CNIB's Know Your Rights project was created as part of the Advocacy program. The main objective of the project is to fill the gap in the accessibility of legal information adapted to people who are blind or partially sighted. At the same time, the project also aims to sensitize professionals in the Quebec legal system to the realities experienced daily by people with vision loss and to the needs in terms of accessibility of information.
After several months of development, the project was launched, providing access to accessible legal information guides, awareness-raising video clips and training for people affected by blindness and legal professionals.
"To me, this is a truly inspiring project that I believe will have the power to make a difference." - Catheryne Houde, project manager.
Some stats
- More than 200,000 Quebecers are currently living with vision loss;
- According to a 2020 CNIB survey, the top five barriers to post-secondary education are finances (48.3%), transportation (38.3%), negative attitudes of others (38.1%), technology (37.8%) and services (33.3%). This does not, however, detract from the fact that 50.9% of Canadians living with a visual limitation have a post-secondary degree or diploma;
- In employment, a 2016 Ipsos poll found that 70% of Canadians say they would hire a non-blind candidate over a blind candidate if they were equally qualified;
- 33.9% of Canadians living with a visual limitation have difficulty accessing health care at least once a year;
- 28.7% of Canadians living with a visual limitation use public transit;
- Of 61% of guide dog owners living in rented accommodation, 19.5% have experienced discrimination from their landlord because of their guide dog;
- 56.5% of guide dog owners often have difficulty accessing the built environment, such as shopping malls;
- 81% of Canadians living with a visual limitation pay with cash due to lack of consumer services and inaccessible terminals.
Acknowledgements
The Know Your Rights project was made possible through the financial support of the Fonds d'études notariales of the Chambre des notaires du Québec. CNIB would like to thank this partner for its help and support in the realization of this project.
CNIB and Catheryne Houde, who is responsible for the project, are pleased to have had the support of the committee established for this project.
- Christine Rousseau, lawyer with the Human Rights Commission, who is also the project spokesperson
- Jean-Paul Charette, CNIB Advisory Committee member and former Director of Operations at the Caisse Desjardins
- Hassan Moradzadeh, Doctor of Law, jurist, author of several works on law and discrimination in relation to disability
- Dominique Livernoche, a blind person involved in various legal initiatives
- Maxime Vallée, a blind person, CNIB client
- Michel Barbier, Executive Director of the Kéroul organization
- Isabelle Blouin, Executive Director, Centre de proximité de la justice Côte-Nord
- Michel Tanguay, CNIB Advisory Committee member and volunteer for 20 years
- Audrey-Anne Bouchard, designer of a show called Camille and person with vision loss
- Jean Lambert, notary
CNIB is grateful for the help of these law students who worked on the juridical tools.
- Peyton Campbell
- Erik Stiller
- Marie Sophie Dromer
- Danica Garner
- Vicky Valiquette
- Marie-Claire Brossoit
CNIB would like to extend a special thank you to Hassan Moradzadeh for his assistance in reviewing and creating the materials.
CNIB would also like to thank the entire team that participated in the creation and production of the video clips.
Please note that CNIB assumes full responsibility for any errors or omissions in the legal information materials.
Team
The team in charge of the Know Your Rights project is composed of :
- Catheryne Houde, Project Manager
- Laurence Durocher, Communications Specialist
- Sarah Rouleau, Head of Communications and Marketing, Francophone Programs
- Valérie Paquette, Philanthropy Specialist
- Kat Hamilton, Advocacy and Government Relations Officer
Contact
For any question related to the project and our trainings, you can contact the project team by email at droitsdevant@inca.ca