2019-2020 Activity Report

The APHVO’s values:

The board of directors and the members of the Association des personnes handicapées visuelles de l’Outaouais would like to thank the Ministère du Travail de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale (MTESS) as well as the Secrétariat à l’action communautaire et aux initiatives sociales (SACAIS) for maintaining financial support during this difficult time of COVID-19. We are also grateful for the significant financial bonus from the annual subsidy given to the APHVO. Thanks to this upgrade, we moved into larger offices and can now hold many of our activities at the APHVO office.

Rest assured that the team is working diligently to spend this money in a responsible and sustainable manner while respecting the organization’s mission.

The team was proactive in developing a strategic plan, followed by a three-year action plan (see Appendix 1).

The APHVO’s Mission

To advocate for the rights of people with visual impairments in the Outaouais region.

Objectives of the organization:

• Break the isolation of our members.
• Promote the interests of our members.
• Promote their social integration.
• Support and develop our partnership with the Ville de Gatineau and other cities in the Outaouais.
• Support and develop our partnership with the CISSS de l’Outaouais, the rehabilitation centre.
• Create partnerships with private businesses and the community.
• Fight for better universal accessibility.
• Support adolescents and the group of parents of visually impaired children.

Break the isolation through the social component

Coffee meetings

The APHVO team holds social events more frequently. In addition, we have hired a person under contract to facilitate our coffee meetings. Since mid-October 2019, Ms. Justine d’Amour-Savoie has been leading this bimonthly activity.

The coffee meeting allows members to come together to discuss the challenges encountered, new technologies, the services offered by the visual impairment program of the CISSS de l’Outaouais’ rehabilitation centre, the RAMQ’s decree, and many other subjects.

The APHVO takes a technological turn!

The APHVO team is now acquiring fully accessible technologies. The goal is for our members, community stakeholders and the public to be informed of our projects. This will allow us, among others, to improve the organization’s visibility. People will be able to view or hear the videos that were produced by the APHVO team and its various partners.

Annual barbecue held on Saturday, June 15, 2019

Despite the bad weather, our association’s members braved the conditions to participate. This event took place at the Centre communautaire Laurent Groulx. About twenty people were present to celebrate for a few hours.

Holiday dinner held on Friday, December 13, 2019

This year at our new offices, we welcomed our members and their families for the holiday dinner. This evening is very important for members, as some do not have families. This activity helps to break the isolation and nurture ties between APHVO members. It’s also a time to celebrate and highlight our accomplishments. This is the third year that we have hired a storyteller and entertainer to host the evening.

Unfortunately, his performance did not meet our expectations. The members stepped up to the plate and managed to make our storyteller sing. A successful evening all in all!

Reading café

As we have the right to work, we also have the right to be informed …

Reading is a major challenge for people with visual impairments. We all know that reading is a tool that allows us to develop knowledge, nourish the brain, refine critical thinking on different subjects, learn, integrate, flourish, and open our eyes, if it may be so expressed, facing the world we live in. This is a major asset that too often escapes the clientele served by the APHVO.

Since the end of January 2020, APHVO has been holding its reading café which is open to all people with or without visual impairments, in order to promote social inclusion. Every Thursday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., our volunteer reader, Sylvie Tougas, reads novels, biographies, news, and general information texts.

Sports section – Tandem bike project with MOBI-O

As we have the right to work, seek out information, sport is also a necessary part of human activity. In this sense, physical activity helps maintain a healthy mind in a healthy body. In 2019, the APHVO joined forces with the family economy business MOBI-O.

A tandem bicycle sport activity will be the culmination of this project, which aims to break the isolation of members and promote healthy lifestyle habits while improving the APHVO’s visibility. Mr. Martin Lachance, former member of the board of directors and current member of the APHVO, took on this exciting tandem bike challenge with our new partner,

MOBI-O. This project will be in operation in 2021. The board of directors wishes to recognize Mr. Lachance’s dedication and interest in implementing this project.

Two surveys were carried out to develop this project. The first, created by the APHVO team, is circulating at the CISSS de l’Outaouais to spark the interest of the visually impaired program’s users. The second survey, created by MOBI-O, is circulating on Facebook to promote the APHVO, increase the organization’s visibility, and find volunteer drivers for next year.

