Minister Qualtrough celebrates National AccessAbility Week by promoting social inclusion through technological innovation
News Release
June 2, 2017 Vancouver, British Columbia Employment and Social Development Canada
Volunteers, including experts from the information technology and communications sectors and community organizations, are working together to find innovative solutions to break down barriers and promote a more inclusive and accessible Canada during National AccessAbility Week.
Today, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, attended the first day of the two-day Makers Making Change and Telus Day of Giving LipSync Buildathon with the Neil Squire Society. At this event, change “makers” (hackers, inventors and creators) are working together to build open source assistive technology for people with disabilities, such as devices that enable people with little or no hand movement to operate a touchscreen device.
Minister Qualtrough also announced that the Neil Squire Society received approximately $750,000 for the development of a network of groups and people with technical skills to support the identification, development, testing, dissemination and deployment of open source assistive technologies (open AT). Through an online portal, “makers” will be matched to a specific person with a disability to assist with their specific accessibility requirement. Open AT will have a positive impact on the lives of people with disabilities as it will allow for the production and delivery of innovative devices at the community level.
This funding was awarded under the Social Development Partnerships Program – Disability Component (SDPP‑D) following a six-week call for proposals that closed on November 3, 2016. The Minister highlighted how supporting innovation through these projects is one way the Government of Canada is helping to ensure our communities become more inclusive for all Canadians. A total of $4.5 million over two years will be awarded to national not‑for‑profit organizations with a disability-focused mandate. The SDPP-D funds projects that support disability organizations in their efforts to improve the participation and integration of people with disabilities in all aspects of Canadian society.
Quotes
“An inclusive society has an innovation advantage. People with disabilities contribute to this because they must come up with creative solutions to accomplish common tasks. We are committed to supporting innovative projects intended to improve the participation and integration of people with disabilities in all aspects of Canadian society.”
– The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
“We are delighted to receive the SDPP-D funding announced today by Minister Qualtrough from the Government of Canada. This funding is instrumental in enabling the Neil Squire Society to develop, and pilot across Canada, an innovative open source model to produce and deliver hardware-based assistive technologies to Canadians with disabilities. Thank you so much for this vital support.”
– Gary Birch, Executive Director, Neil Squire Society
“At TELUS, we believe that in order to do well in business, we must improve the social health of our communities. One of the hallmarks of our award-winning culture is our team’s extraordinary commitment to giving back with our hearts, our hands and our philanthropy. A commitment that is brought to life today by our team members who are participating in this activity in partnership with the Neil Squire Society, as a part of Our 2017TELUS Days of Giving campaign.”
– Marilyn Tyfting, Chief Corporate Officer, TELUS International
Quick Facts
-
The Social Development Partnerships Program (SDPP) helps improve the lives of children and families, people with disabilities and other vulnerable Canadians.
-
The SDPP has two funding components: Disability, and Children and Families.
-
Since the inception of the Disability Component of the Social Development Partnerships Program in 1998, it has provided $11 million annually in grant and contribution program funding to organizations to support projects intended to improve the participation and integration of people with disabilities in all aspects of Canadian society with respect to social inclusion.
-
An analysis of data from the 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability found that approximately 2.1 million Canadians aged 15 years or older are at risk of facing barriers in the built environment and/or in relation to information and communications.
Related Products
Associated Links
Contacts
Ashley Michnowski
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
819-934-1122 / TTY: 1-866-702-6967
Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Follow us on Twitter