I really do not mean to sound like a broken record but each and every time I see evidence of this shameful action on the part of those entities, organizations, and provincial and federal departments, I will find a way to speak up and to speak out and I will strongly encourage others to do the same.
Yes; this continues to be a chronic and acute challenge for persons with disabilities and it all has to do with those big bad entities who can definitely afford to pay for our knowledge and expertise but yet they choose to practically convince and even strong arm us into giving of our very unique and specialized knowledge and skills voluntarily.
Shame on you! You have the money to pay us! You have very deep financial pockets but yet you continue to guilt us into providing our knowledge and skills for practically nothing.
You take advantage of those who are so vulnerable by offering them such things as coffee coupons to Tim Horton’s in return for their time. You somehow manage to convince them that you just do not have the budget to pay them but that’s okay; you will ensure that their names appear on your websites, positional papers, and so on. What a sad and scandalous insult! What a very sick joke!
You somehow convince us that it is our duty to be part of your committees dealing with issues on disability and accessibility and you have no scruples when we give hours and hours of our time and expertise in return for what? Nothing but a hollow thank you healthily sprinkled with compliments that are too often void of honesty!
Shame on you! It is so hard to understand this picture but wait! I will end by respectfully submitting that this is what most of society thinks of those of us with a disability! It does not matter how much specialized expertise and knowledge we possess! It does not matter how much time we give to those asking, it all comes down to us not being respected for who we are and what we can offer. It does not matter that these entities continue to rob us of our livelihoods! For this is how so many of us seek to make an honest living; through our unique and specialized knowledge and expertise.
No wonder that the poor old world continues to struggle to find such qualities as honesty, respect, and true values. In short, you only seek our knowledge and expertise whenever you are either forced to by legislation or by a higher authority!
Time for you to gracefully admit that your words of wanting to do the right thing are nothing but fluff and untruths!
I’ll complete this picture by saying that there continues to be a chronic syndrome of so many governments past and present that continue to blatantly disrespect Canadians with disabilities and evidence of this is right now during this horrific pandemic. For those of you who are unaware: Just imagine this! Some Canadians with disabilities received a one time payment of either $300 or $600 based on whether or not they were registered to receive a disability allowance exemption. However, so many others received subsidies which were more than this over a period of months!
Maybe the Federal Government may have forgotten to recognize that many Canadians with disabilities have had to incur unexpected and horrific expenses in order to meet their daily and weekly needs; having to pay for assistance to carry out such tasks as grocery shopping, drives to medical appointments, and so on.
Shame on this Government! And to rub salt in the wound it took months for a bill to be passed in order for this subsidy to be administered and why! Because Parliamentarians in the House of Commons preferred to use this piece of legislation as a hockey puck while they postured and jockeyed for political purposes! Not a very happy moment in Canadian history but then maybe this Government does not really care despite having passed an accessible Canada Act!
Just my two cents for today.