Vision Month Dinner
Dialogue Over Dinner
Dinner 2023
EXPO 2023
Reforming Ontario’s Assistive Devices Program – An Update
The Canadian Council of the Blind Vision Month Forum will took place live and virtually on Saturday, May 27 from 2 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (EST) Eastern Standard Time at the Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario.
Topic: Reforming Ontario’s Assistive Devices Program – An Update
Speakers:
David Schachow, Director, Delivery and Eligibility Review Branch at the Ontario Ministry of Health, responsible for delivery of the ADP
Dr. Jutta Treviranus, Director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) and Professor in the Faculty of Design at OCAD University in Toronto
Luna Bengio, Senior Accessibility Expert and Strategic Advisor, Government of Canada
Dr. Keith Gordon, Senior Research Officer, Canadian Council of the Blind and Principal Investigator of the 2021 ADP Survey
Ian White, President of the Toronto Visionaries Chapter of the CCB
DATE: Saturday, May 27, 2023
TIME: 2 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (EST)
Conference 2023
VISION OF THE FUTURE
VISION MONTH CONFERENCE
The Canadian Council of the Blind Vision Month Conference took place on Tuesday, May 16th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (EST) Eastern Standard Time at Christ Church Cathedral in the Great Hall, located at 414 Sparks Street in Ottawa, Ontario.
Topic: New Treatments for Eye Disease – a Vision of the Future
Speakers:
The Honourable Judy Sgro PC MP, Humber River – Black Creek, Ontario
Dr. Keith Gordon, Senior Research Officer, Canadian Council of the Blind
Dr. David Maberley, Chair, University of Ottawa Department of Ophthalmology
Dr. Elise Heon, Staff Director, Ocular Genetics Program, Sick Children’s Hospital and Professor of Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Toronto
Dr. Ike Ahmed, Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah, Director, Glaucoma & Advanced Anterior Segment Surgery (GAASS) Fellowship, University of Toronto
Dr. Larissa Moniz, Director Research and Mission Programs, Fighting Blindness Canada.
DATE: Tuesday, May 16, 2023
TIME: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. EST
LUNCH: Light lunch to be served from 12:00 – 12:30 p.m.
White Cane Magazine May 2023
Welcome to White Cane Magazine May 2023. May has been dedicated as Vision Month. Check out this issue of White Cane Magazine to learn more about Vision Month:
- Meet the CCB’s Person of the Year and the President’s Award recipients
- Learn about Bill C-284, a bill that will create a national eye health strategy for Canada
- Learn about publicly-funded health care from a senior provincial health minister
- Learn about the impact that the pandemic has had on vision health in Canada
- Learn about a new therapy for blinding eye disease
- Look at AMI’s plans for another sizzling summer
- Read about “Nothing without us” – the true meaning of inclusion
- Read about an amazing family travelling the world before their children’s vision falters
- Learn about the integrated Vision Loss Rehabilitation Clinic in Halifax
- Learn about the creation of the first Indigenous braille code
- Read about VIA Rail’s new accessibility plan
- Learn about innovative ways that Canada’s ophthalmologists are servicing isolated areas in Canada’s North
- Learn about the CNIB’s new strategic plan
- Learn how to create a podcast from blind outdoorsman Lawrence Gunther
Enjoy the Read!
DOWNLOAD BELOWVisions – April
Call for Volunteers
The Council of Canadians with Disabilities are looking for 15 volunteers to partake in a research project to inform accessibility standards for heritage buildings under Federal jurisdiction in Canada.
An honorarium will be provided to those who become part of the working group.
For further information and registration, please see the following document.
Registration closes September 15, 2022.
Reforming Ontario’s Assistive Devices Program: February 2022
“The primary goal of the survey, outlined in Assistive Devices Report, was the development of a rigorous and patient-centered evidence-base from which we made recommendations to ADP governing bodies that are informed, substantive, and reflective of the needs of Ontarians living with vision loss.”
Dr. Keith Gordon Ph.D. M.Sc. (Epid.)
Principal Investigtor
Senior Research Officer
Canadian Council of the Blind
Vision Month Expo 2022
The CCB’s Toronto Visionaries Chapter hosted its annual Experience Expo Forum (presented both live and virtually) on Saturday, May 28 from 4:00 to 5:30 pm at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, 750 Spadina Avenue (at Bloor West) in Toronto.
