Press Release

Supporting Canadians with Disabilities

TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – April 27, 2015) – Industry Canada

Canada has one of the top literacy rates in the developed world, but for some Canadians, this privilege also comes with certain limitations.

Today, nearly 1 million Canadians live with a print disability such as blindness or partial sight, and some Canadians have mobility issues that prevent them from turning a page or pointing a cursor. For these Canadians, it can be especially difficult to obtain material such as textbooks or online resources in a format that is both accessible and easy to use. Canadians should not be denied opportunities to read and educate themselves simply because they are print disabled.

Today, Industry Minister James Moore, joined by representatives from the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) and the World Blind Union, announced that the Government of Canada will introduce new measures that expand access to materials in formats vital to those living with a print disability.

Canada will join the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled. The Treaty will give Canadians with print disabilities more and improved access to material from around the world in a variety of languages. It will also increase opportunities to import and export accessible versions of print materials, while ensuring the continued protection of authors’ rights. These changes will help schools, libraries and charitable organizations that work with the visually impaired to reduce their costs.

Once the Marrakesh Treaty is in force, Canada will be one of the first G7 nations to fully implement it, giving Canadians greater opportunities to fully participate in society and the economy.

The Government will table the Treaty in the House of Commons on April 29, 2015.

Quick facts

* * Only 7 percent of published books are ever made available in an accessible format such as an audiobook or a Braille conversion.

* * When these measures come into force, Canadians with print disabilities will have access to 285,000 adapted works from 13 countries, in more than 55 languages.

* * According to Statistics Canada, 35 percent of visually impaired students discontinued their education because of their condition, and approximately one third of Canadians who are visually impaired are not in the labour force.

* * Canada’s current framework already makes exceptions for the print disabled, including new exceptions introduced as part of the Copyright Modernization Act in 2012. As part of that modernization effort, the Government specifically included amendments to facilitate the cross-border exchange of accessible format copies and the circumvention of technological protection measures (commonly known as digital locks) for the benefit of persons with print disabilities.

* * Economic Action Plan 2015 committed to acceding to the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled.

Quotes

“Canadians should not be denied access to critical educational, employment or social opportunities simply because of a print disability. Our government is standing up for Canadians with disabilities by implementing the Marrakesh Treaty, an international framework that will ensure Canadians have greater access to the content they desire. Canada is among the first G7 countries to fully implement the Treaty, which is vital to the well-being of persons with print disabilities worldwide.”

– James Moore, Minister of Industry

“I am thrilled to be part of this event today highlighting our government’s commitment to those with print disabilities. Whether a person has difficulties because of blindness or mobility problems from a spinal cord injury like me, I know that the measures our government is taking will help improve the lives of many.”

– Steven Fletcher, Member of Parliament for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia

“Our government is proud of the great work done by the CNIB in our riding of Don Valley West, and we are thrilled to further assist them as they increase access to published works for those who are visually impaired.”

– John Carmichael, Member of Parliament for Don Valley West

“I’d like to congratulate the CNIB team and the World Blind Union for the diligence they’ve shown in this important matter over the last decade. Literacy is a fundamental human right, as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Canada has signed and agreed to uphold. On behalf of the CNIB community, I’m proud of the Government’s pledge to accede to and implement the Marrakesh Treaty. This is an important day and, as an authorized entity for this initiative, an exciting first step for us to work together to make alternate-format printed materials accessible to all in Canada who need them.”

– John M. Rafferty, President and CEO, CNIB

“As a person who is blind and loves books, this commitment from the Canadian government is exciting. Access to literature is essential for everyone, not just those who can read regular print. Right now only 7 percent of printed materials are available in alternate formats.

This opportunity to improve our limited access to literature is a wonderful step by the Canadian government and will bring about real change for the 3 million Canadians who live with print disabilities today.”

– Diane Bergeron, Executive Director, Strategic Relations and Engagement, CNIB

“On behalf of the World Blind Union, I’d like to congratulate Canada on this important show of leadership. With this commitment to the Marrakesh Treaty, Canada will be one of the first major countries to ratify the Treaty, a hugely influential step that will encourage other countries around the world. This is a significant step to end the book famine for people who are blind and partially sighted.”

– Penny Hartin, CEO, World Blind Union

Backgrounder

The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for PersonsWho Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled

Backgrounder

Almost 1 million Canadians live with blindness or partial sight. For these individuals, it can be especially difficult to find print material in a format that is both accessible and easy to use.

New technologies can help to address this challenge. However, more can still be done to ensure that copyright laws do not create additional barriers for those with a print disability, and that users have access to the latest and best published material from around the world.

The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled aims to bring the global community together to better address the universal challenge of ensuring timely access to and wider availability of printed material for those who are visually impaired.

The Treaty sets international standards on certain exceptions to copyright so that print materials can be adapted into formats-such as Braille and audio books-that visually impaired and print-disabled individuals can use. The Treaty also makes it possible to distribute accessible-format copies between countries. The negotiations for the Treaty were led by the World Intellectual Property Organization, a United Nations organization with 186 members. Eighty countries from around the world signed the Treaty, signalling their intent to join.

