Assistive
Devices Industry Office
(ADIO)
June
2001
ACCESSIBLE NEWS No 11
WHAT'S NEW AROUND OUR SHOP
Since the
last issue of Accessible News, Industry Canada, including the
Assistive
Devices Industry Office (ADIO) has been very busy. In January,
our Minister,
the Honourable Brian Tobin was confirmed when the new
session of Parliament
was convened. Minister Tobin, like his predecessor,
the Honourable John
Manley, is an enthusiastic champion of assistive
technology and disability
issues.
The Speech From the Throne, which opened the Parliamentary
session,
included the Government's commitment to invest in new and
innovative
technology, including assistive technology for people with
disabilities. This
commitment was also stated in the Prime Minister's
response to the Throne
Speech. What this means for ADIO is that we have been
working very hard
on the development of a proposal for an expanded program to
support the
assistive technology industry. We will update you on this, in our
next
newsletter.
NATIONAL LIBRARIAN LAUNCHES COUNCIL FOR
ACCESS
The National Librarian, Roch Carrier, announced the launch of the
Council
for Access to Information for Print-Disabled Canadians at an event
on
Parliament Hill, February 22. The Council was established as a follow-up
to
last summer's series of public consultations conducted by the Task Force
on
Access to Information for Print Disabled Canadians and the October
release
of its final report, "Fulfilling the Promise".
In his remarks
to those gathered to witness the launch of the Council, Mr.
Carrier said,
"progress will be made in providing access if individuals from
the public,
private and not-for-profit sectors work together. This is an issue
of concern
to all media -- print, television and radio -- and to all Canadians.
The
Council has 11 members from across Canada. The purposes of the
Council are to
provide advice, identify funding requirements, monitor
progress and make
recommendations to the National Librarian regarding the implementation of
"Fulfilling the Promise". The group will also identify and
recommend to the
National Librarian opportunities for the Council to
connect, inform and
facilitate the work of the federal government in the
advancement of the
Federal Disability Agenda.
The Council's first meeting was on February
23-4. At that time, the group
reviewed the recommendations set out in
"Fulfilling the Promise" and have
them into four groups: those which can be
implemented now, those for
which work can begin in the short term, those
which can be the focus of
presentation and discussion at the next meeting and
those which require
more discussion, consultation and study.
The
second meeting was in May. The Council reviewed its workplan, which
is on the
Web site and set a number of processes in place for the summer.
The next
meeting will be in the late fall.
It is intended that the Council will
continue in existence for several years,
with its Terms of Reference being
reviewed on a regular basis to ensure
their ongoing relevance. Meetings will
be open to others, as appropriate and
all official documents will of course
be available in both official languages
and in the format of the Council
members' choice, be it traditional print or
alternate format.
More
information on the Council can be found on its Web site at www.nlc-bnc.ca/access
.
FIRST COURSE IN COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
AND
DISABILITY
by Nancy Marlett, University of Calgary
We live in a
globalizing economy. One manifestation of this complex
process is the
restructuring of the welfare state through a combination of
cutbacks to
public service/supports and privatization. As this entrepreneurial
culture
takes hold, individuals are increasingly expected to create their
own
solutions to what have previously been viewed as problems of the
larger
social body. Nowhere is this impact more pronounced than in the area
of
work/paid labour. Here, governments of all stripes are addressing problems
of unemployment through policies and programs that foster self-employment
and
small business development.
Because of their varied needs and limited
(capital) resources, some disabled
people and their allies question the
viability of these strategies. They argue
instead for sustained processes of
community economic development. There
are few formal models or best practices
related to disability. The Community
Rehabilitation and Disability studies
program at the University of Calgary
has secured innovations funding to
enable Dr. Kathryn Church to connect
knowledge and practice from disability
studies, community development and
economic development. This summer, twenty
students from University of
Calgary, University of Toronto and Concordia
University, will meet on-line
and in person with experts in consumer led
small businesses that are using
Community Economic Development (CED)
practices to create/extend
intellectual and practical resources for people
with disabilities by training
practitioners to use CED as a strategy to
extend autonomy, build community
and enhance democratic participation in work
and employment.
