July 2017
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Boy with intellectual disability outside with many in wheelchair. Both are smiling and ready to play baseball.
CACL & PFC Respond to Federal Accessibility Legislation & Poverty Reduction Strategy 

CACL and People First of Canada have partnered together to submit a policy brief that responds to the Government of Canada's calls for input and consultation with Canadians on federal Accessibility Legislation and a Poverty Reduction Strategy. The paper, A Path to Coordinated Federal Leadership and Investment In Accessibility, Inclusion and Poverty Reduction For Canadians with an Intellectual Disability , is now available online.

Three teenage girl_ now with an intellectual disability_ taking a selfie while lying on grass.
Thank You to Our Supporters and Champions for Helping End Exclusion!

CACL wishes to thank our valued supporters and champions for an inclusive Canada.

CACL's amazing family of donors, supporters and volunteers have shown that they care about a Canada where everyone has the opportunity to be themselves and to live their own lives free from the fear of violence and exclusion. Your gift to CACL will help to end exclusion for people with intellectual disabilities.
 

Say No To Institutions petition. Call to sign Inclusion International petition calling on CRPD Committee to remove paragraph 47 from the Draft General Comment on Article 19_ the right to live independently and be included in community. Click to sign.
CACL in Action!
Highlights of our recent national work.

  • CACL senior management met with ODI Director General James van Raalte to plan the long-standing annual Federal Policy Forum, co-hosted by CACL and People First of Canada and sponsored by the Office for Disability Issues. Save the date for December 1st in Ottawa! 
     
  • CACL Executive Vice-President Krista Carr and Director of Inclusive Education Canada Gordon Porter met in New Brunswick to continue the development of CACL's action plan on advancing inclusive education.
     
  • CACL kicked off our first Inspiring Inclusion information session in Toronto to spread the word to interested community members about the work we do to build an inclusive Canada. Look for opportunities to attend a session in future issues!
  • Gordon Porter, Director of Inclusive Education Canada, participated in a parent information night hosted by IEC and the Nova Scotia ACL in Halifax on June 21.
  • CACL senior management participated in productive meetings with staff at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to address the lack of safe, affordable and inclusive housing options for people with intellectual disabilities. 
  • UBC-Centre for Inclusion and Citizenship has concluded their 2nd annual survey of employers who have hired employees with intellectual disabilities and ASD through Ready, Willing & Able. While final results will not be reported until Fall 2017, an initial analysis of feedback is overwhelmingly positive.
Five men working in a warehouse. Some have an intellectual disability.
Inclusive Employment is the "New Norm" for Metro Logistics

Sometimes the only real challenge of making inclusive employment work, is the one employers set themselves - to look beyond preconceptions and see the rewards. Metro Logistics, a Canadian-owned Logistics Company, is just such an employer.

On January 1, 2016, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Murray Brabender, sent a challenge to his entire corporate team: create a more diverse and inclusive workplace.
 

Windows of a large, brown brick apartment complex.
Canadian NGOs Release Report on Canada's Gap in Housing and Supports for People with Disabilities
 
In April 2017, a delegation of national disability organizations including CACL travelled to Geneva to present the Civil Society report on Canada's progress in implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a 'shadow' report that compliments the federal government's own reporting to the United Nations. As a follow-up to the Civil Society report, the Canadian NGO coalition has released a companion document, Housing Issues for People with Disabilities in Canada, to specifically address the housing and supports gap facing Canadians with disabilities.
Read the full report

Back of little girl raising her hand in a classroom.
Q & A with the Microsoft In Education Canada Team

Earlier this year, Inclusive Education Canada partnered with Microsoft in Education Canada to provide free professional development workshops and resources for educators to help drive the most effective learning for students. The partnership highlights the commitment between both organizations to make learning more inclusive and accessible.

Read more
Upcoming Dates and Events
August 7  - Civic Holiday - CACL offices are closed.
Save the Date! December 1 - CACL & PFC's annual Federal Policy Forum.
Registration will open in September.

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