My 2023 crystal ball
I truly believe that on the whole, my family and friends would agree with me that I am normally a very positive person. I look at the cup as half full rather than being empty and I always do my best to find work arounds in order to spawn solutions.
For 2023 however, and as I sit here writing this editorial, I am finding it really difficult to find that illusive silver lining in those dark gathering clouds but I am going to do my best to discover that silver lining.
I believe that the forecast for Canadians with disabilities in their continuing struggles to break down those persistent barriers both artificial and real will continue not for this year alone but for the foreseeable future. However, in my respectful view, there are probably 3 distinct paths facing our community.
These 3 paths remind me much of what is presently facing citizens of a specific little Island Nation in the Caribbean and here they are.
First; Canadians with disabilities could continue to ignore the barriers that continue to face them and this may be especially so for those who feel that they would rather retreat than fight because of their attitude that they are probably too old to fight and they would prefer to spend their remaining years on earth enjoying the hard earned fruits of their lives.
Second; there are those who would prefer to simply walk away and start new lives and paths for themselves using work arounds to help them overcome the so-called barriers.
Third; then we have those who would prefer to stand and fight not just for themselves but most importantly for the future of our kids. To do their best to protect their legitimate rites, and to have others recognize them.
So where do I personally stand in the midst of all of this? I continue to choose the third option but with a bit of a twist. I will continue to use work arounds to obtain and achieve my objectives but there will be times when I will choose to walk away and rethink my strategy.
For whereas I saw some progress re certain Federal Government departments going out of their way to work with Canadians with disabilities to improve accessibility and inclusivity and to recognize our unique expertise and skills, there are still certain Federal Government departments that deliberately continue to use heavy handedness to flout our efforts. They continue to be disrespectful, condescending, and downright insulting and my crystal ball tells me that this will not change unless our Federal Government shows more purposeful leadership to walk their talk. In short, they need to provide the relevant departments with more teeth through the provision of powerful resources to fix these gaping holes.
These holes will not go away unless there is more committed and meaningful engagement and communication between all stakeholders. And no amount of work arounds will be able to fix this. Just think about it like this! The ship is riddled with so many leaks that continue to expand because there are not enough committed craftsmen to plug the holes.
Just my two cents for today.
Image = Photo of a road at the end of which is a sunrise. Marked on the road is an arrow pointing to the sunrise with the year 2022 on either side of it.
To learn more about me as an award winning sight loss coach and advocate visit www.donnajodhan.com