Internal management

Composition of the board of directors

• Carole Giguère, president
• Mario Lajeunesse, vice president
• Manon Major, secretary-treasurer
• John Graham, administrator
• Martin Lachance, resigning administrator 01-2020

The APHVO will have three positions up for election at the 2020 annual general assembly:

• Two two-year terms;
• One one-year term.

Board meetings

• Thursday, April 18, 2019
• Thursday, May 16, 2019
• Thursday, June 20, 2019
• Wednesday, July 31, 2019
• Thursday, September 19, 2019
• Wednesday, October 16, 2019
• Wednesday, November 20, 2019
• Wednesday, December 11, 2019
• Wednesday, January 15, 2020
• Wednesday, February 19, 2020
• Monday, March 30, 2020 (by telephone due to COVID-19)

Employee:

Richard Lemieux, coordinator

The coordinator attends all board meetings and works in consultation with board members. He informs the administrators of the most pressing issues in relation to our mission. Thereafter, the team consults in a democratic and consensual manner for the best interests of the organization and its members.

Contract workers:

• Mélanie Fantuz, accounting clerk
• Justine d’Amour-Savoie, coffee meeting host

Community life

The APHVO is a member of important regional and provincial associations. Our association serves on various committees. Members of the APHVO regularly participate in the annual general assemblies of these groups to solidify the association’s decision-making power and to enable it to be proactive and more informed when it comes to change. The APHVO’s involvement is necessary for the visually impaired community. The association brings a constant and objective perspective on decisions made in the Outaouais region. In order to provide a better quality of life for its members and to better guide, support and inform them, our organization seeks out information transmitted to various levels: community, municipal and provincial. The APHVO participates in trainings, committees, and information meetings, always in line with its regional mission.

APHVO Annual General Assembly held on Thursday, June 6, 2019

More than twenty people attended our annual general assembly. Once again, the assembly was chaired by Ms. Nathalie Jetté, community organizer of the CISSS de l’Outaouais. This evening allows us to hear the voices of our members. Their concerns and their questions are at the heart of this assembly. Their support and applause for the achievements of the year 2018-2019 encourages the team to continue its good work. A very good meeting in the spirit of respect, democratic debate, and the pleasure of being together.

Here are some of the day’s hot topics:

• The dangers of a turning right on a red light (VDFR);
• Maintaining adequate paratransit service;
• Bill C-17.

Annual general meeting of the Regroupement des associations des personnes handicapées de l’Outaouais (RAPHO)

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Two APHVO representatives attended the RAPHO’s annual general meeting.

Symposium and annual general meeting of the Regroupement des aveugles et amblyopes du Québec (RAAQ)

Friday, September 6 and Saturday, September 7, 2019

Our team participated in the RAAQ symposium on Friday, September 6, 2019. It was a day filled with conferences, each as interesting as the last, as well as exchanges of ideas and relevant information in order to return to our organizations better equipped to advocate for the rights of our members. Professionals from the private sector and community stakeholders hosted this wonderful day.

Here are the conferences presented:

• Conference 1 — Presentation of the universal collection of the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ), presented by Mélanie Dumas, director of the universal collection at the BAnQ.
• Conference 2 — Discussion on the place that people with visual impairments have in the new urbanism.
• Guest speakers: Mr. Claude Guimond (general director of COPHAN), Mr. Antoine Perreault (general director of RAAQ), Mr. Olivier Collomb-d’Eyrames (general director of ROP 03), as well as Mr. Alex Champagne-Gélinas (doctoral student of the l’Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), urban studies).
• Conference 3 — The role of research in improving the social participation of people with visual impairments. This was led by Ms. Geneviève Lizé, Head of the Service de la recherche et de l’innovation and the Secteur adaptation de l’information en médias substituts (AIMS) at the INLB. Ms. Lizé was accompanied by Mr. Gilles Corbeil, community organizer of the Service de soutien à la communauté at the INLB.
• Conference 4 — The role of leisure in the social participation of people with visual impairments, moderated by Mr. Steve Joseph, head of the recreation department of the Fondation des aveugles du Québec (FAQ), Ms. Geneviève Genest of the Association québécoise des parents handicapés visuels (AQPEHV) and Ms. Nathalie Chartrand, executive director of the Association sportive des aveugles du Québec (ASAQ).
• Conference 5 — Take action for employment (Agir pour l’emploi) presented by Mr. Luc Labbé, general director of SEMO Horizon-Travail.
• Conference 6 — Web accessibility and artificial intelligence (Accessibilité du Web et intelligence artificielle). Guest speaker: Mr. Denis Boudreau, from the organization Deque Systems.

