trouble | Entries tagged with i write

Canadians! Tell your MP to vote for C-304.

It is so rare to see any bill in parliament that acknowledges disability, let alone one that actually talks about housing needs. It would be great if we could make some noise, if we could make it clear to our Members of Parliament, our elected representatives, that we as Canadians care about accessible and affordable housing needs, so even if this bill doesn’t pass, the next time the topic comes up our MPs know: This is something that Canadians want addressed.

I have to admit, as a private member's bill being championed by the NDP, I don't think this has a dream of passing. That said, contact your MP anyway, because Canada needs a national housing strategy, and maybe if enough people talk to their MPs about it, something else will come up.

Crossposts: http://troubleinchina.livejournal.com/579053.html

Dear Megan,

I recently learned of Donna Jodhan's Federal Court case, arguing that the Canadian Government must provide screen-reader accessible content on their websites, as reported in the Toronto Star (http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/863379--blind-woman-says-federal-websites-discriminate-against-the-visually-impaired) and the CBC (http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/09/18/to-blind-accessible-feds.html) In light both Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and Canada's recent signing of the Declaration of Rights of Disabled Persons, I'm appalled that the Federal Government would waste tax payers' dollars in arguing that 3 million Canadians should not have the ability to access government services online or apply for government jobs online.

In this day and age, it's ridiculous for the government to argue that access to the internet is not necessary. According to the Toronto Star, government lawyers are arguing "Internet access to government services and information is not a right guaranteed in law". While I agree that this is technically true, in refusing to provide this access, the government is arguing that blind and visually impaired Canadians should have less access to government services and information than Canadians who are Sighted.

Megan, every day it is clearer to me how many societal barriers are put in place that prevent people with disabilities in Canada from full participation. The time and energy the federal government is frivolously spending in defending their lack of web accessibility could be far better put to use in bringing the government's websites up to the same standards as those in other countries, standards that are reasonable to expect in the 21st Century, or by hiring people to actually bring the websites in question up to modern accessibility standards, or even beyond.

This is such an important issue, and I hope that the NDP will work to bring awareness of it to Canadians, and encourage the federal government to stop fighting against people with disabilities, but fighting for them.

Thank you,

Anna P.
cc: Jack Layton

You know, it's really hard to try and get other people all fired up about this when I'm sort of sitting here looking at the whole thing going "Well, this is a waste of my time."

Maybe they'll impress me?

Crossposts: http://troubleinchina.livejournal.com/572770.html

I've already sent this off, so my beloved grammar mavens, I have seen the comma abuse, but now it's gone and I can't take it back. Woe. :(

I actually do believe that someone at my MP's office reads my emails and they actually respond to them as though they've read them. I do get good personalized responses to the bulk of my emails. (This makes it sound like I email every week, but I email in personal stuff probably every three or four months, and slightly more often email "I support this thing you're doing, don't bother to respond.")

Hello Megan,

As you know, I'm a very passionate disability rights advocate. Today I am writing because I have repeatedly responded to the NDP emails that link to NDP videos requesting that they be transcribed and subtitled, in order to be more accessible to Canadians, both those with disabilities and those without. Unfortunately, these emails have not been responded to.

While I note that in the most recent email that went out, Jack Layton's speech at the Caucus Strategy Session does have a transcript provided (which I presume is from his prepared speech, as there are several differences between it and what is shown on the video), both the video provided with Mr Layton's Press Release about the Gun Registry (http://www.ndp.ca/press/ndp-to-pm-you-don-t-have-votes-time-to-compromise) and several of the videos on the NDP YouTube site are neither captioned nor transcribed.

I know disability and accessibility are things you care about too, Megan, so I hope that you will pass along my concerns to the NDP Leadership: Transcribing and subtitling/captioning of video and audio content is an accessibility issue. Providing both a transcript and subtitling allows for more Canadians to be able to access the message of the NDP. As well, it shows a commitment to accessibility and to including Canadians who prefer or require transcripts and subtitling, for whatever reason. As this is something I believe the NDP values, it would be helpful for the party, at all levels, to provide transcription and subtitling for all the videos that they produce.

Thank you very much for your time in reading this email.

Anna

Honestly, I have a form letter I now send off in response to every party email I get from all the National parties asking about transcriptions and/or subtitles. I have never gotten a response. I've even had specific Party members swear to me up and down they'll look into it. Never get a response. My father suggested I just skip all this and email Megan, and thus, here I am.

Current Mood: blah
Crossposts: http://troubleinchina.livejournal.com/571264.html

This is something I wrote for FWD that won't be going up for a couple of days:

John Stossel, if your business doesn't accommodate wheelchair users chances are you don't have many customers who are wheelchair users.

(Gentle reader, I cannot believe I just typed that sentence 20 years after the ADA passed into law.)

(There is more than that in the post, I promise.)

Today is Jerry Lewis Hates Cripples Day!. (He really did tell people with disabilities that if they don't want pity they should just stay in their homes. I'm so happy he got a humanitarian award for his work with "the disabled", aren't you?)

I was reminded by this post by Bad Cripple about new ways to create social change about how much I want to do some things on campus, like block the front access to the main admin building and advise people to "find another route" (without a sign), and go around one day and put up signs in front of every inaccessible building with "This building does not allow wheelchair users to enter".

Of course, I also want to write in chalk in front of various buildings in Halifax "Wheelchair Users Not Welcome".

You should now talk me out of this.

Current Mood: bitchy
Crossposts: http://troubleinchina.livejournal.com/568895.html

Coming up for air from thesis-writing to rec a vid: A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by

damned_colonial. Lady Pirates! Fans! Guns! Sails! Joan Jett singing "Bad Reputation"!

I also posted one of my fav vegetarian recipes, Leek, Pepper and Pea Tortilla on

omnomnom last night. (It's a foodie comm on DW.)

So far today I have written 1172 words of shitty-first-draft of Chapter 2. I hate them all.

Crossposts: http://troubleinchina.livejournal.com/560807.html

The knuckles and the like on my right hand have actually swollen up quite badly after the past few weeks of fevered note-taking in the archives, so I've been typing all day with just my left hand. Which sounds obscene now that I've written it. Damn you, internet.

I've decided the best way to deal with this is to go see a movie and eat popcorn with lots of salt and pretend there's no deadlines.

(Then I'll come home and panic because that is my new response to everything. "I went to the library!" *panic* "I ate food!" *panic* I typed up notes about my research! *panic*. Fun times.)

Yes, yes, I'll see a doctor. Later. After the popcorn. At least I have to take the weekend off because the archives are closed for Natal Day.