My Public Comment
As an Ontarian descended from Loyalists of 1784, I strongly favour Canadian solutions. My experience as a deaf person over the past ten years has led me extremely reluctantly toward abandoning some of the Canadian-centric concepts I held dear. I believed that the Human Rights Code was not only effective but more versatile than the simplistic regulatory approaches adopted in the United States. I believed that Canadians really wanted to do the right thing and merely needed to be prompted by a request.
My reason for submitting my comment is that my achievements make me liable to be considered proof of the success of voluntary measures and show what people with disabilities ostensibly already can do, and I want to be clear about my experiences and my views about the costs.
About ten years ago, I realized that my hearing loss had become enough of a barrier to prevent me from doing most of my communication the "normal way". Until then, I had been able to pass for hearing despite my hearing loss. At the time, I was the Vice President—Hospital Services at Centenary Hospital (now Centenary Health Centre of the Rouge Valley Health System). Because of my position, I enjoyed the opportunity, essentially, to create a barrier-free environment for myself. Because I was able to make modifications and continue fulfilling my role, I believed that I proved both that deaf people could do anything, even very responsible things, and that the system could adapt to—and accept—us.
My request to address the public consultation panel was declined, causing me to wonder what is the use of my Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship. I wonder why paternalistic, patronizing "service" agency monopolies are invited to speak for us instead of distinguished members of the community. Testimony from "service" agencies must be viewed as self-serving, since their own ends are furthered by the assertion that the solution to the problem is merely more money to support their activities. In reality, many of their services would not be needed if the mainstream of Ontario business, government, health, education, and transportation were accessible—and accountable for access. As many disabled people can attest, service agencies spend as much time counselling people with disabilities how to have ‘reasonable’ and ‘realistic’ expectations. Too often, all we expect is access. "It’s an unkind world," they say, "and you have to learn how to get along". They counsel us that you catch more flies with honey. Frankly, life is too short to hunt flies.
