disabilities

Finley Comartin received a diagnosed of dyslexia in Grade 4 last year. His screening was paid privately. Premier David Eby and Education Minister Rachna Singh officially announced universal screening for children between Kindergarten and Grade 3. (Ella Matte/Black Press Media News Staff)

B.C. officially announces dyslexia screening for all Grade K-3 students

Premier Eby, education minister announce $30 milllion for dyslexia screening, literacy

 

Erin Kreiter and her father Tim are hoping to complete at least a portion of renovations to make their new family home accessible for Erin. (Matthew Claxton/Langley Advance Times)

Disabled Fort Langley woman out $200K after contractor skips out

Erin Kreiter’s family hopes to finish renos to create an accessible home

 

Air Canada is appealing a decision by the country’s transport regulator that seeks to boost accessibility for travellers living with a disability.An Air Canada jet is manoeuvred on the tarmac at the airport, Wednesday, Nov.15, 2023 in Vancouver. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Air Canada to fight power wheelchair access ruling in appeals court

Appeal prolongs a case that has dragged on for more than 7 years

 

Air Canada planes sit on the tarmac at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. The Canadian Transportation Agency says it’s issued a penalty to Air Canada for violating the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Air Canada fined $97K for neglecting wheelchair user

Disability violation penalized by the Canadian Transportation Agency

Air Canada planes sit on the tarmac at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. The Canadian Transportation Agency says it’s issued a penalty to Air Canada for violating the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Statistics Canada data shows that 27 per cent of people 15 and older — about eight million Canadians — reported having at least one disability in 2022, about twice the percentage of people who reported a disability 10 years ago. Wheelchairs await non-ambulatory patients at the University of Calgary Medical Clinic, in Calgary, Alta. on Nov. 17, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Number of disabled Canadians doubles in 10 years, now 27% of population

Statistics Canada says about eight million Canadians reported having at least one disability in 2022

Statistics Canada data shows that 27 per cent of people 15 and older — about eight million Canadians — reported having at least one disability in 2022, about twice the percentage of people who reported a disability 10 years ago. Wheelchairs await non-ambulatory patients at the University of Calgary Medical Clinic, in Calgary, Alta. on Nov. 17, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Downtown Calgary is seen from the air on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. New research has found that nearly 60 per cent of public spaces in Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa are either inaccessible or partially inaccessible to people with disabilities. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Disabled blocked from about 60% of public spaces in major Canadian cities

Vancouver, Ottawa and Calgary reviewed in University of Calgary-led study

Downtown Calgary is seen from the air on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. New research has found that nearly 60 per cent of public spaces in Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa are either inaccessible or partially inaccessible to people with disabilities. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Accessibility advocates are speaking out about unreliable assistance in air travel, pointing to regulatory gaps and scattershot enforcement that can leave travellers with disabilities injured, stranded or demeaned. A woman makes her way through Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

‘It’s like I was parked luggage’: disability travel horror stories abound

‘Gaping holes’ in rules demean — and injure — travellers with disabilities: advocates

Accessibility advocates are speaking out about unreliable assistance in air travel, pointing to regulatory gaps and scattershot enforcement that can leave travellers with disabilities injured, stranded or demeaned. A woman makes her way through Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Three years after a report on the dire outlook for families and caregivers of young people with disabilities dealing with the pandemic, B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth says there’s still not enough being done. Jennifer Charlesworth’s office released the latest report Nov. 9, 2023. (Needpix.com)

3 years later, B.C. families of children with disabilities still struggling

25% of respondents say they either placed their children in care or considered it for better supports

Three years after a report on the dire outlook for families and caregivers of young people with disabilities dealing with the pandemic, B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth says there’s still not enough being done. Jennifer Charlesworth’s office released the latest report Nov. 9, 2023. (Needpix.com)
People are shown at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Friday, March 10, 2023. Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau is apologizing for the airline’s accessibility shortfalls and rolling out new measures to improve the travel experience for hundreds of thousands of passengers living with a disability. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Air Canada apologetic after mistreatment of disabled B.C. passengers

Airline promises accelerated implementation of accessibility plan

People are shown at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Friday, March 10, 2023. Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau is apologizing for the airline’s accessibility shortfalls and rolling out new measures to improve the travel experience for hundreds of thousands of passengers living with a disability. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Air Canada has acknowledge it violated Canadian disability regulations and apologized to a British Columbia man who uses a wheelchair, after he was forced to drag himself off a flight in Las Vegas this summer. Rodney Hodgins is seen in Las Vegas in an August 2023 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Deanna Hodgins

Air Canada apologizes to B.C. man forced to drag himself from flight

Airline violated disability regulations by not having anyone to help wheelchair user exit plane

