Read the December 2024 Issue of The Blind Canadian Magazine

Some items in this Issue:

• Celebrating What CFB Means To Us
• Writing Contest Winning Entries
• I Am Blind, a Book on Blindness For Children
• Canada Post Rules re Mailing Materials for the Blind
• Advocacy – Guide Dog Discrimination; Floating Island Bus Stops
• In Memoriam

Available in PDF and Web versions.

To read issues of the magazine, go to The Blind Canadian page.

 

Who is the CFB? What is Our Philosophy?

CFB is a not-for-profit, entirely volunteer blindness organization, incorporated in June 1999. Created by and for blind Canadians (our executive board members are all blind), our mandate is to improve the lives of blind people across the country. Click here to read more.

 

CFB’s Position Statement on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID),  Regarding the Blind

The Canadian Federation of the Blind deplores any attempts by those responsible for decision making in the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program to consider impending blindness as a potential reason to end a life.  In the case of blind individuals, employing MAID is a stark example of the common, and tragic, misunderstanding of blindness and its consequences.  Adjustment to blindness is difficult, and blind people face their own particular challenges, but it is well known that these challenges can be met, and the technology and services available today have vastly improved prospects for the blind. That someone facing blindness might want to die is tragic; that the state might sanction and aid the suicide of blind people is a total betrayal of trust and decency. The Canadian Federation of the Blind invites any blind person or their supporters to connect through our email group or our contact form and we will be here to support. We also stand willing to actively oppose this program and it’s devastating ramifications for the blind.

Summary of CFB’s bike lanes / floating island bus stops BC Human Rights Tribunal case in Victoria

When the City of Victoria showed no concern about our voiced safety concerns, CFB turned to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal. CFB received pro-bono law assistance, thanks to Crease Harman, and received donations from individual supporters, including the blind community.

The tribunal deemed the bike lanes and floating island bus stops infrastructure as “daunting” for the blind and discriminatory. They issued a cease and desist order.

Yet, the city fought the blind, intent to deem the infrastructure as acceptable. Read more here.

CFB’s Feedback and Position on the Current Study of Floating Bus Stops at Bike Lanes

CFB has widely publicized its stance on the dangers of expecting blind bus pedestrians to navigate floating island bus stops and cross the bike lanes. In our five-year BC human rights tribunal case, this type of infrastructure was originally deemed as discriminatory towards people who are blind or vision impaired. The City of Victoria and elsewhere have since been trying to deem these as “inclusive” and acceptable, which they are  not. The only safe, reasonable place for a bus stop is at the sidewalk curb.

Accessibility Issues, Castanet News, Letters, Kelowna, BC, November 16, 2023

CFB Open Letter to BC Premier Eby, November 2023

CFB Response Letter to Saanich Municipality (in Victoria, BC), November 2023

Letter to Mayor Dyas and Kelowna City Council, December 1, 2023