms them into the preferred braille or electronic format and mails them to customers. All Telus privacy rules and regulations apply to CNIB staff, Culo said, and customers sign a waiver permitting their bills be handled by a third party. It costs Telus $20 for each braille or electronic bill. Large print bills are produced in-house.

Chris Stark and his wife, Marie, launched a series of complaints
against Bell Canada in 1997 which led to a host of new CRTC rules
favouring the blind.

“It ain’t charity and it ain’t perks and it ain’t something
special. It’s the cost of doing business as the population greys,”
said 54-year-old Stark from his home near Ottawa. “It’s a mark of
our independence to read a bill and see a rate change and a service
charge and understand it. You can’t make a choice on what’s best for you if you can’t read the information.”

CNIB has about 9,000 clients in Alberta, two thirds of whom are 65
years old or older. Nearly half of all clients have macular
degeneration — blurry central vision which affects mostly the
elderly. Only about five per cent of blind people are proficient in
* braille.
———-
Lisa Gregoire
the Edmonton Journal

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Taking Charge of My Career

Taking Charge of My Career

By Chris Stark

 

As I approach retirement and hang up the spurs, it is fitting to think about how I achieved a satisfying career, earned a living, and with my wife, raised a family.

 

I believe that in order to succeed, you have to take charge of your destiny, make your own decisions, after assessing all the factors, and live by your choices.  Deciding on your goals and pursuing them with determination is very important.

 

Do not accept the judgements of others, like my early teachers at the school for the blind, who labeled me in front of the class as “the village idiot”.  Do not listen to those, like my first career counselors, that all life had to offer was an existence in an institution for the blind.

 

I dared to dream of inclusion and a comfortable lifestyle.  I found friends, role models, and mentors, although this was not always easy.  I worked hard, sacrificed a lot, and had a satisfying work life.  I never stopped learning.  I was loyal to my friends, always tried to help, and made a great effort to avoid hurting people.

 

I faced many challenges, like having to work to pay my university fees, room and board. So I became a night time Residence Manager, and except for the weekend student celebrations, all was quiet at night, which enabled me to get paid to study and do homework such as essays and presentations.  I also honed my problem-solving skills at University, as there were no organized services to produce textbooks in accessible formats.  So I found radio personalities to record textbooks for me.

 

My first full-time employer was in the charitable sector, which I left after 11 years, to join the Federal Public Service.  I obtained the necessary contacts for this career change through networking with a school friend who is blind.  People with disabilities can be an invaluable resource, if we choose to do so and help each other.  This change in career path made me realize that setbacks were not the end, but the beginning of new opportunities.

 

In my first job with the Public Service, I was involved in energy productivity enhancement.  Yes, the government really had a dedicated program to work smarter in that field, where I met many engineers, traveled throughout Canada, shopped in the Hudson Bay Store in Resolute Bay, and had the honour of sleeping in the very bed Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip slept in during their honeymoon visit to Northern Canada, forty years earlier.

 

However, my main goal was always to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.  So, when I had the chance to become involved in accessible transportation, I jumped at the promotion, where I made presentations, trained transportation staff, dealt with complaints, crafted regulations and enforced them.  I traveled to several countries like Japan, where the paper I co-authored won best paper at that World Congress.

 

I had lots of help along the way.  Yes, there were the inevitable workplace politics, exclusions, and accessibility issues, particularly with written and electronic communications.  I faced many physical, systemic and attitudinal barriers, and tried to have them removed when I could through negotiation and suggesting solutions, or working around them with good but never 100% success.

 

I made a conscious effort to take courses offered to all employees that would broaden my skills and competencies, and advance my career marketability.  I insisted on being provided with the accommodations I needed to do my work, including readers to help me deal with the deluge of paper produced by the bureaucracy. When competing for new positions, I made it a point to network, research the opportunity, and find out about the work environment.  I also accepted that I would not get the majority of positions I competed for, so I used the competitions as a way of learning and honing my skills to win other work opportunities.  I learned where the best place in the organization was for me, and when I got to that level of salary and responsibility, I then chose to stay in a position where I enjoyed my work, and at the same time, could help improve accessibility for persons with disabilities.

 

So take charge of your career, try not to let setbacks disappoint you too much, and be the best you can be, and be proud of your achievements. And remember to blow your own horn, because nobody else will!

 

 

Possible sidebar

 

HIGHLIGHTS OF PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND RECOGNITION

 

–       The AEBC CCD Award presented to  Chris and Marie Stark – 2008.

–       The National Federation of the Blind  Advocates for Equality certificate of recognition Awarded to Marie and Chris Stark – June 2003

–       Co-author of Best Conference  Paper Award  TRANSED-2005, Japan

–       Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal – 2002

–       Recognition of contribution certificate – Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat – 2000

–       Achievement Award – Canadian Transportation Agency – 1999

–       125th Anniversary of Canada Commemorative Medal – 1993

–       Transport Canada’s 50th Anniversary Ministerial Award of Distinction-  1987

–       Citation letter from Queen Elizabeth II for contributions to New Brunswick – 1984

–       Golden “M”, St. Mary’s University – 1972

 

End of Possible sidebar

 

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BLINDING GRINDING POVERTY

BLINDING GRINDING POVERTY

By Marie and Chris Stark

 

Editors Note

Although written in 2002 it is submitted that the situation has not markedly improved for persons who are blind. This article is reproduced as an open invitation to prove us wrong. Who is up to the challenge?

 

Article begins

 

Four out of five working age blind Canadians do not have an opportunity to work and contribute to this countries economic growth. Broadly speaking the labor force participation for blind persons is 20% compared to 40% for all those with a seeing disability, 44% for all persons with disabilities and 73% for non-disabled Canadians. Thus most blind persons have an inadequate income during working age and after retirement well below the level of other Canadians. Blind persons have a standard of living inferior to all other Canadians.

 

Admittedly, this is an over-simplified presentation of the surveys and data results depicting the plight of today’s working aged blind persons in Canada.  Intentionally in this article, for the sake of clarity of message, the economic niceties have been glossed over and include the distinction between labor force participation rates and unemployment rates or the shifting of labels/definitions between reports to describe disability and blindness.  All are invited to dispute the reality depicted here and present a more socially acceptable picture.  We are confident that further study and/or clarifying explanations will only paint a more horrific picture than the facts enable this article to portray.  It is all too real for those who live with denied access, lack of opportunity and unequal opportunity on a day to day basis year after year, generation after generation.

 

It is not the disability of blindness that creates this poverty and despair but the Handicapping effects of an educational, vocational rehabilitation and employment apparatus of non-blind persons whose livelihood and very survival is dependent on reinforcing society’s charitable medical model of blindness which calls for us to be hidden away from mainstream society.  Out of sight, out of mind in the labor force keeps the donations coming for the care of the blind.  Here are the benefits and results of this neglect and the environment which perpetuates the isolation and segregation of blind persons from the mainstream of Canadian society.

 

More than half of all blind and partially sighted persons who are trying to work are denied access to the labor force.

54.4% is the lack of participation rate among Blind persons from the most recently available data, as extrapolated from Figure 2.2 of the book “Living with Disability in Canada: an Economic Portrait” by Dr. G. Fawcett.  The labor force consists of persons in paid employment and persons actively seeking paid employment.

 

The comparison of labor force participation rates for persons with and without blindness is difficult, on account of the

likelihood that certain questions asked to determine whether

a respondent was actively seeking work have a different

significance for each group.  For example, one of the

questions has to do with whether the respondent looked at

“help wanted” ads.  This activity might be difficult for

some persons with seeing disabilities.

 

In 1991, persons with seeing disabilities had a fairly low unemployment rate when compared to the rates for other disability groups.  Yet, they had almost the lowest labour force participation rate  compared to those for other disability groups.

 

A person with a severe disability who has not had paid employment for many years–perhaps never–may be willing to work, preparing to seek paid employment (for example, by doing volunteer work acquiring labour market skills) and intending to actively seek paid employment, and yet may be unable to answer affirmatively any of the “participation” questions for a given four-week period.    Dr. Fawcett points out that, in 1991, over half of persons with disabilities who were not in the labour force either showed some sign of work potential or cited an environmental or personal barrier as the reason they were out of the labour force.  Lack of appropriate transportation between home and work would be an environmental barrier.  The need to attend at a hospital for treatment might be a personal barrier.

 

In 1986, the unemployment rate was 64.9% among persons with a visual disability giving an employment rate of 35.1%.  The progress since 1986, namely a rise in the participation level of 10.5% is due primarily to a greater number of persons with usable vision being included in the count as illustrated later in this discussion when looking at severity of disability.