Panel – New technologies and social participation: what does the next five years have in store for us?

Panel participants: Mr. Stéphane Nadon (senior product strategy director at Videotron), Ms. Stéphanie Levasseur (senior digital accessibility advisor at Desjardins), Mr. Éric Houle (sales representative at Humanware) and Mr. Denis Boudreau (senior web accessibility consultant at Deque Systems)).

The APHVO team recognizes the exceptional work and logistics during this symposium. Creating an event without a hitch for people who are blind or visually impaired is an achievement. The team would also like to take the opportunity to thank the volunteers for this conference. They were amazing.

Congratulations to the RAAQ team! The APHVO is proud and privileged to be a member of a provincial group so dedicated to its mission!

On day 2, we attended the annual general meeting. Congratulations to Carole Giguère, president of the APHVO, who was elected for a second term on the RAAQ board of directors.

 

Note that the APHVO is represented on four committees of this provincial body:

1. Transportation and safe travel committee — Richard Lemieux represents the APHVO.
   Since the fall of 2019, we have been working on the development of a prioritization calculation grid for the installation of audio signals at intersections. This grid will be offered to the Ministère des Transports. We recommend that the audio signals be on 24/7. Certain regions of Quebec are still cut off from the sound signal during the night. This standardization must be effective by the end of 2021 at the latest.
2. Decent living conditions committee — Richard Lemieux also sits on this committee, which is, however, temporarily inactive.
3. Access to Information committee — Mario Lajeunesse represents the APHVO. The committee evaluated the accessibility of all websites in the healthcare network. This is only a small part of the work accomplished.
4. Rehabilitation committee – (continued in the section Quebec white cane week) — Carole Giguère, president of the APHVO, leads the rehabilitation committee.

Conference and annual general meeting of the Alliance des regroupements des usagers du transport adapté du Québec (ARUTAQ)

Wednesday, September 11 to Friday, September 13, 2019

Mario Lajeunesse, vice president of the APHVO, was present in Lévis to attend the ARUTAQ’s annual conference.

• Uniformity of paratransit service in all regions of Quebec;
• Presentation of our sticker on the dangers of turning right on a red light (VDFR).

It is imperative to maintain collaboration with the provincial group. The APHVO’s board members and coordination therefore sit on the following committees to be informed of developments and changes in paratransit at the Société de transport de l’Outaouais:

• Eligibility committee;
• Technical committee.

Public education and advocacy-awareness

My future is in my hands fair

This fair was organized by professionals from the CISSS de l’Outaouais on the transition of young people with disabilities to adulthood. Advertised on all social media platforms, it has been a huge success. It resulted in excellent collaboration between the health network, community, and the educational environment. About forty exhibitors and approximately 250 participants took part in this fair, which informs parents, young people and stakeholders about all the possibilities for the development of young people in all spheres of human activity.

Young adults with disabilities presented testimonials about the challenges and obstacles they face on a daily basis. The testimonials covered topics such as travel, education, employment and more. The list of kiosks and testimonials is also available in Braille.

Volunteer week

In April 2019, APHVO promoted the organization in the newspaper Le Droit. The objective is to emphasize the importance of getting involved as a volunteer for the visual impairment cause and the value that it brings.

See advertisement in Appendix 2.

Lunch in the dark (Dîner dans le noir) (May 31, 2019)

Richard Lemieux, accompanied by Mr. Guy Julien, orientation and mobility specialist from the CISSS de l’Outaouais, was invited to participate in the Lunch in the dark, which took place at the Centre d’éducation aux adultes de Maniwaki. This friendly event was organized by Mr. Joey Galipeau, an 18-year-old blind student. Joey asked us to educate his fellow students, teachers and school leaders. About forty people agreed to wear a blindfold to experience part of Joey’s daily life. Of course, we talked about the challenges and setbacks faced by people with visual impairments. Also included were testimonies, explanations concerning technical tools, the white cane as opposed to the guide dog, etc. Some participants made trips blindfolded with the white cane. In the end, it was an enjoyable experience that allowed us to educate Joey’s entourage.

