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Abilities magazine articles
All articles are available below. You can narrow your focus to Canada or to a smaller region by using the drop-down menus, above.
Transportation
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A Report Card
Accessibility in Canadian Air Travel -
Canadian airports and flights can be confusing and frustrating. Long line-ups, muffled public announcements, luggage dragged to check-in points and delayed flights happen daily in all major airports. ...
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Access Guide Canada
Your Key to Accessible Transportation -
Access Guide Canada can make it easier for you to find accessible transportation options to get where you need to ...
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Accessible Transportation and You
The Questions Get Answered -
Q. What does the Canadian Transportation Agency do? A.The Canadian Transportation Agency operates the Accessible Transportation Program. The Agency is a quasi-judicial body consisting of up to ...
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Accessible Transportation Directorate
Removing Barriers to Transportation -
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) is a quasi-judicial tribunal which acts to achieve accessible transportation, offering help to both the transportation industry and travellers with ...
- Airbag Warnings
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Although Transport Canada has issued a few recommendations about airbags, such as advising children under 12 to sit in the back seat, it has not provided warnings to people with brittle ...
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All Aboard... Except People with Disabilities
An Overview of Transportation in Canada -
Refused trips. Broken promises. Health risks. Damaged equipment. Safety concerns. Inaccessible information. These are some of the discriminatory situations that confront travellers with ...
- All Aboard?
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What’s happening to equal access for travellers with disabilities in Canada? VIA Rail appears to have taken a giant step backward by purchasing 139 European railway cars that are inaccessible to ...
- B.C. Transit Skytrain
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John Gardner of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, has been forbidden from using the escalators at B.C. Transit’s Grandville Skytrain Station, in the heart of downtown Vancouver. John uses a manual ...
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Bringing Down Barriers
Improving Communication Access for Travellers with Disabilities -
This June, the Canadian Transportation Agency released two innovative products for air, rail and ferry terminal operators and carriers designed to improve access to information for persons with ...
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Buses
To Lift...Or Not To Lift? -
Intercity buses: Should they be equipped with lifts to accommodate passengers who use wheelchairs? Or should terminals be equipped with station-based lifts? What body -- the National Transportation ...
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Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
On Accessible Transportation -
Occupational therapy is based on the belief that individuals express themselves and find meaning in their lives by engaging independently in activities and occupations. However, without easily ...
- Closing the Accessibility Gap
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Accessible transportation in Canada has come a long way over the years. Now it’s moving into its most exciting and rewarding phase -- implementation. The goal of Transport Canada’s ...
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Dogs of the World (and Us) Meet in Switzerland
An International Conference Brings the Author to a Beautiful Corner of the World -
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would find myself standing in the Swiss Alps gazing over some of the most spectacular scenery I had ever laid eyes on. I wasn’t sure whether I ...
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Erosion of Access
CCD Takes a Stand on Transportation in Canada -
In January 2005, the following letter was submitted to Hon. Jean Lapierre, Minister of Transport, by the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD). Mr. Minister: At your Advisory Committee ...
- Federal Court of Appeal grants VIA Rail's appeal
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In March 2005, the Federal Court of Appeal granted VIA Rail’s appeal of the Canadian Transportation Agency's decision that ordered VIA to modify its recently purchased, inaccessible passenger ...
- Flying High
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Air travel has become more accessible to persons with disabilities, thanks to the commitment of the federal government, the transportation industry and advocacy groups. Their shared expertise and ...
- Flying with Power
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It’s not that hard to take your power wheelchair when you fly. Why get stuck with your manual chair for air travel? First, rent a gel battery and charger from your wheelchair repair centre. ...
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From Here to There
In Search of Accessible Transportation -
Following a diving accident in his home town of Port Sydney, Ontario, and subsequent quadriplegia, Arthur Mack decided to move to Toronto. Still, he likes to return home for family visits; for a ...
- Full Access Transit the Goal in T.O.
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People with disabilities and seniors will increasingly be able to move through Canada’s largest city -- using public transit. "Our goal is to serve all Metropolitan Toronto residents ...
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Getting Your Sea Legs
Live-Aboard Diving Boat Built to Be Accessible -
Scuba divers with disabilities have been visiting reefs for decades. But, until recently, getting to the water was sometimes harder than getting around in it. These days, though, it’s gotten a ...
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Go West!
By Train! -
After nearly five months of great anticipation and what I thought to be impeccable planning, October 20, 1994, was finally here. My aunt and I were about to embark on what I would call the ...
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Greater Mobility For Ontarians
The Home and Vehicle Modification Program -
Ontarians with physical disabilities are now able to call one toll-free number 1-877-369-HVMP (4867) to apply for up to $15,000 of assistance in making modifications to their home or vehicle. The ...
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Home and Vehicle Modification Program
Government Ups Funding to Expand Service -
The Home and Vehicle Modification Program, operated by Ontario March of Dimes, is about to become even more accessible for people with physical disabilities. The program – which provides up to ...
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In Transit
Public Transit Moves Toward Accessibility -
Across Canada, millions of people depend on public transportation to get to work or school every day. It’s an unremarkable routine for most, but when you have a disability, getting from A to B can be ...
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Intercity Bus Code
Something New for Travellers’ Tool Kits -
On October 1, 1998, the Intercity Bus Code of Practice officially came into force across Canada. In part, its advent represents a commitment by the bus industry, and years of perseverance and ...
- Just a Puff of Wind
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I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by... If you have ever heard that classic poem by John Masefield, then you ...
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Like Son, Like Mother?
