Independent Living Centre Kingston Promoting a new perspective on disability. Levelling the Landscape Independent Living Centre Kingston Newsletter * Fall, 2009 AODA Accessibility Standards for Customer Service The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) provides a way for Ontario to move towards becoming barrier-free and more accessible to people with disabilities; it makes good economic and social sense. When barriers get in the way of people with disabilities participating fully in society as a result of their disabilities, everyone in Ontario loses. The AODA uses the Ontario Human Rights Code’s definition of “disability” that includes physical, mental health, developmental and learning disabilities; a disability may be visible or not visible. A barrier is anything that keeps someone with a disability from participating fully in society and can be visible or invisible. An example of a visible barrier is a building with steps but no ramp. An example of a barrier that is invisible is a policy that sets a time limit for completing a test for employment or for training or promotion opportunities. The AODA will create a number of standards (a rule that persons and organizations have to follow to identify, remove and prevent barriers) to help Ontario become barrier-free. Ontario Regulation 429/07 establishes accessibility standards for customer service. This standard applies to every designated public sector organization, and to every other person or organization, that provides goods or services to members of the public or other third parties and that has at least one employee in Ontario. To ensure the application of Customer Service Standards training sessions are to be given to all staff that have contact with the public. Cities, institutions and private consultants in Ontario are creating curriculum for accessibility training that cover the mandatory sections outlined in the act: Be familiar with Legislation and purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA); * Requirements of Customer Service Standards Regulation 429/07; * Learn how to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disability; * Persons who use an assistive device, or require the assistance of a service animal, or of a support person; * Learn about accommodations including use of equipment or devices available in your work location that may help with the provision of services to people with a disability. ILCK is providing a customized customer service training approach that follows Independent Living Principles in content and delivery. Our training emphasis customer control and total inclusion, including all required sections plus: * Experience the daily challenges facing people with disabilities through their stories; * Participation in discussion around the benefits of proper disability etiquette and appropriate language; * Learn about accommodations available in your work place; * Plan how to incorporate accessibility service standards in your customer service plan, and how to improve it in the future; Follow up visit to assess the results of the training and suggest further programs. If your business, organization or employer is beginning to comply with Customer Service Standards or would like information on the standards, ILCK can help. Contact Ed at the Centre. A new way to donate to ILCK ILCK can now accept your gift with credit cards through Canada Helps; cash and cheque will continue to be processed directly through the Centre. At Canada Helps, the way you choose to donate to charity is up to you. You can give when you want, in the amount you wish, to the charities you choose, and in the manner that suits you best. Donors can choose to give once, monthly, annually, and have the ability to purchase charitable gift cards for family and friends. They ensure a donor's privacy, and strive to meet the needs of today's donor, online. Making a donation is simple: choose a charity (or charities), identify any special requests associated with that gift (memorial designations, frequency of gift, Gift Card, etc.), then begin the checkout (or payment) process. Once the donation has been paid for, the donor receives an immediate, secure PDF tax receipt, issued by Canada Helps, by email. Canada Helps then disburses the funds (less a 3% transaction fee) to the designated charity, along with any special requests associated with that gift, and in the manner the donor specified at checkout. Canada Helps was created to make giving simple, fast, secure and convenient. To make a credit card gift to Independent Living Centre Kingston through Canada Helps click on the Donate button on the ILCK home page: www.ilckingston.com or visit Canada Helps: www.canadahelps.org. Notes from the Executive Director Independent Living Centre Kingston (ILCK) recently held its 21st annual general meeting. At that meeting it was reported that last year people with disabilities made over 9,000 requests for support, and there were over 14,000 visits to ILCK’s website. These requests for support and information were made to increase their independence and seeking assistance in addressing barriers that they face on a day to day basis. These barriers range from getting the necessary disability related supports to trying to gain more control over, or better manage, their disability related supports. Other barriers include lack of physical accessibility and lack of inclusive