Celia Milne
Published: June 07, 2011 5:52 p.m.

It’s a day in the life of Jeff Berwick.

He’s an ordinary guy, married with two kids, commuting two hours each way from Oshawa to Toronto and back.
What’s different about Berwick is that he’s doing it blind.

“I don’t let too many things get in my way,” Berwick tells Metro.

This soft-spoken 38-year-old became blind at 13 when the bone holding his optic nerve didn’t grow normally, pinching off his sight.

With the aid of a guide dog and a keen sense of touch and sound, he navigates a complex network of buses, trains and subways to get to his job in customer service at the Ontario Medical Association.

Once there, his computer speaks to him and he does his job so seamlessly that sometimes his coworkers forget he’s blind.

During time off he does what other people do: mundane tasks like emptying the dishwasher and more exciting events like attending sports events his kids Spencer, 7, and Asher, 3, are involved in.

“Look at me, Daddy!” Asher will often say, too young to understand his dad can’t see him.

Berwick is helping to raise awareness of what it’s like to be blind and some of the tools that can help people with disabilities live normal lives. A short documentary which profiles a day in the life of Berwick is available online.

When you open the video, you’ll see a shadowy black overlay, which is intended to give you are sense of what it would be like to watch YouTube videos if you had low vision.

Tube Talk
One of the things Jeff Berwick loves to do is to chill out at the end of the day with his family, watching TV or the latest movie. He uses a new channel called The Accessible Channel (TACtv), which provides a voice description of what’s going on as it happens on the screen.

“Described video is great,” says Berwick. “It allows a blind person to watch a show that is described visually. It’s like a whole new world. I don’t have to wait to find out why people laughed three seconds ago.

TACtv is produced by non-profit Accessible Media Inc. Another AMI product is VoicePrint, which provides blind people with access to leading newspaper and magazine articles.

Source: METRO CANADA

Toronto, ON – At an event held today during National Access Awareness Week (May 29 to June 3), Easter Seals Canada announced that seven of Toronto’s top arts, entertainment and cultural attractions have joined forces to bring the Access 2 Entertainment (A2E) Program to their visitors. The program, which offers complimentary admission for attendants of people with permanent disabilities, represents the first time Toronto’s top tourism attractions have partnered together around a unified accessibility initiative.

Attractions include the Art Gallery of Ontario, Casa Loma, the CN Tower, Ontario Place, the Ontario Science Centre, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Toronto Zoo.

This announcement launches Phase Two of the Access 2 Entertainment program, managed by Easter Seals Canada. Phase One began in 2005 when Cineplex Entertainment, Empire Theatres and Landmark Cinemas introduced A2E at their movie theatres. Through this program, applicants receive A2E wallet cards which allow simple identification, removing the onus from visitors to explain their need for an attendant. The cardholder pays regular admission while the attendant receives a complimentary ticket when visiting participating attractions.

In addition to honouring complimentary admission, the seven major attractions have committed to providing an accessible, meaningful and enjoyable experience for all visitors.

“We are thrilled that Toronto’s major tourist attractions, which have already made impressive strides to make their venues more physically accessible, have joined our cinema partners in enhancing visitor experience for the disability community,” says Max Beck, CEO of Easter Seals Canada. “Now Toronto citizens and tourists alike with disabilities can enjoy barrier-free visits to some of Canada’s top attractions.”

Since 2005, Easter Seals Canada has managed the Access 2 Entertainment Program, committed to offering Canadians with disabilities barrier-free experiences at cinemas and attractions. The A2E card costs $20 and is valid for a five-year period at Toronto’s participating attractions, and participating movie theatres in Canada. To date, Easter Seals Canada has issued 40,000 A2E cards, almost half in Ontario, to people with disabilities.

“Great initiatives like Access 2 Entertainment support the McGuinty Government’s Open Ontario Plan to ensure all Ontarians have an opportunity to participate fully in society,” says Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism and Culture. “Our government is working to ensure that residents and visitors alike will have opportunities to experience Ontario’s world-class entertainment and internationally acclaimed attractions.”

