By: Shannon Kinch
Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) is a national organization that works with law schools and non-profit organizations across Canada to provide free legal support to people and communities facing barriers to justice. In partnership with PBSC, we worked with their Queen’s University and University of Moncton chapters to address important issues impacting people who are blind or low vision.
Our research with PBSC’s Queen’s University Chapter focused on identifying and addressing barriers related to car ownership for people with sight loss in Ontario. CNIB worked alongside first-year law students Philip Da Costa and Maya Kawale and third-year law student Kate Dossetor on this important project which led to the development of an advocacy letter to better people with sight loss to challenge discrimination when they are denied the opportunity to purchase vehicles by car dealerships.
In New Brunswick, CNIB and PBSC’s University of Moncton Chapter worked together to better understand the legal obligations of post-secondary institutions to accommodate students with sight loss. The students developed an advocacy letter to educate post-secondary educational institutions about their legal obligations under the New Brunswick Human Rights Code.
For their exemplary work and commitment to reducing barriers for people with sight loss, University of Moncton students Trisha Légère-Leblanc and Matteya Wendling were awarded the University of Moncton Chapter PBSC Chief Justice Richard Wagner Award.
“My experience with the Pro Bono program has been enormously positive and rewarding,” says Trisha. “Working with CNIB gave me insight into a legal field I knew little about. It was very enlightening to learn about the obstacles faced by people with sight loss and to work on removing these. I am very proud to have been able to contribute to my community through PBSC.”
For more information about these projects, contact Shannon Kinch, Senior Project Manager, Know Your Rights at shannon.kinch@cnib.ca.