November 1, 2016, Ottawa, Ontario
Youth are key to breaking down barriers for Canadians with disabilities and creating a more accessible and inclusive Canada. That’s why the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, hosted an exciting one-day national forum on accessibility with youth with disabilities and youth who have life experience related to disabilities.
Minister Qualtrough engaged youth participants on what accessibility means to them and their vision of an accessible Canada. She encouraged participants to continue demonstrating leadership in their communities and continue working towards building a more inclusive and accessible society.
The National Youth Forum is part of the consultation process led by Minister Qualtrough to inform the development of planned accessibility legislation.
Canadians from around the country have already begun sharing their views on what an accessible Canada means to them. All Canadians are encouraged to have their say in the consultation process, either by attending an engagement session or by participating in the online consultation at www.Canada.ca/Accessible-Canada.
Canadians are also encouraged to follow @AccessibleGC on Twitter, AccessibleGC on Facebook and to follow the hashtags #LeadersToday and #AccessibleCanada.
The consultation process will run until February 28, 2017.
“As a person on the autism spectrum, I face many challenges. However, it also allows me to look at the world through a different lens. I hope to inspire, and give people a new perspective, on what it means to live with a disability. Most importantly, I would like to show people that just because we have a disability doesn't mean we don't have the ability to do things. ”
– Elene Fiala, Member, Youth Forum Planning Committee