Air Canada has acknowledge it violated Canadian disability regulations and apologized to a British Columbia man who uses a wheelchair, after he was forced to drag himself off a flight in Las Vegas this summer. Rodney Hodgins is seen in Las Vegas in an August 2023 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Deanna Hodgins
A disabled British Columbia man who dragged himself off an Air Canada flight in Las Vegas after the airline’s ground assistance personnel were not available to help him says he doesn’t want others to go through the same experience. Rodney Hodgins is seen in Las Vegas in an August 2023 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Deanna Hodgins

Disabled B.C. man forced to drag himself off flight says he wants changes

Prince George resident Rodney Hodgins was flying home from Las Vegas when he was left stranded

A disabled British Columbia man who dragged himself off an Air Canada flight in Las Vegas after the airline’s ground assistance personnel were not available to help him says he doesn’t want others to go through the same experience. Rodney Hodgins is seen in Las Vegas in an August 2023 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Deanna Hodgins
A person navigates to the on-line social-media pages of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on a cellphone in Ottawa on May 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

CRTC urged to mandate supports for Deaf Canadians during phone service outages

Deaf Canadians left without vital accessibility apps when cell service goes down

A person navigates to the on-line social-media pages of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on a cellphone in Ottawa on May 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Martin Shane, right, customizes the button layout on the Sony Access controller before playing a video game at Sony Interactive Entertainment headquarters Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, in San Mateo, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Science helping get disabled people into the world of gaming

Sony’s Access controller for the PlayStation part of a wave aimed at making gaming more accessible

Martin Shane, right, customizes the button layout on the Sony Access controller before playing a video game at Sony Interactive Entertainment headquarters Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, in San Mateo, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Sophia, seen here with her service dog Fresca, will get to go with her fellow Grade 6 students on a field trip to the water park at Cultus Lake after the Langley School District rescinded a decision excluding the special needs student citing ‘WorkSafe’ issues. (Special to Langley Advance Times)

A 12-year-old Langley girl will get to go on her field trip, after all

It was the second time special needs student faced being left behind

Sophia, seen here with her service dog Fresca, will get to go with her fellow Grade 6 students on a field trip to the water park at Cultus Lake after the Langley School District rescinded a decision excluding the special needs student citing ‘WorkSafe’ issues. (Special to Langley Advance Times)
Balraj Partridge after completing the Drop Zone at last years Easter Seals BC/Yukon’s annual Drop Zone fundraiser. (Jennifer Vasarhely/Contributed to Black Press Media)

Young B.C. man in wheelchair rappels down building to raise money for Easter Seals

Balraj Partridge suffers from spina bifida, a birth defect in an area of the spinal column

Balraj Partridge after completing the Drop Zone at last years Easter Seals BC/Yukon’s annual Drop Zone fundraiser. (Jennifer Vasarhely/Contributed to Black Press Media)
Carla Qualtrough, federal minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion, announces $16 million in funding for programs across the country that aim to support Canadians with disabilities looking to enter the workforce. The press conference was held in Nanaimo on Thursday, June 1. (Bailey Seymour/News Bulletin)

Feds funding programs to support people with disabilities joining the workforce

Federal minister of employment announces $16 million to go to six organizations across Canada

Carla Qualtrough, federal minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion, announces $16 million in funding for programs across the country that aim to support Canadians with disabilities looking to enter the workforce. The press conference was held in Nanaimo on Thursday, June 1. (Bailey Seymour/News Bulletin)
Jessie Simpson blowing kisses to the camera. (Sue Simpson/Facebook)

Call for cards as Kamloops attack victim turns 26

Sue Simpson requests cards every Christmas and every July for Jessie’s birthday

  • May 29, 2023
Jessie Simpson blowing kisses to the camera. (Sue Simpson/Facebook)
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor Ryan Straschnitzki pauses during a para golf lesson in Calgary, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. Spending the last five years using a wheelchair has given former Humboldt Broncos hockey player Ryan Straschnitzki a new path forward. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

‘Making things a little more accessible’: Paralyzed Bronco looks to improve buildings

In a wheelchair since tragic crash, Ryan Straschnitzki studying how to address accessibility issues

Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor Ryan Straschnitzki pauses during a para golf lesson in Calgary, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. Spending the last five years using a wheelchair has given former Humboldt Broncos hockey player Ryan Straschnitzki a new path forward. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Auditor General Karen Hogan holds a press conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. The Auditor General says two thirds of people with disabilities encountered barriers on federally regulated planes and trains in 2019 and 2020, and is highlighting a lack of consultation and enforcement by agencies involved. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Two-thirds of Canadians with disabilities found barriers on planes, trains: audit

Auditor general: Via Rail, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority still show serious gaps

Auditor General Karen Hogan holds a press conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. The Auditor General says two thirds of people with disabilities encountered barriers on federally regulated planes and trains in 2019 and 2020, and is highlighting a lack of consultation and enforcement by agencies involved. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
A BC Transit handyDART bus. (Contributed photo)

‘It’s not fair’: Long road ahead for B.C. transit improvements

Province unlikely to fund more accessible transit this year: BC Transit

A BC Transit handyDART bus. (Contributed photo)