By: Meghan Mahon
My role as Lead, Indigenous and Rural Community Outreach is about making meaningful connections with indigenous communities, individuals, and organizations across Canada to work together to provide appropriate and practical services to people who are blind or have low vision within these networks.
As a Metis woman living with sight loss, being a part of this work holds significant value to me. I’m passionate about working with communities to positively impact the way Indigenous, Metis, and Inuit peoples living with blindness or low vision experience the world around them and ensuring that they can live the lives they choose. I find myself reflecting on my childhood growing up in a rural community in Northern Ontario and how accessing services was not as easy or practical as it is in larger urban centres.
Through our work with Indigenous communities, I hope to develop relationships and work alongside communities and individuals to understand the needs and desires of people who are blind or have low vision and begin to fill the gaps experienced by these unique populations.
Through the implementation of CNIB’s Indigenous Strategic Plan, Reconciliation – The Way Forward, CNIB is committed to working toward a stronger relationship with Indigenous communities across the country and providing culturally appropriate education for our staff, management, and trusted board members.