A chat with Joan Kelley Walker and Angela Bonfanti
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Award-winning philanthropist and humanitarian, Joan Kelley Walker, sits down with Angela Bonfanti, Senior Vice President, CNIB Foundation Programs for an intimate chat about COVID-19 and how it has impacted the sight loss community.
Joan has had a lifelong awareness of the challenges that people with sight loss experience as she has watched her mother, Rosaline, navigate a sighted world while being legally blind. Joan initially volunteered with the CNIB Foundation as an emcee for our CNIB Muskoka event in support of CNIB Lake Joe. Since then, she has become much more involved in supporting our programs. Joan and her husband, Don, are valued team members who champion everything we do.
April 17, 2024 – Yesterday, the Government of Canada released Budget 2024 and announced that the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit will start in July 2025, pending a regulatory design process. The benefit will be funded with $6.1 billion over the next six years.
This investment equates to a proposed maximum of $200 per month for eligible recipients who qualify for the Disability Tax Credit. Further, Budget 2024 does not invest in a strategy or programs that enable people who are blind or have low vision to join the workforce.
While the passage of the Canada Disability Benefit Act was an important first step, CNIB joins the growing list of organizations and advocates calling on the government to commit to more support to lift people with disabilities out of poverty.
Ready to chase your dreams? CNIB scholarships are here to support your personal and professional aspirations. Whether you're just starting out in a cool apprenticeship, diving into skilled trades, or leveling up with continuing education, there are multiple scholarships, bursaries, and other educational awards available to people who are blind, Deafblind, or have low vision. It doesn't matter where you are on your journey – from youth to adults – a scholarship or bursary is waiting just for you.
