\u00ae1<\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nDORVAL, QC, Oct. 5, 2020 \/CNW Telbec\/ \u2013 Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. (Novartis) is pleased to announce that Beovu\u00ae<\/sup> (brolucizumab injection) is now available in Canada for the treatment of neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The next-generation anti-VEGF therapy for wet AMD, offers the option for eligible patients to start on three-month dosing intervals after the loading phase. Beovu\u00ae<\/sup><\/em> has been reviewed by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) Canadian Drug Expert Committee (CDEC) and has received a positive recommendation for reimbursement by participating public health plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWith wet AMD, which can be aggressive in its progression, abnormal blood vessels form and grow under the central retina (macula) and cause it to swell up, distorting central vision. These abnormal blood vessels may leak fluid or blood in the eye, interfering with the macula\u2019s function and causing increasingly severe central vision loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNovartis has a deep history in ophthalmology and an ongoing commitment to eliminating preventable blindness by bringing innovative treatments to patients with serious eye diseases. We are dedicated to continuing to invest in research and as well as programs that improve the lives of people with wet AMD and are very proud to bring this latest advancement to Canadians,\u201d said Andrea Marazzi, General Manager, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. \u201cWe are pleased that the clinical value and benefit of Beovu\u00ae<\/sup><\/em> have been recognized by CADTH and look forward to collaborating with decision makers to ensure access to Canadians in a timely manner.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\nAMD is the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 50, affecting more than a million Canadians. Symptoms of AMD involve loss of central vision, which is needed for recognizing faces, reading, driving and other daily activities. AMD comes in both dry and wet forms, with wet AMD being rarer and much more severe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so easy to attribute a change in eyesight to getting older. We have been working hand in hand with Canadian vision organizations to drive the message across that any changes in vision should be immediately addressed. We know just how profound the impact of untreated wet AMD can be on a person\u2019s quality of life. Keeping up with injections may be challenging on older adults who are less inclined to want to visit clinics and hospitals. This is truer today than ever before,\u201d said Louise Gillis, President, Canadian Council of the Blind. \u201cWe are pleased that Beovu\u00ae<\/sup><\/em> is available in Canada. It\u2019s a new option that offers the potential for Canadians diagnosed with the leading cause of blindness to maintain their vision and not have to worry about frequent visits for their injections. Missing out on treatment could potentially be catastrophic for someone with wet AMD.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy is widely regarded as the standard of care for patients with wet AMD1<\/sup>. Approved by Health Canada in March 2020, Beovu\u00ae<\/sup><\/em> is the latest available anti-VEGF therapeutic advance, addressing the strong need for a treatment that reduces the need for frequent follow up. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAdvertisment: Discover a variety of phones designed with accessibility in mind on Canada\u2019s best national network. Plus special savings are available for customers with accessibility needs. Learn more. bell.ca\/network Bell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Assistive Technology<\/h1>\n\n\n\nApple News<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Last month Apple released major new software versions of its iOS, iPad OS, TVOS, and Watch OS operating systems. The Tech Juggernaut will be releasing articles and other helpful resources to point out the new features and changes in the updates. We want to take a moment to highlight some of the important changes for Voiceover users, so you can hit the ground running without being hung up by these differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voiceover Calendar Changes:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In the Apple Calendar app, when creating a new event, you will notice that the way you select start and end dates with Voiceover has been redesigned. Instead of just one picker, which must be swiped through, potentially taking a long time for you to find the date you want, you can now use a picker to select the month, then swipe right to see and hear all the days of the selected month by date. Simply double-tap on the date you want. You can even double-tap on the month picker to reveal a year picker, which makes it possible to quickly change the year of your start and end dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Time Pickers:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In both the Calendar and Clock apps, when creating events or setting alarms, you can now simply enter times in the time edit field. The process is extremely simple. Simply enter the time as a three or four-digit number, with the hour first, followed by a two-digit minute. Enter this with no punctuation. Don\u2019t worry about deleting what\u2019s there, or anything else. It could not be simpler. For example, if you want an alarm for 7:30, just enter 730 into the edit field as soon as you double-tap on it. Want 9:00? enter 900. Eleven O\u2019clock would be 1100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After you enter the desired time, swipe right to select either AM or PM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TVOS Changes For Voiceover Users:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