 

In 1986, blind persons were ranked seventh and last among the disability groups, thus, were the most unemployable, based on the nature of the disability.  People with speaking and mental disabilities, relatively speaking, had a greater chance of being employed than blind people.  In 1991, with an employment rate of 44.4%, blind persons had rocketed up the ability chain two places to fifth spot.  While the preceding percentages are for those participating and not participating in employment, it is worth noting in passing that approximately 212,000 of the Statistics Canada estimated 635 000 blind Canadians earned a wage in 1991 which has profound implications for the financial well-being of blind Canadians.

 

The Canadian National Institute for the Blind with an 80 000 client base of which three quarters are considered legally blind reports a similar result in their Consumers First report. Approximately one in four blind and visually impaired Canadians is of working age. This sector of CNIB’s clientele is growing at a rate of approximately 6 percent each year.

 

Goss Gilroy Inc. in a study for CNIB found that just under 40 percent of Canadians with seeing disabilities were employed in 1991, 6 percent were unemployed, and fully 54 percent were not in the workforce, including those who choose not to work and those who have become discouraged and who have given up looking for work. In contrast, the employment rate for persons with disabilities in general was almost 44 percent; for persons without a disability, the employment rate was 73 percent.

 

The employment picture is better for working age adults who have skills in braille. In 1995, the CNIB’s Library for the Blind conducted a study on the impact of braille literacy on library services to blind Canadians. The study found that, of braille readers who responded to the mail survey, 6 percent were actively seeking employment, a figure that matches the Goss Gilroy findings. Of those who were employed, 52 percent reported household incomes higher than $25,000; fully 14 percent reported household earnings of more than $50,000, compared to just 10 percent of the Canadian population at large. In addition, 11 percent of the braille readers had university degrees, compared to 14 percent of Canadians, and 14 percent of these braille readers had more than one degree. The report stated that the findings underscore `what the rest of society takes for granted, that literacy is the cornerstone for education, employment, and independence.’

 

Statistics Canada notes in the results of the 1986 Census of Canada, however, that almost 50 percent of the visually impaired workforce has less than eight years of education, compared to just 14 percent of the overall workforce. In contrast to the CNIB findings regarding blind Canadians with braille skills, only about 4 percent of all visually impaired workers have graduated from university.

 

The  Statistics Canada 1991 HALS study defined an individual as having a seeing disability if he or she:

 

•    had difficulty seeing ordinary newsprint, with corrective lenses if usually worn or

•    had difficulty seeing the face of someone four meters, or twelve feet, across a room, with corrective lenses if usually worn.

 

Of the 635,000 Canadians with a seeing disability:

 

•511,000 were adults living in households                 80 %

• 94,000 were adults living in institutions               15 %

• 30,000 were children aged 14 or younger                 5 %

 

Approximately 94,000 adults were said to have the most severe seeing difficulty:  they were completely unable either to see the face of someone across a room or to read ordinary newsprint, with corrective lenses if usually worn.

 

The illusion of any positive progress is shattered when the severity of the disability is factored into the equation.  The severity of each disability was measured according to whether a respondent could perform a given function only with difficulty or not at all.

In 1991, 34.2% of “sight impaired” persons had a mild disability, 34.1% a moderate visual disability and 31.7% a severe visual disability.  It is not unreasonable to conclude that those with a severe visual disability have little or no usable vision.  20.9% of sight impaired persons with a severe visual disability were employed in 1991 meaning that 79.1% of blind persons trying to earn a living were not participating in the labour force.

 

When considering all persons with a visual disability 16.7% required accessible transportation, 27.6% required job redesign and 29.4% required modified working hours.  It is reasonable to conclude that the job redesign is the need for adaptive equipment such as talking computers and braille output devices for computers. It is reasonable to further conclude, supported by the relative closeness between the 27.6% job accommodation figure and the 31.7% number of persons with a severe visual impairment, that the severely visually impaired would rely extensively on this workplace accommodation.  Thus, the cost and complexity of accommodation is a major force in determining whether a person can do the job since only 19.9% of persons with a mild disability and 46.9% of persons with a moderate visual disability were not participating in the Labour Force as compared to the overwhelming 79.1% of the severely visually impaired persons who want to work but are not being given access to the labour force.  Being blind means being shut out.

 

Arguably, society thinks of blind people when giving money and support to those who offer help to this group.  It is for aid in overcoming the information deprivation of blindness that money and resources are so generously showered on the service providers.

 

Thus, 50.9% of persons with a visual disability not requiring any accommodation were able to successfully find work in 1991.  No one would even suggest that persons with a mild or moderate visual impairment should not receive all the support needed to meet the challenges of the labour force.  However, their successes should not be used to mask the plight of those who do not function on the visual plain.  It is clear that lack of sight not only means lack of opportunity but also means denied benefit from the resources intended to assist this group of deserving Canadians.  The facts speak for themselves in validation of this conclusion.

 

The Consumers First report of the major provider of services to “blind” persons in Canada notes that “More than three out of four …. clients have 10 percent vision or less; the remainder have more than 10 percent vision.”  Arguably, approximately 25% of those receiving service are not even considered “legally” blind.  At least another 50% of those receiving service function on the visual plain and seek to maximize the use of their residual vision to function visually like the majority of Canadians.  It appears that less than one quarter of the total group being helped in the name of the blind are in fact blind people who rely primarily on other senses to perform the tasks of daily living.

 

The same Consumer First report indicates that approximately 25% of the client base are between the ages of 30 and 49 but this group makes the most calls on services in a year.  Arguably, these are the most in need of financial resources, having finished their studies, and need employment and financial security for themselves and their dependents.

 

As an aside, it could be argued that those with a visual impairment, moderate or slight, have been handicapped by being streamed into the environment of the blind.  Blind persons have also been handicapped by this streaming because the successes of those functioning on the visual plain have been used to show funders and donors that value for money to help “the blind” has been received: masking the plight of the average blind person with the accomplishments of the few.  This is another factor accounting for the approximately 80% unemployment rate among blind persons. Keeping in mind the two classes of opportunity and benefit, one for persons with usable vision and one for blind persons, the aggregate picture of income levels is still horrific.  As the disability increases, so does the poverty, lack of opportunity, lack of employment opportunities and lack of quality of life.

 

57.5% of sight impaired persons who worked more than 30 hours a week earned less than $25,000 in 1991.  The “official” poverty rate  among blind persons was 29.6% in 1991.

 

To move beyond this point, it is only possible to extrapolate from the studies of all persons with disabilities to make some generalizations about blind persons which probably parallel the reality for persons with other disabilities.

 

The book “Living with disability in Canada: an Economic Portrait” by Gail Fawcett, Ph.D. suggests that “The employability of persons with disabilities has as much to do with their environment as it does with their disabilities.”  Dr. Fawcett distinguishes between “disabilities” and “handicaps.”  “Disabilities are functional limitations due to impairments.  Handicaps are disadvantages experienced by the interaction of impairments or disabilities with an individual’s environment.”

 

She concluded that persons whose underlying condition was present before they completed their formal education tended to have higher levels of educational attainment and labour force participation than those whose disabilities occurred later.  Two interpretations of these differences are suggested.  One is that persons in the former group are likely to be younger and thus to have more opportunity to plan ahead and to adapt their future lives to their disabilities.  The second but not alternative interpretation is that, recognizing the employment disadvantage of having a disability, they take steps to extend their education and training.

 

Regardless of severity, people with hearing and unknown physical disabilities have higher rates of labour force participation than those with other disabilities.  The present author wonders whether seeing, speaking, mobility, agility and mental-learning disabilities, being more easily recognized than hearing or unknown physical disabilities, are greater deterrents from labour market access.

 

For persons with and without disabilities, the higher the level of educational attainment the lower the unemployment rate.  In 1991 completion of post-secondary education was associated with an unemployment rate of 10% for persons with disabilities compared to 6% for those without disabilities.  Persons without disabilities and a high school diploma also had an unemployment rate of about 10%.  The unemployment rate differential for persons with and without disabilities was greater for some occupational groups than for others.  The differential was less for clerical, sales-service, and blue collar occupations than for professional-managerial, semi-professional-technical, and supervisor-foreman-forewoman occupations.  For blue collar workers, the rates were 14% and 13% respectively, but for semi-professional-technical workers they were 15% and 6% respectively.  For professional-managerial workers, both rates were lower, but the differential was still fairly large: 7% and 3% respectively.

 

Between 1986 and 1991, unemployment rates dropped for those with mild or moderate disabilities but rose for those with severe disabilities.  In the latter year, the rate for persons with severe disabilities rose to 28%.  Unlike the other two groups, this group’s employment rate increased but little.  Most of those who moved into the labour force remained unemployed.  Especially given  our high unemployment rates since 1991, one wonders how long they continued to seek work.

 

The results of multiple regression analysis reveal that the most important factors determining the earnings of persons with disabilities in 1991 were education, occupation, training, sex and age.  This analysis was confined to persons in full-time employment (30 or more hours per week).  Education is considered to be the single most important variable because it exerts both strong direct and indirect effects on earnings of persons with disabilities.  For both sexes, the greatest earnings premium came from obtaining post-secondary (non-trade) credentials.