To implement the Treaty, the Government will be making targeted amendments to the Copyright Act to bring it in line with the international standard established in the Treaty.

Once the Treaty is in force, Canadians will have:   * greater access to

books in accessible

formats in a wider variety of languages;

* increased opportunities to import and export accessible versions of books; and

* greater access to adapted versions of published works from other countries, which helps reduce costs and duplication in terms of the production of accessible format versions.

There will be benefits to many different groups of Canadians with print

disabilities:

* Students will have better access to print materials, helping them to continue with their studies and better engage in the Canadian workforce. Recent survey data shows that approximately 35 percent of visually impaired students discontinued their education because of their condition.

* Workers will have greater opportunities. Current data suggests that approximately one third of Canadians who are visually impaired are not in the labour force.

* Seniors-the group with the highest rates of visual impairment-will have better access to reading materials, which helps to maintain their quality of life.

* Canadians from minority language groups will have better access to books in a variety of languages.

* Schools, libraries and charitable organizations that work with print-disabled Canadians will benefit from reduced duplication in the production of accessible works.

Follow us on Twitter: <https://twitter.com/industrycanada>@industrycanada

Jake Enwright

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Industry

343-291-2500

Media Relations

Industry Canada

343-291-1777

media-relations@ic.gc.ca

Please circulate to anyone you know in the Edmonton area who might be interested in this upcoming gathering.

You are invited to join the first meeting of the Canadian Council of the Blind Get Together with Technology Group (GTT) In Edmonton. Attached is a poster with details. The text of the poster is also pasted below in this email. Feel free to invite others who may be interested. We look forward to seeing you May 11. Meeting Details follow….

Get Together With Technology (GTT)
Sponsored by the Canadian Council of the Blind

GTT is coming to Edmonton!  Blind and low vision GTT participants meet monthly to share their experiences using assistive technologies in their everyday lives at school, work, or at home.

Agenda for the First Edmonton GTT Meeting:
Location: Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 – 83 Street NW, Edmonton
Time: Monday May 11, 7pm to 9pm
Theme: Apple iPhone, iPad, iPod – can low vision people benefit from these amazing touch screen devices?

Topics:
•    How to use the touch screen to read information and navigate apps.
•    Basic tasks such as making phone calls, texting, emailing
•    Learn how to type on the screen or issue voice commands.
•    Useful apps, accessories, and resources for blind and partially sighted.

Who Should Attend?
•    Any blind or low vision person, regardless of age, who is interested in learning about the features built-in to Apple iPhone, iPod, or IPad.
•    Existing users of Apple devices who have questions or want to share your experience.
•    Anyone interested in contributing to the future of the Edmonton GTT group by sharing ideas for future meetings.

For more information contact:
GTT.Edmonton@gmail.com or call 780-465-702

Hi all.

I’m in search of a used iPad that might be surplus in your home. Someone I know who lives with low vision wants to try it out for a week or so to determine whether she’ll get sufficient service from it to abandon her old XP computer for good. The thought is that she might just be able to do all that she needs to do with an iPad rather than undertaking the huge learning curve of getting a new Windows 8 or 10 computer. If you have one sitting around that might be for sale, and if you’re willing to loan it for a week we’ll be most appreciative.

Please call Albert at 250-240-2343 or email at GTTWest2015@Gmail.com.

Braille isn’t [quote] embattled–we’re on the cusp of a golden age for blind people

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/22/braille-golden-age-blind-people-technology

Far from heralding the death of a great medium, technology may be ushering in a new era of access and greater independence

Ian Macrae

The Guardian (UK), May 22, 2014.

Imagine a situation where you walk into your favourite restaurant and ask for the menu, only to be told it isn’t available. Chances are it wouldn’t stay your favourite for very long.

As a braillist–someone who uses braille–the dream for me is when the opposite happens. A small number of chain restaurants offer menus in braille; sometimes, they’re even up to date.

It is difficult to over-express the sense of liberation at being able to browse and choose your preferred pizza independently. And in Co-op supermarkets, where some of the own-brand labels feature braille, there is pride in being able to identify a bottle of wine from a label that few if any other people in the store are able to read.

All too often, though, finding anything in shops is a matter of random selection, peering in earnest, or asking for help. And just when it seemed the situation couldn’t get any worse for braillists, along come headlines suggesting the end is nigh for braille, that this communication lifeline is about to be cut off.

This week, Dr Matthew Rubery, curator of an exhibition on alternative methods of reading for blind people, described braille as [quote] embattled.

He went on to say its biggest threat [quote] is computer technology, which makes it much easier not to have to learn it. A lot of people fear braille won’t survive because it will be read by so few people. The use has declined and there are concerns about funding to keep it going.

This seems to me a rather glass-half-empty view, although there is some evidence to support his argument. Anecdotally, it is claimed blind children are no longer being taught braille. This is said to be owing to sighted teachers who believe computer technology, and in particular synthesised speech, has rendered it redundant. Therefore, the teachers don’t need to learn braille either.

