Human Rights Training for People with Disabilities by People with Disabilities: Nothing about us without us!

PROJECT ANNOUNCEMENT

Winnipeg, 4 October 2019

Today, the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD)  launches a new awareness raising and capacity building project on domestic and international human rights instruments to remedy discrimination against people with disabilities. The project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnership Program Disability Component. The project is implemented by CCD in partnership with the Canadian Multicultural Disability Centre Inc (CMDCI), Citizens With Disabilities – Ontario (CWDO), Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities (MLPD), and the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS).

The Project aims to raise awareness of Canadians with disabilities, particularly youth with disabilities and people from ethno-cultural communities, about available human rights remedies to discrimination and how to access those remedies. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Optional Protocol and Canadian Human Rights laws will be the focus of our in-person and online training sessions. 

“CCD welcomes the opportunity to work with other disabled peoples’ organizations and persons with disabilities from across Canada on this important project, which will increase knowledge about human rights laws the disability community helped develop, both in Canada and internationally. By increasing the capacity of persons with disabilities about human rights and human rights remedies to discrimination, we are contributing to removal of barriers, elimination of discrimination, and building an inclusive and accessible Canada for all. In addition, this project will also help strengthen partnerships among Canadian disabled peoples’ organizations”, said Jewelles Smith, Chairperson of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities.

Starting this fall, in-person training workshops will be held in 10 provinces, followed by a series of webinars and an online training program. The project, which ends on March 31, 2020 will mark the beginning of the engagement of program participants in knowledge sharing with their peers in their organizations and communities.

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About CCD

The Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) is a national human rights organization of people with disabilities working for an inclusive and accessible Canada. CCD is a social justice organization of people with all disabilities that champions the voices of people with disabilities, advocating an inclusive and accessible Canada, where people with disabilities have full realization of their human rights, as described in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Our mandate is to unite advocacy organizations of people with disabilities to defend and extend human rights for persons with disabilities through public education, advocacy, intervention in litigation, research, consultation and partnerships.  CCD amplifies the expertise of our partners by acting as a convening body and consensus builder.

Project Partners

Canadian Multicultural Disability Centre Inc

CMDCI’s mission is to improve the quality of lives of Canadians with disabilities particularly those from ethnocultural communities
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Citizens With Disabilities – Ontario

CWDO actively promotes the rights, freedoms and responsibilities of persons with disabilities through community development, social action, member support and referral.

Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities

The MLPD is a united voice of people with disabilities, and their supporters, that promotes equal rights, full participation in society, and facilitates positive change through advocacy and public education.

National Educational Association of Disabled Students

NEADS is a consumer-controlled, cross-disability organization with the mandate to support full access to education and employment for post-secondary students and graduates with disabilities across Canada.