Long Term Disability Lawyer in Toronto

 Long Term Disability LTD is an insurance policy that will qualify when physical conditions impact daily function and stop individuals from doing any jobs for a long time. In Toronto, a number of people are dealing with long term disability due to health conditions like illness, injuries and accidents. In

Ahead of Disability Pride Month, here’s how to support better integration for disabled individuals

 Disability Pride Month is a worldwide event that typically occurs in July and has evolved from a single day of celebration to a month-long event that aims to raise awareness and increase the quality of life for disabled individuals. Disabled people belong to all social and age demographics and makeup

Inarticulate Speech of the Heart

  by Larry McCloskey    “A young guy who had roared down country lanes on his motorcycle in the liberating spring after a Canadian winter lay imprisoned in a room with three other spinal cord patients, windows shut to keep summer from seeping in, with a novice unwanted stranger doing unwanted strange

Winds of change: personal attendant care and shortages

 This week’s column may seem a little different to some. Things are a little stressful around here. Thankfully,  it has nothing to do with my health, at least not my physical health. A few weeks ago, I briefly mentioned the ongoing possibility of having to go to the hospital or

Award-winning Employable Me releases season 3

 Photo: Outakes from Employable Me - Episode 6 Employable Me is an honest and emotional six-part documentary series featuring job seekers who are determined to overcome their disabilities and prove that their health conditions shouldn’t make them unemployable. They may have Down Syndrome, be blind, partially sighted or have a neurological condition such

Not all lives are valued equally

 Canada must appeal medical assistance in dying decision If I – a young, healthy, white, non-disabled, mother of two, with a successful career and no criminal record – were to walk into a hospital and say, “I want to die,” I have every reason to believe that people would fight

Breaking down barriers for Canadians with disability

 By: Jennifer Zwicker and Stephanie Dunn Breaking Down Barriers is the galvanising theme of a recent report from the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology that outlines urgently-needed recommendations to improve access to underutilised federal disability supports: the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) and Registered Disability Savings Plan

Providing benefits not burdens

 By Jennifer Zwicker and Stephanie Dunn “Providing benefits not burdens” is how former Health Minister, Judy LaMarsh once described the vision for disability policy in Canada. Unfortunately, this vision is not a reality when it comes to one of the main benefits open to Canadians with disability: the federal Disability Tax

Faith and Free Thought

 It’s an issue that has been understandably drenched in emotionalism and hyperbole for years, but at long last there is some genuine movement. I refer to what is variously called euthanasia, assisted suicide or even compassionate homicide. For a nation as progressive and authentically liberal as Canada our previous lack

A Less-Than Silent Epidemic

 Photo by MCPL Robert Bottrill. Tinnitus is a word you may not know, but it describes something you’ve probably felt. It’s that ringing in your ears, the one that bubbles to the surface when you’re lying in your quiet room after a rock concert or a baseball game where the

Three Things the Federal Government Can Do to Improve the Registered Disability Savings Plan

 Many of us in the disability community were pleasantly surprised when the Liberal party promised to create a National Disabilities Act that would safeguard disability rights, reduce systemic barriers and establish a foundation of opportunity for those affected by disability.  Canada is an outlier among developed nations for not having

Canada’s Euthanasia Legislation: From the Perspective of Canadians with Disabilities

 By Peter McGrath. On Feb. 6, 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down Canada’s assisted suicide law, opening the door to physician-assisted suicide. This is an incredibly complex topic, one fraught with moral and ethical issues. Peter McGrath, a Counsel in the Department of Justice, gives his opinion from

Be Spellbound with the Magic of the Arthritis Society

 Do you believe in magic? The Arthritis Society is hosting an evening of wonder and awe at the National Gallery of Canada with Spellbound, in support of childhood arthritis. On Thursday, March 12, the National Gallery’s Water Court will be magically transformed into a spellbinding street fair. Featuring the entertaining

Strength In a Child’s Voice: On Parenting a Child with Autism

 It was an ordinary summer day. People were milling on the main thoroughfare, bikes zig-zagging through traffic, cafés and pubs spilling onto the sidewalk, patrons sipping their way through a lazy Friday afternoon. We were ordinary that day too. Just another family, managing the hectic jumble of kids’ lessons, bills,