“As we encourage travellers around the world to discover Toronto’s outstanding attractions we need to be ready to welcome all of those visitors. This is an important step that helps ensure every person can have the fullest possible experience in Toronto,” says Andrew Weir, Vice President, Communications of Tourism Toronto.

In addition to automatic doors, wheelchair-friendly spaces and accessible washrooms, Toronto’s top attractions offer special features so that patrons with disabilities may enjoy exceptional visits. Highlights include the AGO’s multi-sensory tours for visitors with vision loss, offered twice a month, and audio guides for selected exhibitions; Ontario Place’s interactive accessibility map and Park Smart Tracker available free of charge; the Ontario Science Centre’s large easy-to-read signs and lowered customer service counters, as well as feature assistive listening devices and accessible seating areas at the Shoppers Drug Mart® OMNIMAX® Theatre and Imperial Oil Auditorium, and the Access Guide for Visually Impaired Persons; the ROM’s large-format floor plans, American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted tour, descriptive audio guides, tactile reproductions in the galleries and increased seating throughout the museum; and the Toronto Zoo’s ramps, assessable rides and seating in the Waterside Theatre, and access for trained and accredited service dogs in designated areas.

Serving more than 120,000 Canadians with disabilities, Easter Seals Canada is dedicated to fully enhancing the quality of life, self-esteem and self-determination of Canadians with disabilities. Through its provincial organizations, Easter Seals offers transformative programs and services at the local level, the best known of which are Easter Seals camp programs. Other services include year-round active living opportunities, as well as the provision of specialized mobility and access equipment such as mobility aids, assistive technology, adaptive computers, augmentative communication devices and adaptations to homes and vehicles for wheelchair accessibility. To learn more, visit www.easterseals.ca

Media Contact:

Cheryl McNamara, Development & Communications Manager, Easter Seals Canada
416-932-8382 x 245 • CMcNamara@easterseals.ca

People in Motion is Canada’s most comprehensive exhibition for people with disabilities of all ages, as well as their families and friends.This event is fun and enlightening. Canada’s Premier Event for Persons with Disabilities, Seniors with Special Needs and Professionals Working In Related Areas

Mark the dates on your calendar NOW and plan to attend June 3rd and 4th 2011

FREE ADMISSION• Wheelchair Accessible Building
• Attendant Services Available
• First Aid On-site
• Complimentary Show Guide
• Food and Beverage Area
• Ample Parking

With over 125 Exhibits!

The Access 2 Entertainment Team will be there too! Come on out and join us!

City of Toronto is proud to present the annual Doors Open Toronto — one weekend, once a year — when close to 150 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and social significance open their doors to the public for a city-wide celebration.

The program allows visitors free access to properties that are either not usually open to the public, or would normally charge an entrance fee. Many locations have organized guided tours, displays and activities to enrich the visitor experience.

From heritage landmarks to modern structures, hidden gems, places of worship, halls of learning, boardrooms, bedrooms, breweries, lighthouses, mansions, museums, theatres, national historic sites, centres of rail travel, cemeteries, factories, banking halls, architects’ offices and more.

Doors Open Toronto invites you to get to know the city, whether you’ve lived in Toronto all your life or you’re visiting for the first time. See Toronto like you’ve never seen it before!

The Access 2 Entertainment team will be at the Royal Ontario Museum on Friday, May 27th, 2011 from 4pm to 8pm to kick-off this event!

For more information please visit: Doors Open Toronto

Ottawa Citizen
May 4, 2011

For those without a disability, it can sometimes be hard to appreciate the difficulties faced by those with disabilities and other challenges. Reach Canada exists to bridge the divide; it’s a cross-disability lawyer referral organization that helps with disabilities including people with physical disabilities, mental health issues, developmental delays, learning disabilities, environmental sensitivities, AIDS and chronic pain.

It is a non-profit organization formed in 1981, dedicated to educating and informing persons with disabilities, lawyers, advocates and the general public about the rights and interests of persons with disabilities, and to ensure they are provided with quality legal and social representation.