attitudes in the community. The level of requests for service make it clear, in order for People with Disabilities to be equal and full citizens who are treated with respect and dignity they require Independent Living Centre supports. ILCK supports and resources empower them to maximize their ability, to understand and manage their personal affairs, and exercise their rights as citizens. They require a community that is more physically and attitudinally accessible and necessary disability related supports, such as attendant services and assistive devices. The Ontario Government is currently carrying out its legislated 5 year review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005 (AODA). As we deliberate whether or not the AODA is or will be effective we should consider whether just removing physical barriers will ensure full citizenship. Ad from: John Gerretsen, M.P.P. Kingston and The Islands 2-303 Bagot St. Kingston, ON K7K 5W7 Tel: 613-547-2385 Fax: 613-547-5001 Web: www.johngerretsen.on.mpp.ca Email: jgerretsen.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org Notice: To make sure you will keep receiving Levelling the Landscape update your email with the Centre. Canadian Food Inspection Agency: Everyday Safe Food Handling Practices CLEAN Hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of food-borne illness. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water before and after handling food. Thoroughly clean and sanitize countertops, cutting boards, utensils and dishes after each use. Do this with hot soapy water or a bleach sanitizer. CHILL Bacteria can grow in the danger zone between 4°C and 60°C (40°F to 140°F). To prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, keep cold food cold. Store it at or below 4°C (40°F). Do not keep food in the danger zone for longer than two hours. Foods that need to be refrigerated or frozen should be stored immediately after they are brought home from the grocery store. Refrigeration at or below 4°C (40°F) slows down most bacterial growth, while freezing at or below -18°C (0°F) can stop bacteria growth completely. (But remember: refrigeration and freezing won't kill bacteria. Only proper cooking will do that!) Plan ahead: thaw food in the refrigerator, where the food will stay at a safe, constant temperature of 4°C (40°F) or below. SEPARATE Bacteria can be carried in raw meat juices. So keep raw food away from other food while shopping, while storing, preparing and serving foods. Place raw meat, poultry and seafood in containers on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. This will prevent raw juices from dripping onto other food or touching other food. Use separate equipment and utensils such as knives and cutting boards for handling raw foods. When serving cooked food, do not reuse the same plates and utensils that raw food sat on. Use clean plates and utensils for cooked and other ready-to-eat food. COOK Bacteria can grow in the danger zone between 4°C and 60°C (40°F to 140°F). Keep hot foods at or above 60°C (140°F). Make sure that sauces, soups and gravy are brought to a boil when you reheat them. When cooking food in a microwave, stir or rotate the food half way through the cooking time. This will eliminate any cold spots and will help with even cooking. Use a digital food thermometer to check that the temperature of cooked foods has reached the safe temperatures shown in the chart below. The Government of Canada’s role in food safety Health Canada establishes regulations and standards relating to the safety and nutritional quality of food sold in Canada. Through inspection and enforcement activities, the CFIA is responsible for verifying that food sold in Canada meets Health Canada’s requirements. A Call to Action - U.N. Convention Update It's Time for Canada to Ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities By Steve Estey Steve Estey was a member of the committee that drafted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Canada has yet to ratify the treaty. The new Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was negotiated by the Ad Hoc Committee in record time. There are many reasons, but the keys, most agree, were the general consensus that the Convention was a good idea whose time had come, and the recognition that, in order to proceed, it was essential to maintain the momentum the process picked up as it moved along. WHERE IS THE PROCESS IN CANADA? Well, it’s been 29 months since Canada, along with 80 other nations, signed the CRPD in New York City at the March 30, 2007, ceremony. By signing, we committed to embarking on a process of intergovernmental discussions to make sure that our domestic laws were in compliance with the new treaty, and the government committed to consulting with Canadians to seek our views. Now, after more than two years, we can see that Canada has lived up to the commitments to consult and discuss. Our process has been good, very good, but dragging it on longer – or, to borrow from the language of the Ad Hoc Committee, to engage in a “perfect consultation process”– we put Canada in danger of perhaps never ratifying the treaty at all. The longer we delay, the more momentum we lose, and the greater the tendency will become to seek “perfection” by considering every possible scenario that could come into play under the new treaty. If the Ad Hoc Committee, or for that matter any decision making process, adopted such an approach, it would signal the end of progress on the issue under consideration. No, at some point, it must be recognized that things are “good enough,” that we can accept them and move on. It is only by moving forward that the momentum can be regained, and it is only with momentum that any goal can be reached. A TIME TO ACT The time has come to act. The result of the recent consultation with Canada’s disability and human rights leaders was clear: “The time has come for Canada to ratify the CRPD.” No good reason can be found not to move forward, and to do so with energy and determination. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! Let Prime Minister Stephen Harper know that you want Canada to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities! Email him at pm@pm.gc.ca or write to the Office of the Prime Minister, 80 Wellington St., Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A2. You can also write to your member of parliament – find contact information at http://canada.gc.ca/directories-repertoires/direct-eng.html WHY IT IS URGENT Continued failure to ratify the CRPD calls into question Canada’s standing as a global leader on the human rights of people with disabilities, and indeed our standing as a leader in human rights overall. Canada was a leader in the negotiations that led to the treaty. With 60 nations, nearly one-third of UN members having ratified the CRPD, claims of Canadian leadership grow more tenuous with each passing day. Finally, and most important, it is only once we have ratified the CRPD that we are bound by its obligations. Only then can we begin to use it officially as the lens through which we view disability in Canada, and only then will Canada be obliged to commence reporting on how we are meeting those obligations. So for the treaty to take full effect domestically, and for Canada to fully engage in the ongoing international work on the CRPD, we must ratify. The sooner we do so, the sooner we can move forward. Clearly, the time has come! WHAT CAN YOU DO? With consultations complete, the next steps in the process are for a Memorandum to Cabinet on ratification to be filed. From there, the cabinet must decide whether to support ratification, and if supportive, it will file a motion in the house to proceed. The key at this point is to ensure that the cabinet proceeds positively and swiftly. The challenge is to be heard at the cabinet table, as there are many issues on the government’s agenda. Canadians with disabilities must come together and raise our voices in order to be heard. We must speak to our MPs, our ministers and to the prime minister. We must make clear that this is important and urgent. We have waited patiently for 29 months, but now it is time for the government to act! What’s new on ILCK’s website? ILCK’s online auction will give you the opportunity to bit on one-of-a-kind items and support the centre. Check the web site for further details. AODA Accessibility Standards for Customer Service Review Do you have a comment, objection or opinion on the AODA Customer Service standards? Charles Beer (Independent Reviewer) is doing a Review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA). There is still time for individuals and organizations to participate in public consultation sessions. You do not need to present a written brief in order to participate. Detailed instructions on how to participate and register for the public consultation sessions: http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/mcss/english/pillars/accessibilityOntario/accesson/participate If you have any difficulty in registering, please contact Anna Robinson at robinson@counselpa.com. If you want to contact Charles Beer directly he can be reached at: charles.beer@ontario.ca. Employment Tip Workplace Communication By David Baxter Employment Facilitator Do you realize that you can spend, on average, more time interacting daily with your colleagues then family or friends? When you calculate the amount of time over a year it is 2080 hours or 87 days! Starting a new job is like beginning a new relationship, you tend to try really hard in the beginning to be liked and to become a member of the team. Once you become familiar with your surroundings and the people you work with you can become less formal and pay less attention to what you say and do. This can lead to animosity, hurt feelings and misunderstandings. The most important point to remember is not to blur the lines of communications and let your personal life and conversation effect your work environment. Many times a comment is made by a co-worker that leads to some form of animosity. You can’t help but think “How dare he/she say that, he/she has no right, he/she doesn’t know me”. The interesting point is that they may feel like they have the right to comment. You control the amount of personal information that you share with colleagues and because of what you may have shared they may feel the right to have an opinion. In future situations consider this as “Open Season” and think about what you may wish to share. Communication is an art; it is something to be learned and constantly reviewed, remember to use your manners and to articulate your message. Ask you yourself two questions when faced with a hostile situation. What is being said to me and how it is being said? What am I saying and how am I saying it? Many times people get more offended by the way a message is delivered then to the actuall message. The reasons could be numerous and varied; accent, work stress, personal stress, disability, communication style, your mood or their mood. Remember to utilize the communication skills you have honed and set an example for others to follow and if you have offended a colleague; apologize and adjust your communication style. Communication Tips for a Healthy Workplace Melissa Conrad Stoppler, MD, William C. Shiel, Jr, MD, FACP, FACR 1. Be specific in voicing your complaints. 