It is anticipated that content will be available on line
and an annual
collaborative course will be offered by participating
universities. The
ongoing course will create project teams made up of
students from different
perspectives and consumer communities wishing to
start new businesses
based on CED practices. For more information contact
Nancy Marlett, 403-220-5657, marlett.ucalgary.ca or www.crds.org.
FEDERAL/PROVINCIAL/TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENTS LAUNCH
FIRST
"ONE-STOP" INTERNET SITE FOR PERSONS WITH
DISABILITIES
For the first
time, persons with disabilities across Canada have a dedicated
Internet site,
Disability WebLinks (www.disabilityweblinks.ca), that will
provide them with
quick access to information on government-related
disability programs and
services. Disability WebLinks was announced on
April 25 by the Honourable
Jane Stewart, Minister of Human Resources
Development Canada (HRDC) and the
Honourable Harry Van Mulligen,
Minister of Saskatchewan Social Services on
behalf of
Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social
Services.
Developed in consultation with persons with disabilities and
service
providers, the site contains information on disability related
programs,
services and initiatives, as well as key contacts. Information on
the site is
categorized under key topics such as: accessibility, education,
employment,
health, financial and personal support, housing and residential
services, tax
programs, and transportation. Staff at all levels of government
and others
who serve persons with disabilities and have access to the
Internet will also
be able to use the site as a quick, convenient,
supplementary information
resource to assist their clients.
"I am very
pleased that all governments across Canada are participating in
this
initiative," said Minister Stewart. "Disability WebLinks is a
collaborative
and practical tool that helps ensure persons with disabilities
and other
Canadians have access to an easy-to-use Internet resource that
gives them
quick and up-to-date information on disability related programs
and
services."
HRDC is managing the site under the direction of
the
Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services.
The
site has been specifically developed for persons with disabilities and
the site
design, layout and technical features reflect the requirements
identified by
members of the community and internationally accepted
guidelines for
accessibility.
"The Internet is a growing communication
and information tool that more
and more Canadians are using," said Minister
Van Mulligen. "It is important
that governments and other information
providers ensure the needs of
persons with disabilities are reflected when
making information available on
the Internet. Disability WebLinks is a very
good site and I hope others will
follow this example."
To ensure
Disability WebLinks remains relevant for persons with disabilities,
comments
submitted on the site and other feedback mechanisms will be used
as part of
an ongoing evaluation process.
INCLUSION BY DESIGN - PLANNING THE
BARRIER-FREE
WORLD
The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work
(CCRW) hosted an
international event, "Inclusion by Design - Planning the
Barrier-Free World"
at Montreal's Palais des CongrŠs from June 1-5, 2001. The
congress
highlighted the benefits of a barrier-free and inclusive world for
all people
regardless of diversity, age, ability or disability.
Inclusion by Design had three major themes: Inclusive
Employment,
Inclusive Communities and Developing Universal Access. In
addition to
plenary sessions each day, there was also a series of workshop
presentations,
given by a wide range of speakers from all points on the globe
and ADIO
was among the exhibitors, showing off our Accessible Procurement
Toolkit.
About 20% of the 500 people who attended the conference came
from
outside of Canada and the US and included delegates from such places
as
Australia, Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Finland, Hong Kong, Lebanon,
Nepal,
Singapore and Sweden, to name a few.
The conference produced a
declaration on Universal Design, which was
tabled in Parliament by Carolyn
Bennett, Chair of the House Sub-committee
on Disability Issues.
For
more information about Inclusion by Design, visit the CCRW Web site
at
www.ccrw.org.
COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS WRAPS UP WORK ON IMPACT OF
NEW
TECHNOLOGIES
The Council of Europe's Committee of Experts on the impact
of new
technologies on the quality of life of persons with disabilities
completed its
terms of reference at a meeting in Strasbourg, France, March
26-28. The
Committee has developed a set of recommendations that will
be forwarded
to its parent group, the Committee on the Rehabilitation and
Integration of
People with Disabilities when it meets in The Hague at the end
of June.
A number of important events are taking place or have
recently taken place
in several of the Council's member states. The Committee
of Ministers have
agreed to adopt the principles of Universal Design into
their countries'
curricula in areas that include engineering, architecture
and design. Portugal has recently mandated the use of Priority One of the Web
Content
Accessibility Guidelines for government Web sites and has instituted
Web
design training to make this happen and a number of other countries are
also
in the process of adopting the Guidelines. The Council's E-Europe
Plan
includes the concept of E-participation to increase access to
electronic
information and services by people with disabilities and older
adults and an
E-accessibility group has been formed to further these
goals.