Reach Canada is holding its 30th anniversary conference on June 16, titled The Evolution of Disability Rights: A Retrospective and Perspectives for the Future. It will take place at the Hampton Inn Ottawa and Convention Centre, 200 Coventry Rd. Ottawa from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Keynote speaker David Lepofsky, a long-standing disability rights advocate and a lawyer with the Crown Law Office in Toronto and Chair of the AODA Alliance, has been a key advocate in enabling the passage of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2001, and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005, considered key milestones in the evolution of disability rights. Speaking by teleconference, he will share how these changes came about and the importance of advocacy and working together to bring about change, and provide an overview of the evolution of disability rights over the past 30 years.

Later, a panel will discuss what promise the Universal Declaration of Human Rights holds for making progress on the gaps that exist with relation to justice issues, employment, human rights, and emerging challenges in privacy law. That panel includes Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart, John W. McDonald, former American am-bassador to United Nations Affairs, and Michael Gotthiel, former chair of the Human Rights Tribunal, Ontario.

Another panel will look at the issue of barriers to acceptance; access to services, supports and accommodation. That panel includes Alyse Schater, a student and youth advocate, Ian Brown, author and journalism, the Hon. Dr. Carolyn Bennett, MP, and author Margaret Trudeau.

Dinner will follow the Conference, with doors opening at 5: 30 p.m. The keynote speaker at the dinner will be Ambassador John W. McDonald, B.A., J.D., a lawyer, diplomat, former international civil servant, development expert and peacebuilder, concerned about world social, economic and ethnic problems. He is the cofounder of the “International Year of Disabled Persons,” as it was called in 1981.

For more information on Reach Canada, visit www.reach.ca.

WHAT DOES REACH DO?

. Links people with disabilities to lawyers to help resolve legal issues. Reach’s lawyers provide clients up to three hours as a free, pro bono initial consultation;

. Refers callers to appropriate community resources;

. Arranges educational workshops and seminars on disability issues; hosts annual conferences (past themes included AIDS, Mental Health Issues of Living with a Disability, Death and the Question of Choice, Abuse, Employment Equity, and Chronic Pain);

. Develops working relationships with other community organizations (including ethno-racial and visible minority groups);

. Develops partnerships in the private and public sectors.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

Read more: The Ottawa Citizen

To view their new videos please visit their channel: www.youtube.com/user/liberatedlearning

Speech Recognition (SR) technology is emerging as a promising solution for automatically captioning and transcribing multimedia: videos, podcasts…. even lectures.

Through a new project supported by Canada’s Social Development Partnerships Program, students with disabilities attending post-secondary education and National Disability Organizations will be using advanced Speech Recognition technology to improve access to information. Project Description

Learn about:

■a new Hosted Transcription Service available to students with disabilities
■using speech recognition to transcribe classes
■how accessible, synchronized multimedia transcripts support universally designed learning
■technology innovations to improve SR transcription and captioning systems

Dear friends,

Today ACTRA is launching “The Audition”, a video hi-lighting the challenges and need to increase opportunities for workers with disabilities.

We would appreciate your help in spreading this video as widely as possible: http://www.youtube.com/user/ACTRANational

An initiative of ACTRA’s Diversity Committee, the video speaks specifically about the challenges facing performers with disabilities. However, the message is a global one about the need to improve visibility and access for all workers.

We are asking you to please help us share this video by linking to it from your websites and including a link in your e-newsletters - we have attached two “Play Video” web badges that you are free to use as “click to” buttons.

We are very excited about this project. It has been endorsed by the I.AM.PWD (Inclusion in the Arts & Media of People with Disabilities) campaign created by our sisters and brothers at AEA, AFTRA and SAG so we expect this video to go worldwide!

Thanks again for your help with this important initiative. If you have any questions please contact Carol Taverner: ctaverner@actra.ca

Best wishes,

Ferne Downey
ACTRA National President

Jani Lauzon
ACTRA National Diversity Chair