Celebrating Access Awareness Week
Throughout the last week of May each year Nova Scotians celebrate Access Awareness Week (AAW). This year’s provincial theme "Our Voices, Our Votes: Disability Rights in Action" reminds us that change is driven by necessity, passion, and perseverance.
For 39 years the goal of AAW Nova scotia has been driven by a single goal - to change the narrative for persons with disabilities by doing our part in raising awareness and taking action on disability issues. The events and initiatives held during this week are informed by first voice to ensure inclusion and accessibility for everyone.
Nova Scotia was the first province in Canada to champion Access Awareness Week as an extension of Rick Hansen’s 1987 Man in Motion World Tour. During this initiative Rick and his team wheeled through 34 countries raising awareness about the potential of people with disabilities and the possibility of creating accessible and inclusive communities.
When barriers to inclusion are removed and people have all they require to live fully productive lives they thrive; and, when a system of legal protections such as ours in Nova Scotia works well it should result in positive change. In recent years there have been several examples of individuals with disabilities challenging the status quo and removing barriers to inclusion.
Gus Reed, Ben Marston, Paul Vienneau, Jeremy MacDonald and Kelly McKenna challenged the inaccessibility of restaurant washrooms, and the result is the ongoing removal of barriers for people using wheelchairs to something so many take for granted.
Gerry Post, Linda Campbell, Sheila Wildeman and other members of the Bill 59 Community Alliance coordinated, advocated and lobbied government to enact the province’s Accessibility Act in 2017 – the third in Canada at the time - resulting in our province’s commitment to enacting standards to remove barriers for Nova Scotians with disabilities in education, employment, the built environment and other areas.
Beth MacLean, Sheila Livingstone, Joseph Delaney and the Disability Rights Coalition of Nova Scotia challenged the institutionalization of persons with disabilities and now our province is in the midst of a fundamental transformation that will impact the lives of present and future generations.
The voices of these individuals made a difference – and their voices were amplified, raising awareness throughout the province and the country of the rights of persons with disabilities.
The Accessibility Act, the Human Rights Act, and the transformation of the Disability Support Program - these are outcomes that Nova Scotians fought for and are leveraging to advance social change for the betterment of all people.
But change takes time, commitment, and tireless, hard, thankless work.
The Nova Scotia Human Rights Act was passed in 1963 as a result of the leadership of the African Nova Scotian community seeking fairness and equity and an end to discrimination. Here we are 62 years later and we’re still in business – embarking on our own modernization process. Because discrimination persists.
Barriers still exist and Nova Scotians must continue to push to see themselves represented in all aspects of society – to ensure their voices continue to inform positive change.
The Human Rights Commission is committed to advancing inclusion for persons with disabilities. We will continue to engage in meaningful partnerships to highlight the role human rights can play in opening doors and removing barriers for all people.
I encourage Nova Scotians to take advantage of opportunities throughout Access Awareness Week to learn more about barriers to inclusion and ways that you can get involved and show your support, ensuring all people can live a full, dignified life.
The preceding is a statement from Joseph Fraser, Director & CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.