If this is true, and no other factors were to come into play, then the outlook might really look bad. But, like print, braille has gone through a process of evolution. It started out in classrooms as the equivalent of the slate – my five-year-old hands punched out each dot individually through a sheet of thick manilla paper. We learned to write it backwards and read it forwards.

Then Harold Wilson’s [quote] white heat age of technology ushered in the mechanical era. Classrooms echoed to the deafening collective rattle of 15 or more braille machines – the Stainsby, the Perkins, the Lavender – pounding away at dictation or composition.

And now, like print with its tablets, Kindles and touch screens, braille has gone digital. And it is my belief that this could well mean it becomes more widely available and infinitely more useful. This is important because it means all children in future will be able to enjoy the same degree of literacy, not to mention the same levels of liberation and pleasure, as I do now.

Think of this: I am writing and editing this piece on an Apple computer using braille from an electronic display that drives pins into the correct shapes to form a line of braille text. Once the piece is published I will be able to go to the Guardian website on my iPhone or iPad, use Bluetooth to connect up a portable braille device, and read it along with you. The main problem currently is the cost of the braille-reading equipment: the cheapest is 900 [pounds].

But, fellow reader, we are now in the age of the app and of haptic technology, which communicates through vibration and touch. It is already possible for me to download an app that will create on my touch screen a virtual braille keyboard on which I can compose texts, emails, tweets and Facebook updates in braille.

Meanwhile, the search is already on for the holy grail of braille–a means of creating dots without using expensive mechanical cells that make the shape of braille characters using pins. Then the world would truly be at our fingertips.

What is needed is an app that would turn digital text on your device into electronic impulses in the shape of braille characters, transmitted by the screen of your iPad or other tablet, to be read by touch. To go back to my restaurant quandary, all I would need to do would be to call up the menu online, put it through my haptic braille app, and read it on my screen.

Add into that mix a scanning app, and I could point my device at what was on the supermarket shelf and have the haptic braille app produce the package information.

And if you think this is hopelessly optimistic pie in the sky, it’s worth remembering that less than five years ago 96% of all books produced would never be turned into forms accessible to blind people. But with the advent of e-books and existing technology, I am now able to read pretty much any book I want to in electronic braille.

So rather than seeing the end of braille, we could be entering a golden age of access and communication. Here’s to more pizza, more wine, and more braille.

Hello everyone

You are receiving this email notification to let you know that Work-Able: A Post-Secondary Internship Program for Graduates with Disabilities has now posted on the BC Employment site.
https://search.employment.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/a/highlightjob.cgi?jobid=24591

Work-Able is a twelve month BC Public Service work experience program for recent post-secondary graduates with disabilities. This unique program provides learning, coaching and mentorship throughout the internship and interns will gain valuable skills and public service experience.

What are the timelines for Work-Able?

• March 9 – April 3, 2015 :  One posting for eleven intern positions
• April – August 2015: Screening
• September 2015 – August 2016: Interns hired for twelve month internship

Please share this email with your networks.

It’s finally here!  To celebrate the 6^th birthday of Mike May’s Seeing Eye dog, Tank, Sendero is having a one-day sale on the one-year subscriptions for Seeing Eye GPS and RNIB Navigator apps today.  For today only, pay $39.99 for a one-year subscription!

North American customers can purchase Seeing Eye GPS at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/seeing-eye-gps/id668624446?mt=8#

U.K. and Ireland customers can purchase RNIB Navigator at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rnib-navigator/id783866151?mt=8

BC BLIND SPORT FITNESS PROGRAM

April 8^th 2015 – June 17^th 2015

BC BLIND SPORTS IS OFFERING A 10 WEEK FITNESS PROGRAM FOR VISION IMPAIRED PERSONS IN NANAIMO .THIS IS A LOW IMPACT FITNESS PROGAM WITH EMPHASIS ON BALANCE, FLEXABILITY AND MUSCLE STRENGTH. PROGRAM IS BENEFICIAL FOR ADULTS OF ALL AGES.

IN ORDER TO QUALIFY YOU MUST BECOME A MEMBER OF BC BLIND SPORTS. A YEARLY MEMBERSHIP IS $15.00.    THERE IS AN APPLICATION FORM AVAILABLE ONLINE www.bcblindsports.bc.ca OR AVAILABLE AT CLASSES.

Program Details:

Every Wednesday: April 8^th – June 17^th 2015 (No class on May 27^th)

Time 1:15pm-2:15pm.

Location: 195 Fourth Street (Harewood Activity Center) THERE IS A PARKING LOT FOR CONVENIENT DROP OFF/PICK UP. BUS ROUTE #4 #5 #6. THERE IS A RAMP AND RAILING LEADING INTO BUILDING.

Instructor: Brian Sugiyama

REGISTRATION:

Contact: Carolyn Gunn

TEL 250-716-9053

EMAIL carolyngunn03@shaw.ca