News

Are you an avid reader, but you wish you had someone to talk to about your latest read? Want to join an accessible book club, but don't have time for in-person meetings? Then you'll love our new virtual book club, CNIB: Read!

Imagine looking at the world through ice cubes. That's what my vision is like. And as the years go by, those ice cubes become more and more opaque. Everything in my world is very blurry. I can see shapes and figures, but not much else. And that makes it hard for me to get around safely.

It's about time! That's what we said when we heard that Canadian building developer, Liberty Hamlets Inc., has announced plans to build the world's first condominium building that's fully accessible to people with disabilities, including blindness.

In the early 1970s I was employed as a braille transcriptionist at the CNIB Maritime Division headquarters in Halifax. A sighted person was my reader.

The CNIB Foundation commends the Government of Canada for its 2019 budget, which includes significant commitments to accessibility and inclusion for Canadians with sight loss. Among numerous measures supporting people with disabilities, the budget included targeted funding for the production of accessible books, accessible point-of-sale technology, and enhanced CNIB Foundation employment programming.

CNIB Foundation has partnered with CULC (Canadian Urban Libraries Council) to bring their Phone It Forward Program to participating local libraries across Canada.

The Big Brailler Bounce Initiative aims to ensure that any unused Perkins Braillewriters find their way into the hands of a blind child, adult, or senior who can benefit from the ability to write in braille! Since 2015, Braille Literacy Canada has been collecting unused Perkins Braillewriters, refurbishing them, and re-distributing them to those in need at no cost to any of the recipients.

In this issue, municipalities receive provincial funding to make public transit more accessible. We learn how students are smashing accessibility barriers in their neighbourhoods. A London pharmacist tells us how he's using braille, and a councillor with the Town of Puslinch gives a shout-out to the enablers. We also hear from Deloitte Canada, a partner with the CNIB Foundation's Come to Work program, about inclusive workplaces.

CNIB is looking to hear from people who are blind, partially sighted or Deafblind to gather information related to educational outcomes.

Here's a riddle for you… What's small and furry and has 23 foster dads in the NHL? The answer? A CNIB future guide dog named Rookie!