Every Canadian Counts

Would you like to see a federal #disability plan that would provide paid #Caregiving, disability support based on need, be non means tested, would provide #disabilty equipment, would provide home and vehicle modifications, would be portable that allowed you to move across the country, be available from cradle to grave? This is possible through a publicly funded National Disability Insurance Plan #ndip for all those with long-term and chronic disabilities. Provinces and territories simply won’t get it done. We need one plan that cuts through the nightmarish bureaucracy between these silos. Join us at everycanadiancounts.com

All things to avoid in our own Made-In-Canada plan for a publicly funded national disability insurance plan. Bill Shorten

Australia led the world in creating a publicly funded National Disability Insurance Plan @NDIS . With Australia’s recent review it’s the perfect time to implement a made-in-Canada plan, to take the lesson learned and make ours the world leader in supporting those with long term and chronic #disabilities. Join us at everycanadiancounts.com to make this happen. For presentations or more information contact info@everycanadiancounts.com

The disability is not the fault of the person with disability. Therefore the cost of that disability should never be borne by the person with the disability, nor their families. This cost starts at birth and continues to the grave. The Canada Disability Benefit will do NOTHING to pay for the associated cost of the disability, and is only for the "working age". A Canada Disability Benefit on steroids would in fact be a National Disability Insurance Plan. A Caregiver Strategy, an Autism Strategy, a Canada Disability Benefit, A FASD Strategy, Universal Basic Income, etc, etc, etc are all part measures. So many individuals and organizations fighting for a piece of that proverbial pie, still leaving so many vulnerable individuals and families behind. It's long past time that we put all these battles together in one fight for ALL disabilities, families and supporters. For that we need a publicly funded National Disability Insurance Plan for all those with long-term and chronic disabilities. Providing support to persons with disability/disabled people based on need is an investment in people, not charity, that goes much further than legal and Human Rights discussions. It's simply The Right Thing To Do!! Join, lead, or follow us at everycanadiancounts.com

Thanks to award-winning journalist @RachelGilmore the Spotify platform has removed this racist, hateful residential school denialism rhetoric. The episode was full of tired racist claims about Indigenous peoples. Thank you Rachel for calling out racists, misogynists and far-right, white hate groups.

We are so pleased to welcome James Van Schaik to our volunteer team. James will be our expert advisor on all things Human Rights, political insight and other related matters. James completed his Honors degree in Human Rights, Social and Political Thought, and Political Science. Currently he is a MA Candidate at Western University at the Center for Theory and Criticism. His goal is to work in some capacity where he will continue exploration into human rights and contribute to the betterment of human rights within Canada and the world. James was the team lead on a collaborative project we did with Western University Community Engaged Learning course where an e-booklet was created that explains the dyer state of support services for disabilities and unpaid caregivers, and what can be done by way of a National Disability Insurance Plan to ratify this unconscionable and unjust state of affairs. Thank you James for work already completed, but mostly for work that is yet to be achieved.

Every Canadian Counts is pleased to announce Irene Cordero BS, MA, MC, RCC as a new Member of the Board. Irene is the founder and CEO of Brave Sinergy. She is an entrepreneur, international speaker, disability justice activist, and clinical Counsellor. Irene is a person with a disability (Hard of hearing, deaf), an immigrant who holds Canadian and Costa Rican citizenship. She studied psychology 28 years ago, has a master's degree in clinical group psychology, and recently obtained a master's in counselling through the City University of Seattle in Canada. She worked for 20 years as a human resource management professional in multinational companies. Today, she supports vulnerable populations in British Columbia, Canada. Irene believes in creating a more accessible and inclusive world for all people, especially for individuals with disabilities and within minority groups. In her work, she focuses on finding individuals' strengths and superpowers. Also, through her speaking engagements and training, she shares knowledge about mental well-being, disability identity, accessibility, inclusion, etc. Her work is based on anti-ableism and anti-racist approaches that put the person at the center and consider the individual as a whole and interdependent.  We look forward to Irene's contribution in helping to advance our efforts for a National Disability Insurance Plan in Canada.  

New Board Member Update. ECC is thrilled to welcome our newest board member - Deidre Guy Deidre has chosen managerial and entrepreneurial roles throughout her life, the most rewarding in the world of disability and accessibility. Having lived experience with disabilities, she is motivated by a desire to make real change in the lives of disabled Canadians. Her passion for removing barriers to success for others with disabilities is clear to anyone she meets. Deidre is the Co-Founder of the Inclusive Workplace and Supply Council of Canada (IWSCC) – a not-for-profit organization that works in support of Veteran and disabled-owned Canadian businesses. Always seeking opportunities for collaboration and expansion, Deidre engaged regularly with governments, corporate Canada, diverse business owners and partner organizations in the disability and Veteran spaces. Part of Deidre’s work was running the organization’s research efforts. Through community- informed studies like the foundational Project VENT, Invisible Disabilities in the Workplace, or the extensive Accessible Procurement study, Deidre is a leader in inclusive business practices targeting Veterans and the disabled. No longer with the IWSCC, Deidre has certainly not lost her passion for helping others and has begun work with Every Canadian Counts and CJ’s Skate Park. Deidre develops community awareness and education through government advocacy, public speaking and connecting like-minded people. Deidre sat on the Governing Council of the Canadian Accessibility Network (CAN) for its first 5 years. Deidre currently represents Every Canadian Counts at CAN. On behalf of Every Canadian Counts, we are so very pleased to welcome Deidre to our board. Deidre Guy

The term “Nothing About Us Without us” has lost its initial relevance. This is mainly due to missed opportunities and broken promises by those in power that could so easily right this wrong. This continues to plague not only those with disabilities, but also their families, friends and supporters. The struggle for survival and the inability to acquire needed services, at its minimum is neglectful, discriminatory and ablelistic, but at its maximum is outright illegal as per Human Rights and in contravention to Canada’s obligation as signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The “Nothing About Us Without Us” can only be acquired through the creation of a publicly funded national disability insurance plan. Australia has put such a plan in place. We can learn from the positive and negative parts of that plan and produce our own made in Canada plan. Join us in ending the patchwork, half measures and bandaid solutions, and bring hope back into the current broken and cringing term of Nothing About Us Without Us. everycanadiancounts.com info@everycanadiancounts.com Let’s do this.