 

Having a disability increases a person’s chances of being poor.  In this study, “poverty” is based on Statistics Canada’s low income cutoff definition.”  These cutoffs are based on family income and are adjusted for family size and the size of the community.  They are not adjusted for the extra costs involved in having a disability.  Even beyond the costs of foregone earnings opportunities, persons with disabilities must often spend money for items and services related to their disabilities.  In 1991 36% of persons with disabilities reported having at least one such expenditure that was not reimbursed.

 

Adults with disabilities derive their economic support from a variety of sources, and their chances of being poor vary, depending on the source of income.  Those who receive earnings are least likely to be poor.  For those who rely on an income support program, their odds of being poor vary widely, depending on the program.  The two most important factors that determine eligibility for a disability income program are past labour force participation  and how the disability occurred.  Persons with sufficient labour force involvement can qualify for such programs as the Canada Pension Program and Quebec Pension Program disability benefits,  private disability pensions, or workers compensation, which are likely to be more generous than benefits available under social assistance.

 

In 1991, adults with severe disabilities were much more likely to be poor (30%) than those with mild disabilities (18%).  Between 1986 and 1991, the percentage dropped for persons with mild and moderate disabilities but rose for those with severe disabilities.  Rates for persons with disabilities ranged from a low of 16% for persons with unknown physical disabilities to a high of 31% for those with speaking disabilities.  Those with seeing disabilities (30%) were not far behind.

 

So we come full circle and find that the onset of blindness at an early age is a prescription for misery.  Given the key importance of education, one cannot help wondering why the school systems have not graduated more blind students worthy of being employed in the classroom along side their sighted former classmates.  Could it be that we have replaced the segregated residential schools for the blind of the sixties with the isolation of mainstream education, as yet another way of avoiding the acceptance of blind persons as equals, entitled to integration and equity.  Struggling against the unwillingness of educators to provide report cards to parents who are blind is yet more evidence, if any were needed, that the educational system perpetuates a medieval notion of blindness towards students and parents alike: human beings who just happen to be blind.  Waiting for years to receive vocational counselling and testing that ends up suggesting suitable occupational goals for a totally blind person include, surgeon, truck driver or floral arranger contribute to the 79.1% lack of participation among persons with a severe visual impairment.  Little wonder that employers strive mightily to avoid hiring blind persons.  As we move towards a service based economy, having a blind person at the cash register, ticket counter or gas pump seems more remote than ever.

 

Lack of role models in the school system, in the workplace and in the media all contribute to the devaluation of the self-worth, self-confidence and self-esteem of blind persons.  Acceptance of the dignity of risk, the right to choose and the essential need for self-determination in the service delivery model offer the only practical hope for braking the handicap of dependency and poverty in the Canadian environment.

 

One cannot help wondering if all blind persons were treated equally and equitably since 1918, if these handicaps faced by blind persons would be a thing of the past.  Veterans received access to education without student loans, access to equipment without first having a job, access to funds to cover the costs of blindness like transportation, access to support services like readers and homemakers, access to choice in rehabilitation and employment services.

 

Many have wondered why two classes of blind persons exist in Canada.  If you happened to be injured on the job, blinded as a result of a car accident or lost your sight in the defence of the country: help and support flowed forth in stark contrast to blindness from birth or eye disease.  As early as 1926, Canadians were called on to redress this inequity which fosters the economic reality of doing business in Canada and that is serving or hiring the blind is an unjustified, unfair and unnecessary cost of doing business, to be avoided as long as possible.  Witness the battles over access to information in alternative formats with all whether it be election ballots, telephone books, thermostats or sales flyers.  All these barriers contribute to the continued unemployability of blind Canadians.

 

This is not new information.  Report after report have drawn attention to this government condoned and encouraged margenalization of blind Canadians.  It is unlikely that Canadians will learn from the past as the current model is comforting, as it perpetuates existing and long standing stereotypes of blindness. The pessimism is heightened by a review of past reports and is a fitting finality to this review of the Economics of blindness.

 

 

SOME SERVEYS OF POVERTY AMONG BLIND CANADIANS

 

BLind Rights Action Movement Nova Scotia 1970 and Blind Rights Report 1972

“The survey reveals that of the one-third of the blind population who replied, 38% were in receipt of an allowance under the Blind Persons Act. According to government figures, the overall total of B.P.A. recipients is 36%. Only 48 returns, that is 10%, disclosed that the blind person was employed. Seventy-five percent of the replies revealed an annual income of less than $2,000.00. The average income disclosed by the survey is $1,775.-00 per year.”

 

The Lowry 1972 report estimated that only about 10 per cent of blind Nova Scotians were employed.

 

The Blind Workmen’s Com­pensation Act Study in British Columbia. Paterson studied the general economic and employment characteristics of British Columbia’s blind popu­lation between the ages of 16 and 65.  He concluded that:

 

“The estimated blind unemployment rate in B.C. of up to 45 per cent can be contrasted with the general provincial rate of 7.3 per cent estimated as of December 1974.”

 

” blind persons in B.C. between the ages of 16 and 65 have annual incomes which compare closely to the poverty line.”

 

“The annual incomes for blind women in this age group are suggested to be less than half those for men.”

 

 

“It may well be that up to two-thirds of all blind persons in B.C. between the ages of 16 and 65 are receiving social welfare”

 

 

The Girard Report 1974 indicated that in Quebec more than 20 per cent of blind persons aged from 20 to 65 were bene­ficiaries of social aid compared to about 8 per cent for the population in general.  “Furthermore, it was possible to establish that about 500 legally blind persons work, based on a population of about 2,000 capable of working.”

 

Cummings Nova Scotia Study 1975

 

“between 70 and 80 per cent of blind Nova Scotia’s have an income level less than the minimum wage.  Further applying the most conservative poverty line $3,012 about two-thirds of blind Nova Scotians are living in poverty.”

 

 

 

VISION CANADA REPORT 1976

 

“Instead of breaking the vicious link between blindness and poverty, the federal and provincial welfare services have succeeded only in concealing the plight of blind Canadians from public attention….. more than half of all blind adults of working age in Canada subsist at substantially less than the offici­ally accepted levels of poverty….. The alarming conclusion that blind people must be numbered among the poorest of the poor in this country cannot conscientiously be denied. The claim that probably more than half of all the blind adults in Canada subsist at less than the officially accepted poverty levels is supported by various studies.”

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Ready, Aim, FIRE!:

Ready, Aim, FIRE!

 

Note to readers  Real time research is the best approach since time will pass by this snapshot in time.

Introduction:

Recently, I have been asked to monitor my blood glucose level.  This article outlines the research that I undertook, and what I found out about the two glucose monitors for measuring sugar in the blood, the Oracle and the Prodigy, which I have evaluated for potential use.

 

I am by no means an expert in this field. There are persons who are blind who know a lot more than I do on this subject. As a first step, I spoke with a number of people who are blind.  I received a great deal of useful and practical advice.  I strongly suggest that anyone wanting to learn about this matter consult persons who are blind who use glucose monitors.

 

Here are a few resources I found along my learning journey, which may be of assistance, and may save some frustration.  Finding information about products that can be used by persons who are blind is not always easy.

 

The Canadian Diabetes Care Guide website was helpful in learning about the monitoring of blood glucose.  Below is the link to the sites homepage as well as a direct link to the monitoring blood glucose page.

Homepage:

www.diabetescareguide.com

 

Canadian Diabetes Care Guide Link to Monitoring Blood Glucose Page:

www.diabetescareguide.com/en/monitoring.html

 

Canadian Diabetes Care Guide

Phone Number:

416-690-4871

 

Mailing Address:

Sampling Canada

33 Wheeler Avenue

Toronto, ON

M4L 3V3

 

The measurements for glucose levels in Canada changed in 1967, while the United   States continues with imperial measurements, using milligrams/deciliter, as we used to, and we began to measure in Millimoles/Litre.  I believe the conversion is to multiply by 18, not difficult, but a needless “pain in the neck and makes the thought process more of a challenge if you are dealing with a physician who is younger than I am!!! However, there should be no need for this, as I know the Oracle is metric, and I believe the Accu-check is also compatible with the voice box as well as the Voice, Prodigy. If you are converting check the conversion factor with a medical professional first.

 

When looking at glucose readings, it is patterns and trends that are important, not an occasional reading that is out of the ordinary.

 

NormalRange of Glucose

Before Meals: 4-6 mmol/L

2 hours after a meal (from the time you started): 5-8 mmol/L

 

Target

Before Meals: 4-7 mmol/L

2 hours after: 5-10 mmol/L

 

An article I found particularly useful was published by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) in the United States.  It is entitled “Evaluating Glucose Meters: Talk is Cheap, But Access is Golden”.  It can be found at the following web link:

http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/vod/vod_24_1/vodwin0910.htm

 

The article mentions that in 1997,  the NFB called on meter manufacturers to make their meters speech accessible. Since then, and especially in the past few years, a number of talking blood glucose meters have been introduced. These new meters are smaller, faster, and much less expensive than older choices, require only a tiny drop of blood, and are easier to use. However, buyer beware! While these meters are being aggressively marketed to blind and low vision users, only the Prodigy Voice is totally accessible. Despite the hype, you will find that you need sighted assistance to use essential functions such as time and date, and memory review on many of these products.