Service de Police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG)

Police officers from the service de police de la Ville de Gatineau joined the APHVO team to film a promotional and awareness video. The filming was carried out by the Tarzan film company, on Tuesday, June 11, 2019, at three critical intersections in the Ville de Gatineau:

• Boulevard de l’Hôpital and Oasis;
• Boulevard Maloney and Alliance;
• Carrefour giratoire boulevard des Allumettières.

Police were blindfolded to cross intersections in complete darkness. They realized how vulnerable a visually impaired person is when they must approach an intersection. They understood why so many blind and partially sighted people isolate themselves for fear of heavy traffic. When we leave the house, we put ourselves in danger.

(Continued in the Dinner in the dark section)

Polyvalente Grande Rivière

November 28, 2019 and January 28, 2020

The Polyvalente Grande Rivière is a new ally. It is located in the Aylmer sector of the Ville of Gatineau. The APHVO team has been invited on two occasions to promote our organization and raise awareness among students in Secondary 1 to 5. We talk about the challenges and obstacles that people with visual impairments experience on a daily basis.

Cégep de l’Outaouais

In February 2020, we were invited on three occasions to present our organization’s mission to students in the Special Care Counselling program. As usual, we were accompanied by the specialist in orientation and mobility (SOM), Mr. Guy Julien.

Here are the challenges and issues that were addressed in our presentations:

• Testimonials (life path, profession, employability, social life, leisure and sport as well as technological tools);
• Circuit for blindfolded students (with a sighted guide and the second using a white cane);
• Advantages and disadvantages of the guide dog as opposed to the white cane;
• Explanation of the most common eye diseases;
• Blindness, low vision, and the challenges related to each case;
• Interaction and questions on the challenges and obstacles experienced daily by people with visual impairments.

Dinner in the dark (Souper dans le noir)

The APHVO team celebrated the tenth anniversary of its “Dinner in the dark” (Souper dans le noir) event on Sunday, October 27, 2019.  This event allows us to promote the organization while raising public awareness. This year, we exceeded our expectations: it was an enormous success. For a third consecutive year, Le Bistro 75 opened its doors to us. Our guests took part in this awareness-raising exercise in a festive atmosphere.

With great fanfare, the video filmed with the SPVG police entitled “Vulnerable pedestrians” (Les piétons vulnérables) was launched. The SPVG is an important ally for our cause. The sensitivity of the police was touching during filming. Since 2014, pedestrian deaths in Gatineau have concerned all vulnerable people. Our guests therefore watched the video at the end of the evening. The reception was positive, and we hope to have made the community aware of the dangers and challenges for a blind person crossing intersections.

Another cause is described video during prime time. On September 1, 2019, the CRTC introduced the standard that all broadcasters must offer described video during prime time. Unfortunately, in the Outaouais, the broadcaster RNC Média did not comply with this requirement. APHVO members rallied together to rectify the situation.

(Continued in the social mobilization section)

Ongoing project: 20/20 Kit (Trousse 20/20)

Services and benefits that foster the development of people with visual impairments

Too often, people who experience significant vision loss do not receive information about the services they could benefit from. This would allow them to have access to a range of resources promoting development and fulfillment towards greater autonomy.

To remedy these shortcomings, the Association des personnes handicapées visuelles de l’Outaouais (APHVO) will provide professionals and stakeholders in our region with an exhaustive information kit of local, regional, provincial and federal resources.

“We’ll see to it together” (« Ensemble, j’y voit »)

Will answer a multitude of questions related to visual impairment. Lack of information unfortunately contributes to isolation and hinders social integration.

APHVO sent a cover letter and a questionnaire (in Appendix 3) by email so that associations and organizations were included in the tools in this kit. We have requested everyone’s collaboration so that this reference tool is as complete as possible.

(Continued in next year’s report)

Representation before authorities, public decision-makers, and non-partisan political actions

The APHVO’s involvement is necessary for the visually impaired community. We participate in various committees to improve the quality of life of our members:

• RAAQ committees;
• User committee of the CISSS de l’Outaouais’ rehabilitation centre;
• Paratransit Technical Committee of the Société de transport de l’Outaouais;
• Paratransit Eligibility Committee of the Société de transports de l’Outaouais;
• Partnership with engineers from the Ville de Gatineau, the orientation and mobility specialist of the CISSS de l’Outaouais for the installation of audio signals.