On AppleTV, there are now two modes for Voiceover \u2013 Navigation Mode and Exploration Mode. You can easily switch between the two modes by performing a two-finger triple-tap on the Remote Touch Surface. You will notice that the Rotor looks different, depending on which mode you are in, with few options being available in Navigation Mode, and additional options being present in Exploration Mode. Due to the design of TVOS, and its intended purpose, you will probably spend the majority of your time in Navigation Mode. In the event you ever need to reread something on the screen while in Navigation Mode, simply press and hold the Play\/Pause button for a few seconds. Then, if you need a more in-depth look around with the Voiceover Cursor, such as reading by characters or words, you can switch to Exploration Mode with the aforementioned two-finger triple-tap. To change whether Navigation Mode uses Direct Touch or a different option, open Settings>Accessibility>Voiceover, and choose Navigation Style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Note that many new features exist in all of Apple\u2019s operating system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Introducing a New Assistive Technology Blog: Windows from the Keyboard Tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions. The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is a new tip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Microsoft Word \u2013 Manual Spell Check<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Word has an automatic spell check that Word can do as you type your document. However, you may manually want to spell check after you complete the document or perhaps spell check a document written by someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With your Word document open, press F7 to start the spell checker. The spell check window will open, show the number of spell check issues, and place focus on the \u201cReview all Results\u201d button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Press spacebar to activate this review button and you will be taken to the first issue. Word will show what it considers to be the issue, suggest a correction, and show the sentence containing the error. If you use JAWS, it will automatically speak that information for you. If you don\u2019t use a screen reader there is also a button to have Word read the sentence containing the error to you.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- If you agree with the suggested correction, just press Enter and Word will make the correction and move to the next issue.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Otherwise, you may TAB through the correction dialogue where you have multiple choices of actions you may take. There is a button to ignore the issue, ignore all occurrences of that issue in the document, or add the item to Word\u2019s dictionary so it will not be flagged in the future. You may activate those buttons as needed and you will then be moved to the next issue in the document. You may also press Escape anytime to close the spell check window and return to your document.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Also, rather than pressing TAB to move through the dialogue controls, you may simply press a single shortcut letter. For example, press key I to ignore the issue, key G to ignore all issues, or key A to add the item to the dictionary. If you press I or G, the item is ignored, and you are moved to the next issue.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Thus, you can quickly move through all issues by simply pressing Enter to accept the correction, I to ignore it, or G to ignore all occurrences.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- There is also a Settings button in the dialogue that you may activate to change how the spell checker behaves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s it for this tip. Until next time, happy computing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the News<\/h1>\n\n\n\nBlind skier wants to share backcountry with other visually impaired people<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When Tyson Rettie started to lose his vision two years ago, he had to cut short his career as a backcountry ski guide in B.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But with the help of his friends, he hasn\u2019t stopped skiing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How does he do it?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Rettie says it depends on the terrain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If he and his friends are skiing an area with a large number of trees and other obstacles, he\u2019ll ski close to someone who \u201cmicromanages\u201d him, calling out each turn Rettie must make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 29-year-old has a rare form of Leber\u2019s hereditary optic neuropathy, which can lead to a severe loss of central vision. The condition first affected only his right eye, but later both. Rettie says he has no central vision but has some remaining peripheral sight, though it\u2019s severely limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based in the East Kootenay community of Invermere, Rettie prefers wide open alpine terrain where a buddy will describe to him what to expect at the top of the run. Sometimes he\u2019ll simply say: \u201cYou\u2019ve got nothing to hit for 400 metres.\u201d Then once his friend has reached the bottom, he\u2019ll begin calling out to Rettie, who follows the voice down the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Backcountry skiing is an experience few blind people enjoy. Rettie hopes to change that with the new Braille Mountain Initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just thought: If I\u2019m doing this, why can\u2019t others?\u201d he told Chris Walker, host of CBC\u2019s Daybreak South.