AEBC: WHO WE ARE

AUDIO VERSION By Catherine Dumé On September 22, 2026, Toronto Elections held a local media press conference at its office in North York. The City Clerk, John Elvidge, was present. Both he and the Deputy Clerk of Toronto Elections, Tobias Novogrodsky, offered speeches about the upcoming mayoral election in October. They also promoted the launch of their new initiative “Kids Vote Weekend,” which is happening on October 10 and 11, to encourage kids under 18 to learn more about

AUDIO VERSION By Marcia Yale, AEBC National President With content borrowed from Lee Pigeau, Louise Frazer, John Rae, Judy Prociuk, and Dar Wournell This has been a year of milestones. We were granted another year of ESDC funding, extending our project to March 31, 2027. We received the final gift from John Rae’s estate—more than twice what we had been expecting. And, finally, we received funding for a three-year project which could result in our community receiving the com

AUDIO VERSION By Chantal Oakes Too often, we hear stories about people who are blind being denied access to restaurants or other public places because they are accompanied by a guide dog. While it is important to speak out when discrimination occurs, it is equally important to recognize businesses that get it right. On July 25, 2026, the AEBC BC Affiliate held a social outing at King Taps in North Vancouver. Twenty-eight people attended, including ten guide dog teams. From

AUDIO VERSION By Betty Nobel The first experience I had working in partnership with a guide dog was back in 1975. My son was five months old. What was I doing leaving him in my mother’s care and going to California to get a guide dog. Was I crazy? Why would I even consider taking such a step? The truth is that I wasn’t going out as much with the baby because while I was willing to go out on my own, I felt a strong responsibility to keep my baby safe. I was a fairly skilled ca

AUDIO VERSION What could happen when disabled and neurodivergent young people have space to connect, create and explore new ideas together? That’s the focus of FUTURES, a free program for disabled and neurodivergent young people in Canada between the ages of 18 and 30. Registration is now open for Fall 2026, with four different ways to join in. Offered through AccessNow, FUTURES offers opportunities to connect with other young people through conversation, learning, reading

AUDIO VERSION By Richard Marion This is my final post about my recent travels to the UK and France in June. As with many trips, accessibility became a key focus for me in each destination. Having a disability and being involved in the advocacy community means I can’t help but view my experiences through an accessibility lens. Since both Scotland and England are both part of the UK, we encountered similar accessibility challenges in their built environments. While cities lik