Happenings
CAA Conference in Photos
Outgoing Board of Directors Gurjit Singh, and President Salima Jiwani.
Steve Aiken Past Board Member, Melissa Polonenko Presidents Award Winner, and Marshal Chasin Clinical Grant Winner!
Student Volunteers, and incoming President Elect Sarah Mason
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2019 Conference and Exhibition
Sun Oct 27 - Wed Oct 30, 2019
Marriott Harbourfront, Halifax, N.S.
Accessible Canada Act
The Accessible Canada Act (currently called Bill C-81) is a proposal to make federal government services and entities accessible to all people with disabilities. This includes employment, buildings and public spaces, information and communication, purchase of goods and services, delivery of programs and services to the public.
The bill has passed first and second readings in the House of Commons, and on Sept 26, 2018, it was assigned to a committee for more detailed study.
For a plain language version of the draft bill and the journey it will take towards becoming law, please go to https://www.include-me.ca/federal-accessibility-legislation-alliance/resource/falas-plain-language-explanation-proposed
This is important legislation for people with speech, language and communication disabilities because they can experience significant barriers to all goods and services. It is an opportunity to define what communication accessibility means beyond respectful attitudes, alternate formats and accessible websites. If successful, we can raise the bar for communication accessibility in provinces and territories across Canada.
Communication Disabilities Access Canada (CDAC) is one of a number of non-profit, disability organizations that has been asked to provide input to the federal government on ways to include the accessibility needs of people who have speech, language and communication disabilities. To date, we have produced the following documents:
- Communication Access Public Consulation Report
- Recommendations on how to strengthen Bill C-81 for people with communication disabilities
- Expectations for how Bill C-81 will provide access to services for people with speech, language and communication disabilities
CDAC continues to provide input directly to the government on Bill C-81, update our partner organizations, which includes OSLA and we play a leadership role on the federal accessibility alliance.
At this time we encourage you to share our recommendations and expectations with your clients, family members, MPs and Senators and ask them to support Bill C-81 and include the needs of people with communication disabilities.
Stay updated on Bill C-81 and CDAC’s involvement by following us on our Facebook page and Twitter and checking our website at http://www.cdacanada.com/projects/federal-accessibility-legislation/
Submitted on Sept 27, 2018 by:
Barbara Collier,
Reg. CASLPO, F. ISAAC
Executive Director
Communication Disabilities Access Canada
www.cdacanada.com
admin@cdacanada.com
In Memoriam: Gerald Studebaker, PhD
September 28, 2018
Gerald Arthur Studebaker, age 86, died in Memphis, Tennessee, on September 2, 2018. “Jerry” was born July 22, 1932, in Freeport, Illinois. He graduated from Freeport High School and then attended Illinois State Normal University where he received his bachelor’s degree in education of the deaf in 1955. He then attended graduate school at Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, where he received his master’s degree in 1956 and his PhD in 1960, both in audiology.
After two years with the Veterans Administration in Washington, DC, he embarked on an academic career, which was to span more than 40 years. It started at the University of Oklahoma where he was appointed assistant professor in 1962. In 1972 he was appointed professor at Memphis State University (MSU). He moved to the City University of New York in 1976 and the returned to MSU in 1979 where he continued his career as researcher and graduate school teacher until his retirement in 2005. During his 43-year academic career, Dr. Studebaker taught a variety of courses mainly concerning the foundations of audiology, psychoacoustics, and hearing research methods.
His research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for more than 25 years. He was awarded a seven-year Jacob K. Javits Neuroscience Investigator award by the NIH in 1984. He received two Distinguished Research awards and at least 10 other awards recognizing his research from The University of Memphis. He received a Research Career award from the American Academy of Audiology in 1997. He was elected Fellow by the American-Speech-Language and Hearing Association in 1969, by the Acoustical Society of America in 1990, and by the American Academy of Audiology in 1990. He was author or coauthor of more than 200 published and unpublished scientific and professional papers and book chapters.
The Academy and our affiliated organizations are honored to recognize Dr. Studebaker and his accomplishments. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Canadian Adoption of ISO 45001 Available for Public Review
CSA Group is pleased to announce the completion of the draft Canadian adoption of ISO 45001, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems – Requirements with Guidance for Use. To be designated “CAN/CSA Z45001”, this new draft document is now available for public review.
While all of the requirements in the recently-published ISO 45001 Standard were determined to be acceptable for application in Canada, our Technical Committee concluded that a few enhancements will be necessary in order to align the ISO 45001 requirements with existing Canadian standards. These enhancements (identified as “deviations”) represent criteria and guidance material in addition to those of ISO 45001. They are designed to facilitate the use of ISO 45001 in a Canadian context and in harmony with Canadian OHS regulations and standards.
We invite you and your organization to view the draft document on our Standards Review site: https://publicreview.csa.ca/
The automated review system for CSA standards allows you to provide comment on each section of the draft Standard. These comments will be forwarded to CSA staff and collected for consideration by CSA’s Technical Committee on OHS Management Standards. Your input to this important standards development project would be most appreciated.
Note: The public review period for CAN/CSA Z45001 will close on January 4, 2019. All comments should be submitted to CSA Group by that date.
Dave Shanahan,
WPS Standards Project Manager
dave.shanahan@csagroup.org
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