Our outreach work
To achieve a greater degree of integration into society, those with vision loss need the confidence to advocate on behalf of themselves and, by extension, on behalf of all those who live with a visual disability. Confidence is what enables us to act as ambassadors for the vision-loss community to the broader sighted community. By reaching out and educating the general public about living with a disability, we can work together to identify and remove barriers, and make our society more inclusive.
WCW Experience Expo
Our major outreach initiative is the White Cane Week Experience Expo, a public-awareness event and exposition of the supports and services available to those living with vision loss in Toronto.
Trade shows, conferences and speaking engagements
Members of the CCB Toronto Visionaries regularly participate in public-speaking opportunities, trade shows and conferences as ambassadors and advocates for the blind community. We have exhibited at:
- The People in Motion show
- CNIB's Braille+ technology conference
- Foundation Fighting Blindness' Vision Quest conference
- Balance for Blind Adults' community information fair
- Individual speaking engagements to seniors' groups, Lions Clubs, and other community groups and organizations
Advocacy
Through our many activities and outings, we engage the people, businesses and institutions in Toronto in a conversation about integrating those with vision-loss into the daily fabric of society.
We have partnered with other blindness-related organizations on a variety of advocacy issues. With the CNIB, we've worked to advocate for more inclusive, accessible Federal and Provincial elections and to update the Adaptive Devices Program (ADP) funding for new adaptive technologies. With the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC), we've co-sponsored workshops for people with disabilities to self-advocate for equitable access to employment and have supported the "Sidewalks for All" campaign.
Our school outreach program
We promote greater understanding through a school outreach program, in which member-volunteers speak to students in schools right across the GTA about what it means to live with a disability. Please contact us for more information on how the CCB Toronto Visionaries can help your students or community group learn about living with a disability.