 

With advances in technology, adding speech to a meter can be accomplished at a low cost—talk is cheap. And more talking meters means more choices for people with visual impairment or for those who appreciate multi-sensory testing. However, manufacturers need to realize that adding limited audio to a meter may

meet the needs of some people with minimal vision loss, but it is not adequate or appropriate for people with moderate or severe vision loss. They need

spoken access to all meter operations to ensure independent use—access is truly golden.”

 

Another article from the NFB, is entitled “The Talking Blood Glucose Monitor Revolution” at the following web link:

www.nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/vod/vod215/vodwin0707.htm –

 

It describes the two varieties of talking blood glucose monitors.  The first uses a standard off-the-shelf, blood glucose monitor and adds a piece of hardware which converts the displayed text on the screen to audible speech, such as the Roche Diagnostics Accu-Check VoiceMate.  These are generally more expensive and more bulky.  The newer varieties fall into the second group, such as the Prodigy Voice, and the Oracle. They have speech built directly into the monitors; no additional mechanism is required. This makes them much more convenient to carry when you’re on the go.

 

There are now several choices for talking glucose monitors, including Prodigy Voice, Prodigy Autocode, Oracle, Advocate, Redi-code, Companion, Embrace, Clever-Chek, Smartest Smart Talk, and the Accu-check VoiceMate

 

I have been trying two of these – the Prodigy Voice and the Oracle.  Here is some additional information on these two devices.

 

1. Prodigy Voice:

 

Prodigy Glucose Meter Contact Information

Toll Free Phone Number: 1-800-366-5901

 

Mailing Address:

Diagnostic Devices, Inc.

9300 Harris Corners Parkway

Suite 450

Charlotte, NC28269

 

Email: intlsales@prodigymeter.com

 

Prodigy Glucose Meter web links

Link to the US website:

www.prodigymeter.com

 

The Prodigy Voice and other Blood Glucose Monitors, lancer and test strips can be purchased at:

Maxi-Aids – Products for independent Living

www.maxiaids.com

Toll-free: 1-800-522-6294 TTY: 1-800-281-3555  Fax: 631-752-0689

Item#: 151900

Your Price: $84.95

 

Future Aids – the Braille Superstore.

www.braillebookstore.com

Email: sales@FutureAids.com

Toll Free: 1-800-987-1231

Item Number: 2973

Title: Prodigy Voice Kit

Talking Blood Glucose Monitoring Kit for the Blind

Price: $74.95 But I was told that they can not sell it yet because it is not approved for use in Canada and assured me that approval was pending.

 

PRODIGY VOICE – The Talking Blood Glucose Monitoring System

“Total Independence for the Blind Diabetic”

 

• Audible test results in only 6 seconds

• Audible instructions and meter status

• Tactile buttons for easy identification of functions

• Auto Turn-on – just insert a test strip

 

Prodigy Complete Starter Kit includes everything you need to start testing! Glucose meter, control solution, 10 Prodigy™ strips, 10 sterile lancets, lancing

device.

 

Audible blood glucose monitoring system specially designed for the blind. The updated features were developed with the help of National Blind Associations

and Certified Diabetes Educators.

 

Audible prompts talk the user through all set-ups, step-by-step, including audible test results, meter status, averages, and memory records with date and

time.

 

Easy-to-identify buttons have raised tactile markings, including directional arrows and letters to allow the blind user to easily locate and operate them.

 

For greater comfort, Prodigy® Voice offers you the option to test with blood from your palms, forearms, upper-arms, thighs and calves, which have fewer

nerve endings than your fingertips.

 

Smaller Blood Sample Required – requires only a 0.6 micro liter drop of blood – smaller than most meters available today. This allows you to use extra

fine gauge lancets and significantly reduce your pain and discomfort.

 

Audible Memory and Data Management stores up to 450 audible test results with date and time, and gives 7, 14, 21, 28, 60, and 90-day audible averages.

 

Prodigy’s FREE software allows simple downloading of test results to your computer helping you and your Diabetes healthcare professional to track changes

in your blood glucose level over time.

 

REPEAT button allows the user to check and hear the last message or test result. No coding necessary – simply insert the test strip and the meter turns

on automatically. You get safe accurate test results every time. Eject Button safely ejects the used test strip with a push upward. Built-in earphone jack

for privacy (earphone not included.) Powered by 2 AAA Batteries (Included.) Size: 3.5 in. L × 2 in. W × 0.81 in. D. Weight: 1.86 lbs. 1-Yr. Limited Mfg.

Warranty.

 

2. The Oracle Talking Blood Glucose Monitor

 

Contact Information

Toll Free: 1-866-829-7926

 

Mailing Address:

Tremblay Harrison Inc.

1684   Dufferin St.

Toronto, ONM6H 3M1

 

Email: info@oraclediabetes.com

 

Website: www.oraclediabetes.com

 

Information from their website.

 

The Oracle Glucose Monitor is the ultimate in home blood glucose monitoring.  It combines simple operation with the most advanced features available.

 

Your Oracle Glucose Monitor has ALL these features ;

•           Talking Function – either English or French

•  No Coding

•  Alternate Site Testing; allows sites other than your fingertips for testing.

•  Tiny Blood Volume

•  Simple Single Button Operation

•  7 Second Results

•  450 Memory events; Keeps track of date and time with 7,14, 21, 30, 60, and 90 day averaging

•  Computer Downloadability (Computer download cable is sold separately)

•  You or your health care professional can download your results to a computer

•  Ketone Warning

•  Automatically comes on when your blood glucose is above 14.3 mmol/L

 

EZ Health® Oracle Test Strips ;

 

EZ Health Oracle Test Strips come in boxes of 50 or 100 for your convenience.  There is no need for coding or calibration of any kind.  Your meter automatically turns on when you insert a strip and automatically turns off after use.

 

There is a website to download audio versions of manuals for the Oracle Blood Glucose Monitor, and how to use the test strips, lancets etc.

www.oraclediabetes.com/index-7.html

 

Analysis:

There are basically three activities involved in monitoring your blood sugar level: pricking the skin with a lancet from an applicator; Getting some blood, putting it on the strip; and having the machine read it to you.

 

Also, in my case, the doctors want to see the record of readings.  Both the Oracle and Prodigy come with software to install on a computer to record the readings.  They both have internal memories which keeps track of about 400 plus readings.

The Oracle software is not accessible without using a mouse.  The Prodigy software is suppose to be accessible, but it was being updated, at time of writing.  They did acknowledge that the software would be reviewed by people who are blind to make sure it continues to be usable.  Both the Oracle and the Prodigy come with manuals in audio format.  The Prodigy sends a c.d. containing the manual, while you have to go to the Oracle website and download their audible instruction manual.  The Oracle manual was not as professionally done as the Prodigy’s manual.

 

Although they were both adequate, the Prodigy manual contained a chapter on carrying out the process, as a person who is blind.  These tips were useful to me.  It would appear that it doesn’t matter what lancet device and lancets you use for pricking the finger.  The local pharmacy gave me one with a drum of ten needles in it, but I don’t like it because of the difficulty in knowing how many needles are left in each drum.

 

Both the Oracle and the Prodigy come with lancets and lancet devices.  You can also get a box of universal lancets, which fits most lancing devices.  The strips used for each device, though, are specific to that device.  Once you decide on which device to use, then the correct strips have to be purchased.  The devices are usually obtainable free or at a very low cost, but the test strips are another matter.  They are fairly expensive.  In the Prodigy’s case, there are strips available for the audio device and the Prodigy Autocode.  The Prodigy I use requires the Prodigy Voice strips.

 

I personally find the Prodigy to be more user friendly.  The strips are easier to get blood onto, and to get a reading from.  The review function and the settings functions are totally accessible.  While I can control the Prodigy, the Oracle says that sighted help will be required to alter the settings on the device and to read the history of results.  The down side of all of this is that in my province, neither device is available, and the strips have yet to be approved for use.  Therefore you have to order either device from a supplier.  In the case of the prodigy, you can order it from several places in the United States.  They will ship it as “Medical Supplies for the Blind” and they go right through customs.  However, you should check on the customs regulations first.