Topic: Best Practices, Informed Consent and Understanding Patient’s Rights. Compliance and side effects.
Speakers: The Forum will feature a panel of experts.
Dr. Chad Andrews, Director of Research and Policy, College of Optometrists of Ontario
Sarah Shephard, Patient Advocate
John Adams, Patient’s Rights Advocate
Dr. Keith Gordon, Senior Research Officer, Canadian Council of the Blind
DATE: Saturday, May 28, 2022
The Forum discussed the best practices – a patient’s right to informed consent and full disclosure for whatever the treatment, including all of the informed therapies, their side effects, dosage frequency, all options, and costs (which should never influence what a patient is prescribed) before a treatment decision is made.
Vision Month Gala 2022
CCB’s Gala celebration of Vision Health Month 2022. The Gala took place on Tuesday, May 17 at Christ Church Cathedral in the Great Hall, located at 414 Sparks Street in Ottawa, Ontario.
Megan Laurence to Sing “O Canada”
Jim Tokos, National President, CCB, Delivers Welcome
Presentation of the 2022 White Cane Week Person of the Year Award (Luna Bengio)
Presentations of 1st 2022 President’s Awards (Balance for Blind Adults – Dr. Deborah Gold)
Presentations of 2nd 2022 President’s Awards (Dr. Keith Gordon)
Honoring the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation, First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples
Remembering Richart Bocxe (1949-2021)
CCB Stand with Ukraine
Carol Hughes – Member of Parliament & Olha Sotska – Ukraine Parliamentary Internship
Toast to the Queen
Ric Watson – Ottawa Mission Food Service Training Program Chef
Grace
David Errington, President and CEO, AMI
Michael Baillargeon, Canadian Council of the Blind
Jutta Treviranus, Founder, Inclusive Design Research Centre at OCAD University
Doug Earle, Presidnet and CEO, Fighting Blindness Canada
Catherine Langlois, VIA Rail Canada
Alfred MAcLeod, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat – Introducing Key Note Speaker
Luna Bengio, Office of Pulbic Service Accessibility, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat – Keynote Speaker
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Eye Health in Canada Summit
This video is a recording of the Canadian Council of the Blind’s (CCB) Summit on The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Eye Health in Canada held October 26, 2021. This project was spearheaded by the CCB in partnership with Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC) and key partners the Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS).
In this session a panel of experts share their perspectives on the addendum to the Cost of Vision Loss & Blindness in Canada report that specifically looks at the impact COVID has had on the blindness and vision loss community.
The Summit was proudly supported by our Presenting Sponsor Bausch + Lomb
About the Report
In 2020 the Canadian Council of the Blind, partnering with Fighting Blindness Canada, and key stakeholders, the Canadian Association of Optometrists and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, conducted a supplementary study to reveal the astounding impact COVID-19 has had on eye health in Canada.
The Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) engaged Deloitte Access Economics in December 2020 to provide a contemporary estimate of the annual social and economic cost of vision loss (VL) and blindness in Canada. In support of this report, the CCB partnered with Fighting Blindness Canada and key partners the Canadian Association of Optometrists and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society. The full report on the Cost of Vision Loss and Blindness in Canada using 2019 data was completed in May 2021. During the completion of that earlier document, it became apparent that the COVID-19 pandemic was having a major impact on the findings of the study. It was therefore decided to conduct a supplementary study on the impact of the pandemic in 2020 on the prevalence and cost of VL. The findings of that study are presented as an addendum to the original report. The estimated costs in the report reflect the impact of COVID-19 from March to December of 2020, highlighting aggregated, pan-Canadian effects
About the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB)
The Canadian Council of the BlindIs the Voice of the Blind™ in Canada, a membership-based charity that brings together Canadians who are living with vision loss, the blind, deaf-blind and the partially sighted. Advocating for its members, the CCB works to promote a sense of purpose and self-esteem along with an enhanced quality of life. Based on belief in ABILITY, not disability Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) is a vibrant network of active members across Canada. Each chapter is unique to its geographic area and engages in a variety of social and recreational activities based on the interests of their local members. Visit www.ccbnational.net or call 1-877-304-0968 for more information.
About Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC)
Visit www.fightingblindness.ca or call 1-800-461-3331 to learn more.
About the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS)
Visit www.cos-sco.ca to learn more.
About the Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO)
Visit https://opto.ca/ for more information.
Visit www.opto.ca for more information.
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