Over the last month, our Public Policy and Advocacy team has been involved in numerous initiatives, meetings and events to help advance some of our projects and strive toward a more accessible Ontario where everyone can thrive.
In the new year, members of our community can expect to hear key updates about our ongoing initiatives, including our work with the Ontario Government for public coverage of intermittent catheters. We recognize that urinary and bladder health are crucial to living with a spinal cord injury and the financial burden of these supplies that is impacting our community on a daily.
We thank you for your engagement with us in 2024 and look forward to a fruitful year in 2025 of making Ontario accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
Peter Athanasopoulos, Director of Public Policy
Accelerating Accessibility Coalition
SCIO is a founding member of the Accelerating Accessibility Coalition, a first-of-its-kind group consisting of developers, researchers, real estate professionals, and people with lived experience who aim to enhance accessible housing across the country.
On November 29th, the AAC held its second annual meeting, highlighting significant growth in membership with over 69 members, and the Accessibility Toolbox with various resources on building with accessibility in mind. The group came together to share expertise and brainstorm collaboratively about the coalition’s key focus over the next year.
The community can look forward to events such as tours of accessible spaces and voices from the lived experience, development, and research communities on best practices to ultimately create more accessible housing.
Call for Equipment Donation
The holiday season is just around the corner. If you have disability-related equipment you no longer need, consider donating it to Possibilities Project Plus. Items can be posted and browsed for free on this platform. Similarly, if you need specific items, including wheelchairs, commodes, walkers, lifts, and more, you are encouraged to browse the platform, as there may be donated items that you can access for free.
For a buy and sell platform, visit SCIO Marketplace – here, members can request to join the community and post and browse items for sale.
SCIO recognizes that equipment is one of the biggest expenses that people with disabilities face in Ontario. While we work behind the scenes to improve public funding for essential life-enhancing assistive devices, we want to provide community-based platforms where equipment can be exchanged and donated.
On December 3rd, it was Giving Tuesday at SCIO, shedding light on the gaps in funding and affordability of essential equipment that can be life-changing for people with an SCI. From wheelchairs to ramps to lifts, equipment plays a crucial role in how a person can adjust to living with a disability. If you are in a position to make a donation, please visit our website. Every donation, big or small, makes a difference.
Neuropathic Pain
In the SCI community, neuropathic pain is a tremendous and common burden that hinders people’s quality of life. To address it meaningfully, we must inspire better research and treatment options that enhance health outcomes and overall well-being.
A longtime member and friend of the SCIO community is tackling this very issue. Rob Buren, a person with paraplegia who experiences neuropathic pain, is surveying pain as part of his PhD.
The survey takes about 25 minutes to complete. You do not need to experience pain to be eligible, and you will receive a gift card for your time. Please reach out to Rob directly at [email protected] and he will provide a link to the survey.
For SCI pain treatment to advance and fit the needs of all Ontarians, we need as many people across the province to participate. Please consider reaching out to Rob.
Renters Bill of Rights Webinar
The Canadian Centre for Housing Rights hosted a webinar on the Renters Bill of Rights last week. SCIO was present, touching on our collaborative work as part of the Accelerating Accessibility Coalition and the dire need to create more accessible housing.
People with disabilities are falling through the cracks when it comes to housing. Many are in precarious and inaccessible housing situations, impacting their quality of life. Within the SCIO community alone, we are seeing young people in long term care facilities, people on the verge of homelessness, and in the most severe cases, people opting for MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) because they have nowhere to live. This is why SCIO has made accessible housing one of our strategic objectives over the next three years. Learn about our accessible housing work on our website and find out how you can get involved.
Engaging the Ombudsman
We have been engaged with the Toronto Ombudsman office and are in contact with the Ontario Ombudsman to learn how we can better support our community, specifically with accessible housing barriers.
We are aware that our community faces major inequities when it comes to accessing appropriate housing, and we are looking into expanding the resources we can share to assist people. From making formal complaints about systemic discrimination to better legal support in housing situations, we are making new connections and will share these resources once we have a better understanding of how these processes are implemented across Ontario.
In the meantime, if you have an accessible housing story that highlights challenges or triumphs, we encourage you to reach out to us and share your experiences.
We can be reached at [email protected]
Update on Recommendations for Accessible On-Demand Transportation
Last week, we received communication from the City on recommendations to accessible on-demand transportation. We are pleased to share that five of our seven recommendations are included on the list. See the full update at this link