 

Customs Canada Contact Information:

Service in English: 1-800-461-9999

Service in French: 1-800-959-2036

Email: CBSA-ASFC@canada.gc.ca

Business Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 to 16:00

 

Several other talking blood glucose monitors are also available, but I have not tested them.  MaxiAids sells a new one called the Embrace, which they describe as follows:

 

NEW! Embrace Talking Blood Glucose Monitoring System: Bilingual English/Spanish

“Announces Results in Only 6 Seconds”

 

Item#: 150201

Your Price: $24.95

• Announces results in English or Spanish in 6 seconds

• Voice guidance through entire test process

• Small sample & alternate site testing reduces pain

• Uses 2 AAA batteries (included)

• Includes lancing device, lancets and carry case

 

The Embrace Talking Blood Glucose Monitoring System was designed to deliver an accurate reading of your blood glucose level in 6 seconds. You may have test results announced in either English or Spanish. Plus, this model provides maximum accessibility to blind and low vision users by offering voice guidance to talk you through the testing procedure. (Note: The talking feature can be turned off if not wanted.)

 

Embrace requires a smaller blood sample and offers alternate site testing (fingertip, palm or forearm), so you can expect faster, easier testing with less

pain. Uses 2 AAA batteries (included.) Portable, lightweight meter weighs only 2.3 oz. with batteries installed. Color: Grey. Manufacturer’s Limited Lifetime

Warranty.

 

Other Features:

– Stores 300 test results with date and time stamp.

– 7,14 and 30-day averaging and test results can be downloaded to your PC via USB connection and available software.

– Large display makes seeing results easier

– Auto power off after 2 minutes preserves battery life

 

Package includes:

Meter

Lancing device

Ten lancets

Quick reference guide

Instructions in both English and Spanish

Log Book

2 AAA batteries installed

Zippered storage/carrying case

 

Product dimensions (imperial): 0.78 inch H x 3.90 inch L x 2.11 inch W

Product dimensions (metric): 20 mm H x 100 mm L x 54 mm W

 

NEW! Embrace Blood Glucose Test Strips: 50 Strips

“Use with Embrace Blood Glucose Systems”

Item#: 152010

Your Price: $15.95

 

These Embrace Blood Glucose Test Strips are for use only with Embrace Blood Glucose Systems. Package contains 50 Test Strips.

 

There are also a number of glucose monitors available with large print, but I did not look at them, as they would not meet my needs.

 

For a newbie like me, it is quite challenging to get a handle on the process. Particularly for me, I found it challenging in telling if I’ve punctured the skin to get enough blood.  As the Prodigy manual says, “Don’t give up, keep trying and practice, practice, practice.”  It is the approach to be used.

 

The surprising thing to me was the lack of locally available, useful information.  Diabetic organizations and most pharmacies had no information for people who are blind.  The only device that they knew about and could get was ten-year-old technology, the Accu-Check VoiceMate, in which the audio is an add-on, and it is the most expensive of them all, costing $400-$500.

 

Accu-Chek Contact Information

Toll Free Phone Number: 1-800-363-7949

 

Mailing Address:

201 Armand Frappier

LavalleQCH7V 4A2

 

Website: www.accu-chek.ca

 

The information abyss is what has motivated me to write these few thoughts, outlining my impressions and experiences as a newbie, hoping to help others who find themselves in a similar situation.

 

 

Empowerment, self-advocacy voting, elections and people who are blind, shopping and blindness, access to information  for people who are blind, consumers who are blind, disability,,rights, self help health care when you are blind, medications    and blindness, health care and blindness,

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An Unhealthy Medical Environment in Ontario

An Unhealthy Medical  Environment in Ontario

 

As I age, it is difficult to do so with dignity.  The health needs expand and become more complex, but the available information – in usable formats – decreases seemingly in direct proportion to needs.

 

The provision of multiple formats seems to have undergone a metamorphosis.  It is no longer easily available and no longer produced in a usable way.  Recently, I had a Canada Pension Plan (CPP) form sent to me.  It took six months to get it.  It was simply a translation of the print form with Canada’s two official languages all jumbled together, and filling it out was impossible.  One of the forms they offer is a survivor’s benefit form, which CPP recommends you fill out immediately.  But if you are a person who is blind, I guess immediately means after you’re long gone.  Health Canada and the Provincial Ministry of Health are particularly bad when it comes to informing people who are blind in formats we can use.

 

When you pick your medicines up at the pharmacy, all the health education materials are available in print only, and the medicines have no tactile markings.  You can’t get an electronic summary from the pharmacist.  Granted, now in Ontario you can have half an hour consultation with the pharmacist, however, in my view this is of limited value because you go away with nothing to have as a reference about some very complicated discussions, such as the effects of medicines, etc.

 

I now use blister packs in a little cardboard holder.  Each has seven days worth of medicines in the right pouches , for the right time, starting on the left with the first dosage of the day in the morning.  It would seem that you’re on your own.  Searching through Google is a great resource.  Talking blood pressure monitors, talking blood glucose monitors and talking thermometers are helpful.  Some of the health material you can scan.  It is however upsetting to know that your tax dollars have paid to inform sighted people, but not you as a taxpayer who is blind.

 

If you have to watch the contents of food, such as the amount of salt, then you are out of luck. All the packaging is not accessible, and the ingredients are only presented in Print. Health Canada and its Agencies require product manufacturers to list ingredients in products on their packaging. However, Health Canada obstinately refuses to make it possible for people who are blind to get access to this information.  The Health Canada regulations are exclusionary and the human rights authorities play the jurisdictional game – It is provincial jurisdiction, or is it federal jurisdiction? So Health Canada can continue to adversely harm the health of people who are blind.

 

I thought it was appropriate to review some of the basic principles of multiple formats and provide some resources.

Multiple formats are not translations.  They are descriptive processes where charts, graphs and diagrams are interpreted.  Multiple formats have separate versions in the English and French languages.


Multiple Format Checklist

 

This checklist is an abbreviated form of the more detailed “Manager’s Guide to Multiple Formats” and its accompanying appendix of resources, produced through the Assistive Devices Industry Office of Industry Canada for the Government of Canada.

 

All Canadians have the right to public information in a format they can access. This right is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and other federal legislation.

 

The Government of Canada Communications Policy requires that public information be made available in multiple formats (formats other than traditional publishing) for access by people with disabilities.

 

Making publications available so they can be accessed by as many people as possible not only conforms with laws and policies, it’s also good customer service.

 

Today’s aging population, explosion in information technologies and increasingly diverse society have left the printed page as only one of many ways to deliver information.

 

Different Methods of Publishing

 

This checklist examines some of the more commonly used formats and communications methods used in today’s society.

 

Accessible Web Sites: Some people who are blind or have low vision use “screen reading” software that can convert written text on web sites into other formats they can access, such as audio or braille. However, the screen reading technology cannot interpret graphics or text that appears in graphical form. For this reason, web sites need to be made accessible by ensuring that all visual and multi-media components are available in text.

 

A number of measures to make federal web sites accessible are mandatory under the Government of Canada’s Common Look and Feel Policy.

 

Audio: Publications produced on cassette tape, c.d., or computer MP3 files are appropriate when the print version cannot be accessed. A professional narrator reads the text navigated by users through tone indexing that marks new sections.  Today the best standard to use is the DAISY 4 standard.

 

Computer Diskettes and other portable electronic storage methods: For people who cannot be sent publications in electronic format via e-mail or over the web, diskettes may be a solution. There are a range of storage formats including CDs, DVDs and ZIP disks.

 

Braille: Braille is a reading system of raised dots. Named after its inventor, Louis Braille, the system’s basic “braille cell” consists of six dots grouped in two vertical columns of three dots each. There is English Braille and French Braille. Grade 1 Braille is the most basic representation of letters, numbers and punctuation while Grade 2 combines approximately 300 contractions and is the most commonly used.

 

Described Video: Described video, also known as audio description, has all relevant action scenes and on-screen text (such as credits) in a video, TV program, web-based multimedia or movie described and read by a narrator. Described video can be “open” or “closed”. When “open,” the descriptive audio can be heard by all viewers. When “closed,” viewers must turn on the TV set Second Audio Program (S.A.P., also known as the second audio channel for stereo broadcasting) for access.

 

E-Text: E-text, or electronic text, refers to publications in which all graphical components, including relevant photographs, charts and illustrations, are fully explained in text and stored electronically for distribution by e-mail, web page or diskette.  

 

Large Print: Large print publications use a set of guidelines that improve readability beyond standard design and formatting. This includes a larger point size for characters – 16 points is recommended – plus the use of non-serif fonts, increased spacing and improved contrast. The aging trend means that more people than ever before have low vision and require large print.  For this reason, it may be practical to have the original publication produced in large print.

 

On-Screen Text: On-screen text converts the spoken word and other audio contained in videos, TV programs, web-based multi-media and movies to text. The text can be in the form of subtitles used to communicate the spoken word in a different language or in the form of captioning for people unable to access audio. Closed captioning is seen with a decoder while Open captioning is visible without a decoder.

