{"id":4099,"date":"2016-11-02T11:09:25","date_gmt":"2016-11-02T15:09:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=4099"},"modified":"2025-10-10T10:37:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T14:37:36","slug":"justin-trudeau-youth-accessibility","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/justin-trudeau-youth-accessibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Justin Trudeau Engages Youth Accessibility Forum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Justin Trudeau Engages Youth Accessibility Forum\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

The federal government has a responsibility to ensure that all Canadians have an opportunity to contribute to society and achieve their full potential, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at Carleton University on Tuesday, Nov. 1, where he addressed and took questions from delegates at a national youth consultation that will inform the development of the country\u2019s new accessibility legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll too often there are real barriers,\u201d said Trudeau. \u201cThese barriers need to be seen, understood, addressed and reduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need people to dream about a better world. How this government responds to your views about what\u2019s important \u2014 not just over the next couple years, or the next election cycle, but for the next decade and generation \u2014 will help us remain focused on what really matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day-long National Youth Forum in the Residence Commons Building\u2019s Fenn Lounge was hosted by the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Canada\u2019s minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities. It\u2019s part of a series of consultations the government is holding between July 2016 and February 2017 with youth with disabilities and youth who have life experience, work experience or academic experience related to disability.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Justin Trudeau: New accessibility legislation to promote equality of opportunity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The government is \u201ccommitted to developing new planned accessibility legislation to promote equality of opportunity and increase the inclusion and participation of Canadians who have disabilities or functional limitations.\u201d The legislation could address issues such as the built environment, program and service delivery, employment and transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Approximately 120 delegates and 60 or so support workers travelled from across the country to attend the forum, which was a natural fit for Carleton, long considered to be the most accessible university in the country, and possibly the world, for students with physical and mental disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not here by chance \u2014 it\u2019s here because Carleton is a leader in accessibility,\u201d said Dean Mellway, acting director of Carleton\u2019s READ (Research, Education, Accessibility and Design)<\/a> Initiative which fosters disability research and brings together faculty and staff from all disciplines to work collaboratively on solutions to accessibility issues.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Carleton leads in accessibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

READ is administered by Carleton\u2019s Paul Menton Centre (PMC) for Students with Disabilities, which has been co-ordinating disability services at the university since the centre opened in 1990. PMC provides services to students with learning disabilities, mental health disabilities, mobility impairments, vision and hearing impairments, and other conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting that the government has chosen to consult with citizens rather than just work on the new legislation,\u201d said Mellway. \u201cIt\u2019s especially exciting that they\u2019re inviting young people to contribute. We know from our experience working with students that they have so much talent and so many ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Nathan Bragg, a fifth-year Journalism and Communication student at Carleton, attended the forum as a delegate.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cAs a young Canadian with a disability, I am very interested is what the new legislation can do to improve accessibility,\u201d he said. \u201cYoung people need to be involved in this conversation, because many of us are just about to enter the workforce. Access to employment, education and training is very important to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bragg, who has had cerebral palsy since birth and is in a wheelchair, said that based on his experience, the Carleton campus is indeed very accessible. \u201cBut just because it\u2019s the best,\u201d he said, \u201cit doesn\u2019t mean it can\u2019t be better. No facility is going to be perfect, so the services and resources that are available are also important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trudeau was greeted at the entrance to the Residence Commons Building by Carleton President Roseann O\u2019Reilly Runte, Vice-President (Students and Enrolment) Suzanne Blanchard and other university officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After walking through a throng of cheering students snapping photos, he sat in a front row in Fenn Lounge and watched a breakdancing performance by Luca \u201cLazylegz\u201d Patuelli<\/a>, whose unique style incorporates both the use of crutches and extreme upper body strength.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Turning ideas into action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After Trudeau\u2019s speech, he took a dozen or so questions from the floor, addressing topics ranging from the need for the federal government to work with the provinces on accessibility issues to roles for people with disabilities in a more digital military and the importance of ensuring that the ideas raised at this forum will not be lost.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cThis consultation is about very concretely leading to an important piece of action,\u201d said Trudeau. \u201cA government does well when it pays attention to the people it serves.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cYou will not get a more creative, innovative group than people with disabilities,\u201d said Qualtrough, who has been visually impaired since birth. \u201cWe\u2019ve had to innovate all our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quayce Thomas \u2014 a Carleton Architecture student who won the top prize at the Council of Ontario Universities\u2019 annual Innovative Designs for Accessibility (IDeA)<\/a> competition for his \u201caccountability network\u201d software program for people with mental illness \u2014 said the prime minister\u2019s presence at the event will amplify the awareness it raises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over his six years at the university, Thomas has seen the conversation about accessibility evolve from \u201cCarleton has some good programs and services\u201d to \u201cCarleton is a leader\u201d and now \u201cCarleton students are becoming leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a place where if you want to work hard and do something, you can,\u201d said Thomas, who volunteered at the event. \u201cThe prime minister is a young leader, and he\u2019s showing other young leaders how much is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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The federal government has a responsibility to ensure that all Canadians have an opportunity to contribute to society and achieve their full potential, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at Carleton University on Tuesday, Nov. 1, where he addressed and took questions from delegates at a national youth consultation that will inform the development of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[28,19],"cu_story_tag":[1930],"class_list":["post-4099","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","hentry","cu_story_type-community-partnerships","cu_story_type-technology-innovation","cu_story_tag-equity-diversity-and-inclusion"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":"blueprint"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/4099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/4099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98000,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/4099\/revisions\/98000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=4099"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=4099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}