CSUN ROUND-UP
Canada, once again, was very well
represented at CSUN, both on the show
floor and with presentations.
Victor(TM) the DAISY digital talking book player, developed and
marketed
by Montreal-based company, Visuaide, competed head to head with the
only
other talking book system, Plextalk, which is the product of a
Japanese
company, Plextor. The two products were tested on a number of
criteria,
including ease of use, speed, accuracy, ruggedness etc. and
Victor(TM) was
the winner, on all points. DAISY is the new international
digital talking
book standard which links natural speech and a text stream.
Victor(TM)
provides print-disabled persons (blind, low vision and learning
disabled) with
fast and easy navigation of talking books recorded on CD-ROM.
Users can
jump straight to a specific section or passage, skip pages, consult
the table of
contents and insert bookmarks. Industry Canada was involved in a
very early
contract in the development of Victor(TM).
The VisAble
Video Telescope(TM) was introduced at CSUN and created
quite a buzz. It is a
hand-held portable video vision aid developed by
Betacom Corporation of
Mississauga, Ontario, in conjunction with the Centre
for Sight Enhancement
(University of Waterloo), the Ontario Rehabilitation
Technology Consortium
and the Wilmer Eye Institute (Johns Hopkins
University). Due for
release in Canada and the United States this spring and
in Europe later this
year, the VisAble Video Telescope(TM) provides
partially sighted users with
the high magnification, wide field of view and
contrast enhancement normally
associated with video reading stations
(CCTVs). This means visually impaired
people will be able to use video for
more than just reading. It will allow
them to scan an intersection, spot a correct bus, recognize a friend, examine a
cash register receipt, find a
dropped object on the floor or a product on a
store shelf, read a menu in a
dim restaurant or perform other routine
sight-related tasks that would
otherwise difficult or impossible to
accomplish independently. Industry
Canada assisted in the development of a
very early prototype of this product.
Presentations can be found on the
CSUN Web site at www.csun.edu/cod.
ANNOUNCING ATLAS AND GPS-TALK FOR
CANADA
Sendero Group, a Davis, California company is now taking take
orders for
the long awaited Canadian version of its talking map and GPS
system, Atlas
and GPS-Talk. The early development of this product, originally
called Atlas
Speaks, was in part carried out by Visuaide with some support
from Industry
Canada. The current Atlas and GPS-Talk products were developed
with
input from blind and visually impaired Canadians and with the
cooperation
of Statistics Canada, GDT Corporation and the CNIB. The result is
the first
accessible location information product for blind and visually
impaired
people in Canada, Atlas and GPS-Talk.
Special introductory
prices are available on-line from Sendero for a limited
time only. For
more information or to purchase Atlas and GPS-Talk go
to
www.SenderoGroup.com/Canada.htm. You may also call toll free
within
Canada, 866-757-6800.
NEWS BITS
The Accessible
Procurement Toolkits were demonstrated at the Government
on the Net
conference in Hull, Quebec, April 23-4. Audience reaction to the
Toolkits has
been very favourable and several federal departments around
Ottawa are
already making use of the databases' requirement statements,
including them
in their procurement contracts to ensure the technology and
services they buy
will be accessible to employees with disabilities.
This spring, Betty
Dion Enterprises released its final report on a study the
company conducted
on Accessible Dispensing Machines. This study was commissioned by Transport
Canada's Transportation Development Centre
and the Canadian Human Rights
Commission. Issues such as problems in
using electronic check-in kiosks at
airports, automated parking lot attendants,
carwash and gas pump automated
payment systems were identified. The
report's findings will be of assistance
in the preparation of a draft Canadian
Standards Association (CSA) standard.
The CSA is expected to establish a
Barrier-Free Design sub-committee to
develop this standard and ADIO's
Deb. Finn will chair that
sub-committee.