 

SignWriting: “SignWriting” is a writing system using visual symbols to represent the handshapes, movements and facial expressions of American Sign Language, Langue des Signes Québecoise and other signed languages. SignWriting is currently used mainly to teach signs and signed language grammar to beginning signers. It is also increasingly used as an alternative to standard text in teaching grade school students whose command of sign language is greater than that of printed English or French.

 

How to Prepare for Multiple Formats

 

Use Plain Language: Keeping your text as clear and as easy to read as possible is not only beneficial for clients with learning disabilities and low literacy skills, it improves comprehension for all clients and will make adaptation to other formats easier.

 

Produce a Full-Text Template: At the same time a published product is developed, all of the graphical and multi-media elements should be fully explained in text by the original authors. This file is known as the “full-text template” from which multiple formats can be produced in an accurate and seamless way. The template is a multiple format in itself, representing e-text that can be used for distribution.

 

Adjust Budgets: Use a cost-effective approach that includes multiple formats according to demand. In some circumstances, it may be appropriate to combine two formats into one. For example, a print product could be produced as large print.

 

Produce upon Request: Using the full-text template, produce multiple formats upon request. There is an obligation to provide publications in a format clients can access.

 

Inform everyone in the publishing process: Share this guide with everyone involved in the development and distribution of publications including front office people, authors and editors, graphic designers, webmasters, project managers, communications people and order desks. Inform both staff and outside contractors.

 

How to Price, Promote and Accept Multiple Format Requests:

 

All formats priced the same: All formats of an information product must have the same price. Similarly, if the conventional product is free, so too must be all of its multiple format equivalents.

 

Promote availability: There are a number of ways you can promote the availability of multiple formats. Use varied media including radio and the web; register with 1 800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232); advertise with radio reading services; and include a message on all products, such as “This publication is available upon request in accessible formats.” The message can be produced in Braille and large print.

 

Accepting requests: Multiple format requests should be accepted at all the same order points as conventional products, including product catalogues, toll-free numbers and web sites. Ask clients what format they require for access. In some cases, a full-text electronic version can be e-mailed if the client has e-mail access. Avoid referring all clients to the web as a one-stop solution because, as popular as the web has become, not all clients have web access or the ability to properly navigate the web. Also, be prepared to accept requests that come in via a multiple format.

 

Summary Checklist:

Have webmasters follow the Common Look and Feel (CLF) Policy. See the CLF web site at:

http://www.cio-dpi.gc.ca/clf-upe/

 

Promote the availability of all publications in multiple formats.

 

Familiarize all order desks with multiple formats and prepare them for requests. Inform them that there is an obligation to provide information in a format clients can access.

Create a full-text template for all publications as publications are first developed.

Have a full-text template produced for all existing publications that are promoted and considered popular.

Provide full-text templates to multiple format suppliers to produce formats as they are requested. The templates are also a multiple format in themselves and can be sent to clients via e-mail or diskette, as appropriate.

For More Information:

 

For more details, consult the “Manager’s Guide to Multiple Formats” and its accompanying appendix of references.

 

Web Link:

www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/the-public/003/005003-4200-e.html

 

 

It seems to me that very little attention is being paid to the availability of multiple formats by various services both public and private.  As shown by the above, the information is available, and the how-to knowledge exists, yet most websites only offer downloads in PDF.  I had to deal with the frustration of Service Canada telling me to call the originating department for a multiple format publication that they would send the general public directly from their office.  One can only wonder, does service mean making it harder for people who are blind to access information?  The call centre staff still do not know about multiple formats, and I had to tell them where on the web it said a brochure was available in DAISY format.  Before they read it for themselves, I was treated like a crack-pot.

 

I wanted to get a form from a Service Canada office.  They could tell me its street address, but not where it was in the building.  That particular building is a block long, and at least 30 or 40 businesses on the same floor.  Obviously there is no descriptive narration or wayfinding to help people who are blind find Service Canada service centres.

 

It seems to me that the low demand for multiple formats is in part due to the herculean effort required to get them.  They are not promoted.  It takes months to receive them, if at all, and they keep saying, “Well, it’s on the web.”

 

You would’ve thought that health professionals would be the most concerned and sensitive to these needs.  My experience is that the exact opposite is the reality, with one notable exception – a specialist who will dialogue with me via email. I also sometimes tell medical professionals how to block and copy material and send it to me electronically. When I have access to the information, I am in a stronger position to self  manage my health care.

 

There has to be a significant improvement in the flow of health related information to people who are blind by government agencies, practitioners and public education organizations like the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Telling people who are blind that they are a not for profit voluntary organizations is not a justification, but rather a sad commentary on their exclusionary attitudes.  This is just how I see the issue.

 

Chris Stark

 

 

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ADVOCATING FOR ACCESS: Securing Our Rights by Speaking Up

Note to Readers

 

This article was written at the end of the 20th century. More than a decade later it is interesting to see the results.. It is evident that the access rights obtained have a short shelf life. Our son is fighting the same access to information struggle we thought had been resolved 20 years ago. Access to financial information is still problematic for persons who are blind and past agreements have been forgotten or ignored. Much progress has been made with telecommunications and broadcasting services but each change seems to start without access built in resulting in the same barriers arising time after time with the introduction of each new service enhancement.

 

Chris Stark

 

ADVOCATING FOR ACCESS

Securing Our Rights by Speaking Up

 

BY MARIE LAPORTE-STARK

 

Humans are creatures of habit. It is difficult, and quite often frustrating, to bring about change. And when services are finally made more accessible to consumers, organizations often take the credit without mentioning how the service improvements came about.

 

As a so-called  advocate,  I can give you the other side of the story.

 

Although my goal is usually to improve my own quality of life, it is certainly rewarding to know that changes I helped bring about have greatly benefited a lot of other people.

 

When I was a child growing up with blindness in the late  50s and early  60s, my parents were given the choice of keeping me at home without an education, or sending me to a school in Montréal for children who were blind. Access to information was not a problem at l Institut Nazareth. Braille was used in all written communications, including text books and exams.

 

My eyes were quickly opened to communication barriers when I ventured towards personal independence as a young adult moving to university. Volunteer readers had to be used to record textbooks, and they were not always reliable. Notes had to be borrowed from other students, who were not always present in class. Essays had to be typed on a portable typewriter. Each teacher had to be approached for oral exams and a description of charts and other materials on blackboards. These were my first steps towards standing up for my rights, towards advocacy.

 

A few years later, raising children illustrated to me in an even more tangible way just how important it is to have information. Knowing what my children were doing by the sounds they made meant that I could effectively manage their care without even being in the same room. My daughter points out that it was disconcerting to hear me tell her not to play with something when I was not even in the room!

 

Within the home, access to information was rarely a problem. The children made lots of noise, the kettle sang when the water was hot, I labelled the microwave controls in Braille, the television dial clicked once when each channel was changed and the cat mewed when it wanted to be let out.

 

However, outside the house, access to information was problematic at best. Fortunately, while our children were young, my husband   who also has a vision disability   had enough sight to do the groceries, reading prices or checking bills with a magnifying glass. As his sight deteriorated, however, the information barriers gradually grew, challenging our independence, self-reliance and control over our personal lives.

 

Early on, the education system showed inflexibility and intolerance towards parents who were blind. Although students who were blind and integrated into the mainstream school system could have textbooks in Braille, I was told that I could not have Braille copies of the books used by my children. And yet, note after note came home urging parents to participate in their children’s education, to practise math and other drills with their children. (Of course, these notes were not in a form that I could read.)

 

Using the ingenuity and skills that had gotten me through university, I found ways around most of these barriers to participation in my children’s education. However, I slammed full-speed into a brick wall when it came to report cards. Even before they learned to read, our children were expected by school authorities to read their report cards to us, or else we were expected to get a volunteer to read the documents to us.

 

Our children were uncomfortable with this, even after they had learned to read. And using a volunteer from outside the family seemed to be an unwarranted intrusion into our family   an invasion of privacy.

 

Tackling the school board on this issue showed just how hard it is to change people’s attitudes. One teacher said:  Don’t worry about what is on the report card, as I will do what is best for your child.  A particularly insensitive principal stated publicly that his responsibility was services to children and not parents. If we could not read print report cards, that was not his problem, but our responsibility. (I guess we were to accommodate the school by finding ways to read print.)

 

This reverse accommodation  expectation propelled the issue to the superintendent of schools and the board of education, who replaced rejection with bureaucratic apathy. A board trustee even came to tell us that our demands for access to report cards were hurting our children’s education.

 

However, each time a report card arrived, the indignity spurred us on to redouble our efforts to obtain access in a dignified and equal manner like other parents. We filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission. After several more years of debate, a new superintendent was appointed and soon we had a mutually acceptable agreement. An Alternative Format Policy was developed and adopted by the school board. By the time our son reached Grade Ten, we began to receive report cards we could read independently. This policy means that, today, other parents who are blind can obtain report cards and other materials in a form they can read independently   just as parents with sight have been doing for decades.

