October 29, 2008 is
the 10th anniversary of an extremely important event in the decade-long battle
for the enactment of a strong Disabilities Act, to achieve a barrier-free
Ontario for persons with disabilities.
There is so much about
October 29, 1998 that remains important to Ontarians with disabilities. First,
this stunning achievement was the result of hard work by Ontarians with
disabilities and their friends, families and other supporters, from right
across Ontario at the grass-roots. They tenaciously visited, phoned, faxed and
wrote to their members of the Ontario Legislature to urge them to support this
important resolution. Their hard work paid off. They waged this battle with
determination, in the face of the brick wall they kept slamming into, whenever
they tried to discuss a Disabilities Act with the ruling Mike Harris
Conservative Government. In the 1995 provincial election, Mike Harris had
promised that he would pass the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) in his
first term. Yet for the next years, his Government showed no real interest in
taking this promise seriously.
The MPP who championed
this resolution ten years ago was Opposition Liberal member Dwight Duncan. How
can you help mark this important anniversary on the road to a barrier-free
Ontario? We encourage you to circulate this update widely. Encourage others to
come up with creative ways to mark this anniversary in your community. Let your
local media know what progress has been made in the past ten years, and what
progress still must be made, to make Ontario fully barrier-free to over 1.5
million Ontarians with disabilities.
What have you done to
encourage the implementation of the AODA?
If you are
interested in learning more about Accessibility
for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) or how to make accessibility a natural
part of your business through the application of Corporate Social Responsibility, please contact Sandra Broekhof @
416-579-1035 orsandra_broekhof@sympatico.ca
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