Ottawa-based company, ADAPTIF has completed an overview
study of the
Canadian assistive technology industry for the ADIO. The report
identifies
some of the industry leaders, key success factors and the
strengths and
weaknesses of the Canadian AT industry. The findings of this
report will be
instrumental in the development of a comprehensive picture of
the industry
and help Industry Canada determine strategies for its further
growth and
penetration of world markets.
ADIO has been researching
companies that manufacture and sell
orthotics/prosthetics. This sector of the
Assistive Devices Industry is quite
large with 1,301 companies. The
breakdown by province is: 143 companies
in British Columbia, 51 companies in
Alberta, 11 in Saskatchewan, 25 in
Manitoba, 539 in Ontario, 450 in Quebec,
36 in New Brunswick, 20 in Nova
Scotia, 19 in Newfoundland, 6 in Prince
Edward Island, and 1 company
serving the Northwest Territories, Yukon and
Nunavut. ADIO has
assembled a list of these companies and a list of
Canadian Orthopaedic Shoe
Manufacturers. Please contact us if you would
like a copy in electronic
format.
The Winnipeg office of HRDC is the
lead on the Government-on-line
Disability Cluster which was successful in
getting funds in the lasted round
of GOL funding. ADIO is one of the partners
in this initiative. For more
information, contact Ian Cumming 204-983-1755
e-mail:
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FPS-JAN had its latest partner day
on June 11. There were presentations on
environmental sensitivities, the CTA
Airport/Flying Accessibility Survey, the
Accessible Procurement Toolkits, the
government response to the Lyrette
Task Force and the CIDA and HRDC Act
Centres. For more information, contact Noreen Leblanc.
The CSA
(www.csa-international.org) released a new standard, B651.1-01
Barrier-free
Design for Automated Banking Machines this spring, making
Canada the first
country to develop and adopt such a standard. Deb. Finn
was a member of the
sub-committee responsible for the development of this
ground-breaking
document.
The report of the House of Commons Sub-committee on Disability.
"A
Common Vision: Interim Report", was tabled in the House on June 12.
One
of its recommendations is to increase support to the AT industry. The
report
can be found at:
www.parl.gc.ca/InfoCom/CommitteeReport.asp?Language=E&Parliament=8&Joint=0&CommitteeID=149
The
Information Highway Applications Branch (IHAB), home of CAP,
Schoolnet,
Volnet and 11 other programmes has a new Director General. He
is David
Fransen who was last at Health Canada in the Population Health
Directorate.
Web-4-All, one of the IHAB projects has just been awarded
funding for pilots
through the Government On line initiative.
For those of you who use
Canadian Company Capabilities (CCC), there are
two new tags to sort
disability related capabilities. They are Multiple Format
Producers and
Accessible Web Consultants. If there are other breakdowns
that would be
useful, contact us. You can get to CCC through our Web
site:
strategis.ic.gc.ca/adio.
ADIO is working on the development of
the Manager's Guide to Multiple
Format Publishing. You can find more
information on this project and make
comments by going to:
www.galbraithcom.com/guidebook.
PALS, the Participation and Activity
Limitations Survey which is the
postcensal survey on disability , will be in
the field in the early fall. If you
are contacted, we urge you to
participate. We need better statistics on which
to base our planning. If you
want more information on the PALS, contact
Ren‚e Langlois
Survey
Manager
Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS)
Statistics
Canada
1 B-18 Jean Talon Bldg.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A
0T6
Tel: 613-951-0878
Fax: 613-951-4378
e-mail:
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OUR WEB SITE
Our Web site can be
found at strategis.ic.g.ca/adio . At this site are all our
old newsletters as
well as different listings and links to other sites of interest.
Should you
be using these old newsletters, please bear in mind that the web
addresses
were correct when the newsletter was created but that they may
not be
accurate now. We do not plan to change the back issues of
the
newsletters.
COMMUNICATIONS FROM ADIO
If you would
prefer to receive our newsletter on disk or by e-mail, please
contact us at
the address below.
WHERE TO FIND US
For more information or to
get on our mailing list, please contact:
Mary Frances Laughton or
Deb Finn
Assistive
Devices Industry Office
Industry Canada
P.O. Box 11490 Station H
Ottawa, Ontario
K2H 8S2
tel: 613-990-4316 or
613-990-4297 fax: 613-998-5923
Internet:
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Aussi disponible en français.