 

From this struggle, we learned that resolving such issues would be long, drawn out, emotionally draining and painful. There would be many disappointments and setbacks. However, we learned that many people with disabilities can benefit from the removal of barriers that force us into a role of dependence as a matter of administrative convenience, without regard for the human cost of such shortsightedness.

 

For years, our requests for information and accommodation were frequently met with: Well, can’t your children do that for you?  But we had long since decided that our children should not be required to assume any more obligations or responsibilities, because of our blindness, than other children. Perhaps the greatest example of this pass-the-buck attitude towards customer service occurred with a local grocery store.

 

For a number of years, we had been provided with help by store staff to select grocery products from the shelves for purchase. As a result of competition, the store began losing money and changed its approach to customer service. One day it was suggested that we should get our children to do the grocery shopping. When we protested, the owner dismissed our concerns.

 

Another complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Commission was filed, and dragged on for three years. Our point was that, if customers who are blind were provided with access to the same information provided to sighted customers   on signs, product labels, price stickers, and sales flyers   we would really enjoy doing our shopping without any assistance from the store.

 

As the issue moved towards formal review by the commission, the store was sold and the new owners were anxious to settle. Today, the store will provide assistance, in the form of a knowledgeable employee who walks through the store with one of us and selects products that we choose.

 

Also as a result of this settlement, the store’s weekly sales flyer is uploaded every week to a local computer bulletin board service (BBS). We often get the electronic version before the print flyer is delivered to our street. Now, any person who is blind and computer literate can access this sales flyer   and save money on specials just like the rest of the community.

As we battled the grocery shopping issue, we also began to have problems with money management, resulting from lack of access to bank statements and reports. The issue came to a head when the bank started rolling over term deposits at a low rate of interest because we had not reinvested the money. The bank said we had been sent print notices   which we could not read independently. We also discovered that home mortgages could now be paid on a bi-weekly basis, substantially reducing the interest paid. This had been promoted to customers in written form and many were benefiting long before we accidentally learned about it.

 

We discussed our concerns with bank officials. Over a period of several years, it became clear that the bank viewed our desire for access to information as a matter of charity. On several occasions they even went so far as to point out that it  gave money to an organization for the blind  and that was where we should be going for help with our financial management.

 

This time, we approached the Canadian Human Rights Commission for help, since banks are under the jurisdiction of the federal government. After yet another year of debate, the complaint was officially accepted by the commission in September, 1991. As discussions continued, the issue took on a life of its own and expanded to include electronic banking, banking machines and access to all bank publications.

In an effort to resolve the complaint, the Royal Bank of Canada introduced Braille statements for customers with personal chequing accounts. By that time, however, we would not settle for anything less than policy commitments and an acknowledgement of our right to equal access to bank-generated client information.

 

Eventually, in an effort to move this matter forward, we settled in 1996. However, the additional access to information and the promises of more to come, including access to automated banking machines (ABMs), are gratifying indeed. The industry may maintain that its efforts are not a result of complaints, but the fact remains that ABMs have been around now for more than a decade   and Braille has been around for more than a century   and yet access to information for customers who are blind is just now being seriously considered by the chartered banks.

 

The Royal Bank of Canada outlined a new policy to improve its service to people with visual disabilities, and agreed to report annually to the Canadian Human Rights Commission until adequate access to automated banking machines had been provided to customers who are blind. Less than a year later, the Royal Bank opened its first banking machine with audio output.

 

While the bank issue was crawling along, another information barrier was creeping into our home life. Bell Canada had asked the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for permission to charge people who are blind for directory assistance. Yet the company had no intention of making telephone directories available in formats accessible to these customers. A small band of concerned consumers from across the country wrote letters, briefs, interventions and petitions to the CRTC, and ultimately the commission denied this component of the Bell Canada rate increase application.

 

However, once raised, the issue of access to information within the telecommunications network would not go away until resolved. Several years of correspondence between the CRTC, Bell Canada and ourselves eventually evolved into a formal application for access to information. While we did not achieve all that we had hoped, the ice has been broken. Under the Telecommunications Act, we are entitled to know what we are paying for and what services we can expect for our monthly subscriber’s payment.

 

A similar issue intruded into our dialogue with the CRTC when the cable industry introduced new channels and required all subscribers to accept and pay for these services (known as a  negative billing  process). Of the many documents the cable company was required by the CRTC to provide to customers, none was given to us in a format we could read. So, we approached the CRTC and requested that Rogers Cable Company be required to provide its subscribers who were blind with the same information that was required to be circulated to all subscribers.

 

Like other issues, the focus kept expanding and a resolution seemed to slip further away. In an effort to get the process moving, we filed a complaint against the CRTC with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, expecting that it would dismiss the complaint if any positive movement toward greater access occurred. I believe that this action encouraged the CRTC to take both the Bell Canada and Rogers Cable issues much more seriously and issue its directives. We and other customers who are blind can now receive our Bell Canada account statements and bills, and the channel line-up from Rogers Cable, in Braille.

 

However, significant issues remain to be resolved. The CRTC has not established a policy to ensure that those companies it regulates include customers who are blind equally in their service-delivery systems.

 

Visual-only displays continue to become more common in the telephone industry to identify incoming callers and provide a host of other information. The information on these screens will become more essential as telephone companies move into direct competition with cable and direct satellite to home services for customers. Telephone directories, including Yellow Pages listings, needed to make full use of telephone service still remain marginally available to customers who are blind.

 

Another outstanding issue is access to television program channel listings. Most cable services offer program listings to subscribers which scroll down half of a television screen, with the other half of the screen and all of the audio devoted to promotional advertisements. All subscribers contribute to the service, but only sighted subscribers can use it to determine at a glance what programs are being aired at a specific time. Sighted subscribers also have access to several newspaper or magazine sources for this program information. Even though persons who are blind do not have access to this information, there is strong resistance to making this service accessible to them.

 

The use of visual displays and music as a pause in the announcer’s commentary, or as a filler or break in programming, also creates a communication barrier. This is quite a serious issue since, for example, the weather channel gives all individual temperatures visually with music and no verbal announcements. What is more important on a weather information service than the temperature information? Yet the CRTC would not issue a policy addressing these concerns. This placed the access burden back on the shoulders of persons who are blind by deciding that this issue had to be addressed service-by-service, through individual complaints, or at the time of license renewal by intervention.

 

However, the CRTC did decide that cable companies had to make their community channel program information available in a usable format for persons who are blind, and that the community announcements must be made available in both audio and visual formats. The precedent has been set, but full access is a long way away.

 

The Royal Bank of Canada is putting into service a few audio banking machines, and the Canadian Standards Association has established a committee to develop a standard for barrier-free design for ABMs. The Canadian Cable Television Association is supposedly developing industry guidelines on access for persons with disabilities.

 

In the spring of this year, the CRTC issued Public Notice 1998-44 announcing a Canadian television policy review requesting public comments. I am pleased to see that, among the many questions posed, Question 58 relates to making television programming reasonably reflective of, and accessible to, persons with disabilities, and Question 66 relates to the probision of video descriptive services for people who are blind.

What will the future hold? Will direct home satellite service be fully accessible to a person who is blind? Will the information displays on smart cards be usable? Will electronic ticketing systems be accessible? Will home shopping by phone or cable be user-friendly for all shoppers? I believe that our greatest challenge in the future is to maintain access as new technologies and service models are introduced.

 

Choice is an integral part of consumerism. I dream that in the next century, when I choose to request a Braille menu, a Braille phone bill or a Braille manual for my bread maker, my request will be embraced warmly by the service provider. Customer service is also for consumers who are blind. Companies must come to accept that equal pay for services really warrants equal access to service information, in the most effective medium for the user.

 

Marie Laporte-Stark is an advocate and freelance writer living in Ottawa, Ontario.

 

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ADVOCACY AND PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT

ADVOCACY AND PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT

By: Chris and Marie Stark

 

  • Editor’s Note: Chris and Marie Stark are long-time advocates for increased access, universal design and true inclusion for blind persons. They live in Ottawa.
  • People who are blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted have been sucker punched for years by product and service providers, who say that universal design and retrofits are too costly to ensure usability for all.

 

But advocacy provides a practical vehicle for change and empowerment, and it can have a direct positive impact on quality of life and personal well-being.

 

In 1996, we settled a human rights complaint with the Royal Bank of Canada on condition they develop and implement an accessible automated banking machine (ABM). The first accessible ABM was introduced in Ottawa in 1997.

 

Once the technology was proven, we believed access to most ABM’s in Canada would follow. Seven years later, however, less than one percent of ABM’s can be used independently by blind Canadians and none by  People who are deaf-blind.

 

We first received our bank, credit card and other statements in Braille, but we kept pushing and now we can get most of that information online or via email. The Royal Bank has made its websites and telephone banking service reasonably functional for people who are blind.