2. Resist the temptation to involve yourself in in issues that do not directly involve you or your responsibilities. 3. Try to depersonalize conflicts. 4. Be open and listen to another's point of view. 5. If an extended discussion is necessary, agree first on a time and place to talk. 6. Limit your complaints to those directly involved in the workplace conflict. 7. Know when conflict isn't just conflict. 8. Consider a mediator if the problem gets out of control. 9. Take home point: It's not all about you. CCD’s Open Letter to Members of Parliament Re: Francine Lalonde’s Private Member’s Bill, C-384, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (Right to Die with Dignity) The Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD), a national human rights organization of persons with disabilities working for a inclusive and accessible Canada, is alarmed by Bill C-384, I urge you to vote against Bill C-384, CCD opposes assisted suicide and euthanasia because of the adverse impact it would have on persons with disabilities. CCD submits that people with disabilities would bear the negative social consequences of any legislation that allows the killing of people perceived to be suffering. Bill C-384 would alter the fundamental Canadian norm, which prohibits killing. This it too important a value to be changed by an ill-conceived Private member’s Bill. If Bill C-384 were passed, this prohibition against killing would be altered making it permissible to kill in certain circumstances: * a request maker at least 18 years of age * two or written requests freely make seeking to die * the request makers appears to be lucid * the request maker is experiencing physical or mental pain without prospect of relief or terminal illness. In the public mind, these circumstances are characterized as suffering. Long-standing social practices and beliefs have misled many people without disabilities to conflate disability with suffering. Unlike non-disabled people, people with disabilities do not consider themselves to be suffering. They are as satisfied with quality of life as non-disabled people are with theirs. Nevertheless, this does not dissuade misguided people from seeking to end the lives of people with disabilities. A number of different people and organizations in the disability community, such as Dr. Dick Sobsey (University of Alberta), CCD and Not Dead Yet, have been working to increase awareness about this phenomenon, and we encourage you to review the materials on their websites. The Council of Canadians with Disabilities is certain that such negative cultural perceptions regarding disability will result in non-disabled people, influenced by erroneous concepts of compassion, to conclude that the circumstances of disability are without relief '' and they will act to secure death as provided for in Bill C-384. Subtle and not-so-subtle pressures can be placed upon vulnerable persons with a disability to motivate them to seek a death sanctioned b)' Bill C-384. Canada would have a new social norm - one where people without disabilities would “help'' people ninth disabilities by killing them. As a legislator, you are mandated by the Equality Rights Section (Section 15) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to ensure that Canadian legislation does not have an adverse impact upon persons with disabilities. LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD. VOTE AGAINST BILL C-384 TO PRESERVE THE EQUALITY, LIFE AND SECURITY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN CANADA. International Day of Persons with Disabilities The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Dec. 3, aims to promote an understanding of disability issues, the rights of persons with disabilities and gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of the political, social, economic and cultural life of their communities. The Day provides an opportunity to mobilize action to achieve the goal of full and equal human rights and participation in society by persons with disabilities. This years theme is: Empowerment of persons with disabilities and their communities by ensuring that persons with disabilities are integrated into all development activities. Check www.ilckingston.com for further details. Dates to Remember Dinner Club: Smitty’s - Tuesday, November 3 5:00 to 7:00 pm Swiss Chalet - Tuesday, December 1 5:00 to 7:00 pm Pizza at ILCK - Tuesday, January 12 12:30 to 3:00 pm Christmas Party At ILCK December 15 1:00 to 3:00 pm Christmas Closing ThursdayDecember 24 - Opeining on Monday January 4 ILCK is an accredited member of Independent Living Canada For more information please visit/contact: Independent Living Centre Kingston 298 Concession St., Kingston, Ontario K&K 2C1 Ph: 613-542-8353 * TTY: 613-542-8371 * Fax: 613-542-4783 Email: info@ilckingston.com * Web: www.ilckingston.com