Becoming a Biker Changed My Life! -
At 54, I discovered the joy of biking under very special circumstances. After coping with recurring neuro-muscular problems and the resulting inability to walk normally, I was very happy to resort to ...
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Meeting of the Minds
A Vehicle Conversion Gone Bad -
After the platform lift for a modified vehicle runs amok, a driver confronts the dealer for a repair. The warranty may cover new parts, but does it cover the doohickey that kept the thingamajig from ...
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Moving Backwards
National Transportation Access for People with Disabilities -
Accessibility standards are a thing of the past for Canada’s federal transport system. Voluntary codes of practice are the Canadian way. The result: travel ...
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New Accessibility Standards For Canadian Ferries
Code of Practice Launched -
On June 14, under clear blue skies, with 30-degree temperatures, more than 100 people gathered on an outdoor deck at the Marine Atlantic Ferry Terminal in North Sydney, Nova Scotia. The occasion was ...
- New Funding Program Helps First of Many
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Like most mothers, North Bay resident Lucette Selin would move mountains for her children. Her daughter Sherry was born with a disability, making it difficult for her to use the stairs in the ...
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On the Move
National Transportation Agency Air Travel Accessibility Regulations -
The National Transportation Agency of Canada is working to make it easier for persons with disabilities to travel in Canada. Under the "National Transportation Act, 1987," the agency has ...
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One Person/One Fare
What Ten Years of Talking Has Gotten Us -
The National Transportation Agency (NTA) is calling for consultation and input. The matter involves its Proposed Amendment to the Air Transportation Regulations Concerning Air Fare Charges for ...
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Out on the Water
Access to Kayaking -
"It’s glorious. You glide through the water, see birds and rock climbers. You’re just free, you’re out with nature." - Amy Doofenbaker, kayak enthusiast "I felt like a mermaid, I ...
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Parking Pains
Preserving Parking Spaces for Drivers with Disabilities -
Oh no! It’s happened again. You’ve just exited the shopping mall, laden with packages, tired from your bout of errand-chasing and ready to go home. You reach the parking lot and head for ...
- Police Unit Services Disability Community
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People with disabilities in Toronto, Ontario, have new reason for optimism as they deal with chronic abuse of designated disabled parking spaces. The Toronto Police Service has launched a new ...
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Safety in the Skies
Halfhearted Security Searches could be Risking Lives -
When you last travelled by air, how thorough was the security search you received at the airport? People with disabilities who use wheelchairs can show airport security personnel what they’re ...
- Shoddy Service from Via Rail
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John Benjamin of Ottawa, an avid traveller, was stopped in his tracks by the shoddy customer service he received from Via Rail last October. Benjamin, who is blind, was travelling by train to Quebec ...
- Simple Plan, Supermarkets and European Air Travel
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Music for teens with hearing disabilities, accessible supermarket flyers and new rights for European air ...
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Smooth Ride Guide
Paving the Way for Travellers with Disabilities -
The Canadian Transportation Agency recently launched a publication at the Vancouver International Airport that should alleviate much of the uncertainty and apprehension experienced by many persons ...
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Stopping Traffic
My Dream is a Double-Door Handi-Bus -
The Handi-Bus is immensely valuable in ensuring people with disabilities like me don’t grow roots into our couches. However, shortly after I started with the system, I discovered a small design ...
- Sunoco Policy
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Although the Canadian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms prohibits discrimination based on mental or physical disability, the reality as many of us know is that discrimination does continue to ...
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Take the High Road
How to Drive 1,800 Miles with Fibromyalgia -
For someone with fibromyalgia, a cross-country car trip can mean days of serious pain and fatigue. But this author found that with careful preparation and management know-how, she could not only plan ...
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The Air Out There
Surviving Heightened Airport Security -
With airport security tighter than ever, this traveller finds himself the recipient of rather thorough bodily searches – and his carry-on baggage, too, is the subject of intense scrutiny. Seems that ...
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The Bus Stops Here
An Innovative Solution for Transit Riders in Argentina -
Every day in Buenos Aires a busy crush of people flails arms to try to flag down public transit. In this chaos, a vision disability makes it almost impossible to find and board the right bus. But an ...
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The Inter-Provincial Bus Situation
Things are Moving, but Where? -
(One of Canada’s best-known disability organization founders and activists, Winnipeg’s Jim Derksen considers the implications of the recent inter-provincial busing recommendations of the ...
- These Wheels are Made for Hiking...and Hunting, and Fishing, and...
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Brad Parker uses eight wheels instead of two legs. The 28-year-old Noelville-area resident (southeast of Sudbury, Ontario) uses an Argo to get around his property, to go hunting, fishing or ...
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Transport Canada
Let’s Get Accessible Transportation Rolling! -
Making Canada’s transportation system accessible is everyone’s job. Now, transport operators and community groups across Canada can get help in creating transportation that is ...
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Travellers with Disabilities
Are Airlines and Airports Meeting Their Needs? -
Are Canadian airlines and airports giving the travelling public with disabilities the attention it deserves? The Canadian Transportation Agency will be conducting a "Taking Charge of Air ...
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Via Rail Breakthrough
Ruling Confirms that Train Cars Create Barriers for People with Disabilities -
In an unprecedented ruling, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) confirmed that VIA Rail’s Renaissance train cars do not meet the agency’s voluntary Rail Code and represent serious obstacles to ...
- Wheel-Trans Eligibility
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Sarah Son, a Toronto woman who has cerebral palsy, has seen first hand how the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) chooses who "rides the bus." Ms. Son is allowed Wheel-Trans service ...
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