During National AccessAbility Week Commit to Do Your Part to Leave No One Behind

May 31, 2021 | For Immediate Release

The Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD), a national human rights organization of people with disabilities working for an accessible and inclusive Canada, challenges everyone living in Canada to commemorate National AccessAbility Week (May 30 – June 5, 2021) by making a commitment to do their part to ensure that no one is left behind in Canada due to accessibility barriers.  The COVID-19 pandemic drew national attention to the many barriers that continue to limit the equality of Canadians with disabilities.  The Federal Government has made a commitment that accessibility and inclusion will be part of its strategy to build back Canada post COVID-19.  However, all sectors of society have a role to play in the achievement of an accessible Canada and we ask everyone to reflect upon the measures that they can take to champion accessibility and then develop an action plan for implementation in partnership with people with disabilities and our organizations.

“The global disability community played a lead role in drafting the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and it provides high-level guidance in a wide range of areas on how to achieve accessibility,” stated Jewelles Smith, CCD Communications and Government Relations Coordinator.   “As the CRPD emphasizes, it is critical that everyone start their work on accessibility by having conversations with people with disabilities and their representative organizations about how to best achieve accessibility.  The principle that guides the work on accessibility for people with disabilities is “Nothing About Us Without Us.”

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For more information contact Jewelles Smith, Communications and Government Relations Coordinator, Email: jewelles@ccdonline.ca.

About CCD

CCD is a national human rights organization of people with disabilities working for an inclusive and accessible Canada.

Mission
The Council of Canadians with Disabilities (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.

Mandate
The Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) unites 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.