 

But exclusion is a chronic problem, and it is a part of Canadian corporate culture. Nowhere is this more evident than the  telecommunications sector.

 

In  the mid 90’s, we first became entangled with Bell Canada over a plan to charge people who are blind for directory assistance, even though they didn’t provide us with accessible phone books. Other decisions related to pay phone and yellow page accessibility, and the provision of phone bills we can read independently. A decade later, we are still struggling to gain equal and equitable service, like in the use of cell phones.

 

Television service providers apparently didn’t think they had to serve people who are blind either.

 

When we asked the weather network to make its visuals accessible, it offered a separate, inferior and not-real-time information  weather broadcast service designed especially for “the Blind”.

 

We asked that cable companies like Rogers make their channel line-ups, bills and terms and conditions of service available to us in formats we can read. They were ordered to do so.

 

Again, we expected that awareness of our needs would lead to inclusion. Imagine our consternation when digital television came along with on-screen programming menus that we cannot use!

 

On a more local level, the ability to vote privately and independently in municipal elections has long been a fundamental issue for persons who are blind. In the good old days, citizens who are blind were asked to bring someone to mark their ballots or election officials occasionally insisted on marking the ballots. On one memorable occasion, we were forced to go into the utility closet among the mops and brooms and verbalize our selection to an election official. We did this in order to cast as secret a ballot as possible given the inaccessibility of the voting process at the time, including the lack of ballots we could use independently.

 

More recently, we were offered a template with our ballot, along with a list of candidates in large print and braille. We placed our marked ballots in a privacy sleeve and inserted it into the machine ourselves. We felt confident that our votes were counted accurately. As the machine will indicate if a ballot is unmarked, destroy the ballot and direct the voter to cast another ballot, gone are the days of spoiled ballots, which was always a concern for voters who are blind.

 

Sidewalks, or lack thereof, are a never-ending community issue. We do not like walking along the curb  on the edge of streets. It is hazardous to move around cars that are parked in the road.

 

We have had many sidewalks built as retrofits.   The first was along a busy  street so that we could walk our six-year-old daughter to dance class in safety. At first we were told not to worry because drivers could see that we were blind and would react accordingly. We pointed out that drivers could not see a white cane against a snowbank in a blizzard. It was a lovely sidewalk that enable us to go to several stores as well, and others use it today with their children.

 

Access to information is perhaps the greatest barrier that we face as citizens who are blind in attempting to live independently.  The strongest case for readable material centres around the right to know what you are paying for, including hydro, water and property tax bills. Technology has made providing this information easier, and we now get some sent to us electronically and securely over the internet.

 

Obtaining shopping information   is a continuing challenge.  Some stores like the local market will email us their specials. After a prolonged and protracted struggle with Canadian Tire  involving a human rights  complaint, its web site and e-flyer were made usable. Zellers, M and M Meats and a few other chains have dabbled in making their sales flyers accessible to persons who are blind.

 

One of our information needs is for grocery store specials. For many years, again after a human rights complaint,  The IGA in our former community made its specials available to us and provided a store person to assist with shopping. When we moved, Loblaws became the largest nearby grocery store. We asked for its flyer, and after a letter to the president pointing out the irony in having a Loblaws  Charitable Foundation while refusing to provide sales information in a readable form to people who are blind, the flyer was provided for a time. More recently, however, the employee responsible for this work left, and we have been waiting for the service to resume. We will have to fight this battle a second time.

 

It is discouraging that new services start out as inaccessible and informed consumer choice is still not a practical reality for Canadians who are blind. Universal access is still dependent on individual initiative.

 

Here are a few do’s and don’t’s that we have found helpful:

 

Be specific in the demand, expressing clearly what you want and why.

 

Be explicit about why the existing arrangement is not appropriate. Often this relates to equal access.

 

Be careful not to let the service provider pass your request off to a charity.

 

Be  prepared  for the exclusion arguments like: number of users;  too costly; who do you represent?;  what do the experts in blindness think?; who else must we consult?; and    who else is doing it?.

 

Try to prevent the issue from taking on  a life of its own–requiring studies, standards  and other excuses—something that hinders the development of a solution now.

 

Try to avoid solutions that segregate or are  labelled “SPECIAL”—solutions just for you.

 

Try to work with the appropriate officials, but be clear that the price of cooperation  is progress—now.

 

Be prepared to go outside the system in order to remove resistance, like by involving the media, elected representatives or regulatory bodies.

 

Do not  apologize for your commitment, beliefs or feelings.

 

Decide how much effort the issue is worth in terms of  your valuable time and  stamina, and be prepared to walk away sometimes with just the satisfaction of trying.

 

To us, advocacy means personal choice and commitment. It is a life force for bettering our human condition and  a value to be cherished. Self advocacy is a lifelong occupation—from the cradle to the grave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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See through barriers. Making conferences and events accessible to people who are Blind

Originally Written by

Marie Stark

 

See through barriers. Making conferences and events accessible to people who are blind.

People who are blind frequently encounter barriers that prevent their full participation in meetings, conferences, and exhibits. Here are a few low-cost and no-cost ideas to make people who are blind feel welcome:

The Announcement: Invite participants to identify their needs in advance.
Mention the availability of material in multiple formats such as large print, Braille, audio, and electronic. Avoid using the word ‘special’ as these needs are not frills.

Circulate notices electronically. Many people who are blind have access to computers with speech readout, refreshable Braille displays or enlarged text.

Call people who are blind or have low vision before the event with orientation information such as the route from the nearest bus stop to the event, room layout, amenities and washroom locations, food services and menu choices.

If people are referred to a website for information, ensure that the site meets world wide web consortium access standards. People who are blind often have difficulty accessing information in a windows environment because of design barriers including graphics, frames, charts and programs such as Adobe Acrobat.

The Facility

When choosing a location, consider the needs of people who do not drive.
Is the bus service in close proximity to the event location?
Are there sidewalks?

Is there someone at the entrance to give directions?

Is the route from the entrance to the event uncluttered and free from obstacles that are not detectable by cane?

Registration
When someone who is blind approaches the registration table,

Explain the registration process and signage information.

Describe options and choices, including cost implications. Do not assume that people who have a visual disability will want the cheapest choice available.

Ensure that the participants name tag has a tactile indicator so that they can put it on the right way up.

You can put the tag on for the guest, but ask first. Explain color or other activity coded information on the tag.
Review the information kit and explain all documents.
People receiving multiple formats should also be given the full printed kit for their company’s files or discussion with colleagues.

The Event
The first announcement at each event should include:

The identification of the speaker, topics to be covered, order of speakers, how people will be recognized during discussion, time table for sessions, amenities, such as where to find the washrooms, and relieving areas for guide dogs

Lunch and receptions.

Announcements about what’s offered help everyone to enjoy a social event. For instance, this evening we have three buffets and two bars. With your back to the entrance door, there is a bar with an attendant to the right of the door where cocktails are available. Using the same reference point, you will find, in the far left-hand back corner, a self-service table for wine. At the island in the center of the room, are warm items including pizza, potato skins, chicken wings, etcetera.

Catering staff should be advised to announce the food they are serving on hors d’ œuvre trays as they approach groups of people at the reception.

Self-service meals can present obstacles. Announcing the menu before meal breaks allows everyone to know the choices offered. Some people who are blind may prefer to go through the buffet line-up while others may prefer to be served at a table. Having well-trained catering staff available to discretely assist greatly increases the integration of participants who are blind.

By trying to incorporate as many of these suggestions as possible at your next event, you make people with visual disabilities feel welcome.

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Introduction To The Site

Chris Stark was the Manager of Monitoring, Liaison and Mediation for the Accessible Transportation Directorate of the Canadian Transportation Agency.  His first role at the Agency involved the resolution of complaints from travelers with disabilities.  Before joining the Agency, Mr. Stark held several positions with Transport Canada.  While with Transport Canada, he received a Ministerial award of excellence. Chris . Stark graduated with honors in Arts and Education from St. Mary’s University in Nova Scotia, where he received a “Golden M” award for his contribution to university life.  His work with the New Brunswick Bicentennial Commission, notably the development of the first tactile and braille pin in Canada, earned him a letter of commendation from Queen Elizabeth II.  He received the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada awarded by the Governor General “in recognition of significant contribution to compatriots, community and to Canada”.

Over the years, Chris . Stark has spoken to many groups in Canada and abroad, such as the European Conference of Ministers of Transport in Paris, France; Independence ’92: the World Congress of Persons with Disabilities; Inclusion by Design: Planning the Barrier free World; the 50th Annual Worldwide Airline Customer Relations Association Conference, the Third Paralympic Congress in Atlanta, Georgia  and, several of the Access to the Skies Conferences, sponsored by the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

Chris Stark and, Marie Stark , enjoy travelling with their guide dogs.  Their travels provide them with first hand experience of services for persons with disabilities.  Articles based on their experiences have been published in Canadian magazines such as Ability Network and Abilities.

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