Your Rights

For most handicapped citizens of Canada, lack of accessibility to basic services unfortunately remains the rule and not the exception.

In June of 1998 amendments to the Human Rights Law were implemented. One of these amendments obliges employers and suppliers of services to respond to the needs of persons with physical and mental deficiencies.

Furthermore, In October of 1998, the Canadian government also published a document entitled all Together, a plan that promotes the full participation of handicapped people in all aspects of Canadian society. This document represents an valuable consensus between the federal government, the provinces and territories, with the goal of increasing the efficiency of accessibility programs already in place.

Although a national consensus is a step in the right direction, there are some lobby groups that deplore the absence of increased funding to programs for the handicapped. They are concerned that the federal government may be seeking to relegate its responsibilities with respect to the rights of handicapped Canadians to other levels of government.

Human rights are multi-faceted, and cover basic rights to transportation, employment, education, communication, and other essential services.

Read on to find out about the SBHAQ's involvement in these different areas of advocacy on behalf of people with spina bifida.