Council of Canadians with Disabilities is founded

1976. The Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) (formerly the Coalition of Provincial Organizations of the Handicapped) is founded by people with disabilities. The goal of the organization is to promote accessibility and inclusion in society of individuals with disabilities, including opportunities to attend school, to work, volunteer, participate in social activities such as sports and cultural traditions, and to have a family (CCD, 2013).

The CCD formed at a time when there were social shifts in how disability was perceived. Traditional approaches to disability had not significantly improved the lives of disabled people (CCD, 2013), and the CCD exists to help remove barriers that disabled people might encounter (CCD, 2013), including segregation.

CCD volunteers have achieved a number of goals, including having people of disabilities included in the Equality Rights Section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the creation of more accessible federal transportation, increased knowledge and public awareness of disability, accessible banking, etc. (CCD, 2013). They also continue to engage in public debates about eugenic issues, such as immigration restrictions (CCD, 2011), or the decriminalization of assisted suicide (Wiebe et al, 2010).

-Colette Leung and Erna Kurbegovic

Council of Canadians with Disabilities is founded

1976. The Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) (formerly the Coalition of Provincial Organizations of the Handicapped) is founded by people with disabilities. The goal of the organization is to promote accessibility and inclusion in society of individuals with disabilities, including opportunities to attend school, to work, volunteer, participate in social activities such as sports and cultural traditions, and to have a family (CCD, 2013).

The CCD formed at a time when there were social shifts in how disability was perceived. Traditional approaches to disability had not significantly improved the lives of disabled people (CCD, 2013), and the CCD exists to help remove barriers that disabled people might encounter (CCD, 2013), including segregation.

CCD volunteers have achieved a number of goals, including having people of disabilities included in the Equality Rights Section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the creation of more accessible federal transportation, increased knowledge and public awareness of disability, accessible banking, etc. (CCD, 2013). They also continue to engage in public debates about eugenic issues, such as immigration restrictions (CCD, 2011), or the decriminalization of assisted suicide (Wiebe et al, 2010).

-Colette Leung and Erna Kurbegovic