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The non-profit initiative plans to give other blind and visually impaired people the opportunity to experience the sense of freedom and independence that backcountry skiing affords. While resorts often offer guided skiing for the visually impaired, he says his initiative would be the first to provide a backcountry experience for blind skiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Re-learning the ropes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Rettie admits it took some time getting used to skiing without the advantage of sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His first season back on the hill was a \u201cconstant adjustment period.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every little bump and undulation tired him out because he had no way of anticipating it. And learning how to put complete trust in his guide wasn\u2019t easy either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt definitely took me a while to build the confidence to just say, \u2018OK, there\u2019s nothing to hit? If you say so,’\u201d recalled Rettie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the largest obstacles for blind people who are interested in skiing is likely finances, according to Rettie. A 2019 report from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind found that more than 70 per cent of working-age blind or partially sighted people in Canada are unemployed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there\u2019s also a \u201cpublic perception issue,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The majority of people don\u2019t have a great understanding of what blind and visually impaired people can be capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Blind skiers doing rad things\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
He hopes Braille Mountain will challenge misperceptions and \u201cinspire newly blinded people to really take on the challenges that they had thought to not be possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is a more interesting story than just rad skiers doing rad things in the mountains,\u201d Rettie said. \u201cThese are rad, blind skiers doing rad things in the mountains. I think that\u2019s a valuable thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Braille Mountain\u2019s first backcountry trip \u2014 a partnership with Sorcerer Lodge, just north of Revelstoke \u2014 is slated for next spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Ben Mussett, CBC News<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Accessible Navigation:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
GoodMaps, experts and innovators in accessible navigation and wayfinding, partners with the CNIB Foundation, Canada\u2019s largest non-profit serving people with sight loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GoodMaps Explore, which was unveiled earlier this month, is an accessible wayfinding app designed primarily for people who are blind or partially sighted. Drawing upon GoodMaps\u2019 state-of-the-art digital maps, the app uses audio instructions to communicate routing and critical spatial information as users move through indoor or outdoor environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom the moment we began conversations with CNIB, it was clear that we shared a vision for drastically increasing the footprint of accessible buildings and overcoming the historical hurdles of accessible navigation,\u201d says Jose Gaztambide, Founder and CEO of GoodMaps. \u201cCNIB believes, as we do, in leveraging the latest technology to offer an extraordinary navigation and wayfinding experience for clients.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the past, indoor navigation for people with sight loss has often been imprecise and has typically relied on expensive, burdensome infrastructure. But GoodMaps Explore starts with laser mapping of the environment, then draws upon camera-based positioning (CPS), a breakthrough technology that utilizes sensors in a device\u2019s camera to achieve superior accuracy with minimal hardware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with GoodMaps,\u201d says Shane Silver, Vice President of Social Enterprises for the CNIB Foundation. \u201cThis innovation represents a significant breakthrough in accessible indoor navigation and accuracy. The introduction of GoodMaps across the country will help ensure that Canadians with sight loss have greater access to more buildings and venues than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Power of one:<\/h2>\n\n\n\nA united disability movement would undermine our individual and unique needs.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Steven Fletcher is the first permanently disabled person to have been elected to the Canadian Parliament, where he served four terms from 2004 to 2015, and the first permanently disabled federal cabinet minister. He was left a quadriplegic at the age of 23 after an automobile collision with a moose. He resides in Manitoba and is the principal of Fletcher Focus International.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The federal government has recognized that Canadians with disabilities are among the many who desperately need help during the pandemic. In July, Ottawa announced a one-time $600 payment to Canadians with disabilities, helping defray the costs associated with COVID-19; this policy has now received royal assent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But this is inadequate, Al Etmanski and Kathleen O\u2019Grady argued in a recent Globe and Mail opinion piece, \u201cIt is time to unify the disability movement \u2013 in the mode of #MeToo or #BlackLivesMatter \u2013 so that it can push with greater force \u201cto influence decisions in cabinet or the Prime Minister\u2019s Office\u201d under a \u201ccommon vision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a well-intentioned argument, and the authors raised many urgent issues. Notably, there is truth in their argument that systemic disability discrimination is baked into society with the false idea that \u201cdisabled people are unworthy.\u201d As a wheelchair user, I continue to be boggled by the number of people who assume that people like me have cognitive or hearing problems; it continues to be a shock how many unnecessary curbs, stairs, and other barriers continue to exist, even though they could be easily dealt with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But a united disability movement may be a bridge too far. Agitating this way would be to play a kind of identity politics that has many drawbacks, not the least of which is that it might ignore the fact there is no clear single definition of disability, nor collective agreement among people with disabilities. Treating everyone as individuals, and not as a collective, has worked much better in the past, and will continue to do so in the future. The range of disability is just too great, and the political opinions and wider interests of people with disabilities too varied, for a monolithic approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider the five fundamental human senses, for instance. Lacking one of them should be straightforwardly judged a disability, right? But while complete blindness is, in my view, a disability, the CNIB Foundation website declares that \u201cpeople who are blind can do almost anything. They just do it differently.\u201d It also seems reasonable to say that someone who is completely deaf is disabled, but many people who are completely deaf would disagree with that characterization; as is the case with sight, there is a spectrum on hearing. On the other hand, someone without taste or smell likely does not rise to the level of disability. And the sense of touch is difficult to conceptualize, as we are inherently touchy-feely creatures, though it may not feel essential; as a complete quadriplegic myself, however, I cannot feel anything below my shoulders and cannot move anything below my neck, and as a result, I cannot do any of the activities of daily living and require 24-hour caregivers wherever I go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And is someone who has an amputation from the knee down on one leg disabled? How about two legs? How about an arm? Most of those individuals would certainly feel that they have a disability. But with advances in modern prosthetics, Canada Revenue Agency and Canada Pension Plan disability benefits may not see it that way. And definitions matter, especially in law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve seen the downsides of the collectivist approach first-hand in my time in federal politics. When the question of medical assistance in dying (MAID) arrived at the Supreme Court of Canada in 2015, the majority of organizations who claim to represent persons with disabilities warned the Supreme Court of Canada that they feared it would create a \u201cslippery slope\u201d to more significant harms to vulnerable populations. I, on the other hand, had spent years considering MAID through an individualist lens of self-determination, hoping to empower people with disabilities and ailments as much as possible through private member\u2019s bills that aimed to establish strict safeguards to protect the vulnerable, while allowing competent adults to seek MAID. Despite the united legislative front against my efforts presented by every one of Canada\u2019s political parties \u2013 including, ironically, the Conservative Party, even though its opposition would have allowed governments to overtake individual rights and tell people what they can and cannot do with their lives \u2013 the Supreme Court would go on to use much of the wording of my bills in its decision to strike down the legal prohibition against MAID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The collectivist and individualist approaches each have their strengths and weaknesses. But it is a fundamental principle of classic liberal democracy that an individual should have the freedom to control one\u2019s own body, and to be the master of one\u2019s own fate, regardless of barriers or paternalistic attitudes. We are each a minority of one, and in many cases, we should agitate as such.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To be sure, people with disabilities need to be seen and need to be more involved in the political process. Most reasonable people are supportive once they become familiar with Canadians with disabilities and become educated about systemic barriers. And while it was clear that the vast majority of people in Ottawa, from politicians to media to civil servants to the common person, had no idea about quadriplegia \u2013 why would they, when I had no idea before my accident at 23? \u2013 they were accepting of me as I was. However, while Carla Qualtrough, the federal Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, is a Canadian with a disability \u2013 and she is, I am sure, a very competent person \u2013 it should be noted that having a disability in itself does not make one qualified to deeply understand all disabilities and needs. To improve the lives of people with disabilities, we need to focus on results of public policy, rather than on some credential alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my first of four election campaigns for a federal seat, I did not raise the issue of disability unless I was asked. That was because I wanted to show that people are multifaceted individuals, and that more than one issue generally animates a given person\u2019s decision-making. This is a major part of my own worldview, at least. And that\u2019s why I believe Canadians with disabilities should avoid uniting into a singular political movement: The individual must always be recognized, so that the solution lies in their ability to reach their full potential. After all, Western liberal democracies have long recognized the rights and responsibilities of individuals, at great cost \u2013 and artificially constructed collective identities have rarely led to desired results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Steven Fletcher, contributed to The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n\n\n\n