Some challenges:

• snow removal from sidewalks and intersections;
• audio signals;
• the prioritization grid for sound signals;
• accessibility of information (website);
• safe transportation and travel;
• services offered by the visual impairment program of the CISSS de l’Outaouais’ rehabilitation centre

Quebec white cane week (La semaine québécoise de la canne blanche)

February 2 to 8, 2020

Representation and advocacy movement

The Quebec white cane week (semaine québécoise de la canne blanche) was initially created to educate and promote awareness of the obstacles experienced by people with visual impairments.

This is a provincial movement launched by the rehabilitation committee of the Regroupement des aveugles et amblyopes du Québec. The APHVO sent an electronic awareness letter to managers of the Centre Intégré de Santé et Service sociaux de l’Outaouais’ rehabilitation centre.

We benefit from this week to educate managers of the health and social services network. This letter expresses our concerns about the loss of expertise at the CISSS de l’Outaouais. Visual impairment specialists (SRDV) and guidance and mobility specialists (SOM) allocate visual aids to users in accordance with the visual aids decree. Since the 2015 reform, several changes have unfortunately been detrimental to their customers (letter in Appendix 3).

Our call was answered! On March 10, 2020, we met with two managers of the visual impairment program at the CISSS de l’Outaouais’ rehabilitation centre: Ms. Lacelle, director of the visual impairment program and clinical coordinator of the program, as well as Ms. Christine Poirier. Both managers have listened to our concerns about service cuts since 2015. They have assured us that they will be at our complete disposal and will work closely with the APHVO to improve the situation.

Teamwork begins!

Audio signals

The APHVO always works in partnership with the Ville de Gatineau’s road engineers. Three audio signals will be put into operation in 2020.

The Secrétariat à l’action communautaire et aux initiatives sociales (SACAIS)

Having access to information is our right. Too often, the documents we receive are inaccessible to us. The APHVO team thanks the SACAIS management for sending documents in an accessible format.

 

Social mobilization

Lack of described video service in the Outaouais

On September 1, 2019, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) introduced the standard that all broadcasters must offer described video during prime time. In the Outaouais, Société RNC Média does not comply with these requirements. This situation prompted us to mobilize our members to assert our rights.

The APHVO team therefore drafted a letter of complaint that was presented to the Dinner in the dark (Souper dans le noir) participants. The letter was signed by the evening’s guests and members of the APHVO. On October 28, 2019, we forwarded the letter to the CRTC. A few weeks later, the described video service was available during prime time on the Société RNC Média’s channels. Thank you to the CRTC for responding to our request (letter in Appendix 4).

Quebec Pension Plan

Penalty for workers aged 60 and over who benefit from the disability pension

In early February 2020, our members expressed their concerns about the Quebec Pension Plan. The QPP imposes a discriminatory penalty on disability pension recipients. It was following a report aired on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, on Radio-Canada’s La Facture program, that the APHVO once again reacted. Ms. Katherine Tremblay’s report highlights the disastrous and unfair consequences of this penalty.

Although the community of associations for people with visual impairments, the Office des personnes handicapées du Québec (OPHQ), and the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (CDPDJ) agree that this penalty is discriminatory and that the article of law in question must be repealed, it still remains in force.

This situation is unacceptable! A letter was sent to the Ministre des Finances du Quebec, Mr. Éric Girard, to remedy this situation.

Extract from the letter:

“This is why we are asking you to quickly repeal section 120.2 of the Act respecting the Quebec Pension Plan. Workers over 60 who are disabled and benefit from the disability pension should not be penalized.” (Letter in Appendix 5)

File to follow…

 

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The year 2019-2020 has been full of achievements and projects to flatten the curve of social isolation that our members experience. By breaking this isolation, we achieve fulfillment and promote social integration.

In short, we have waged a great fight in rights advocacy. Our battle is not over, but a silver lining is on the horizon. Good projects will be carried out in 2020-2021 to create a fair place for people with visual impairments. We are very much alive, and we want to demonstrate it. You will be able to see it in an equally tangible way by reading our strategic plan and our three-year action plan.

Thank you for recognizing the work carried out by community organizations in the advocacy for rights of people with visual impairments.

 

Richard Lemieux
APHVO Coordinator
(819) 771-5417
[email protected]
www.aphvo.org

List of appendices :

1. Strategic plan and action plan
2. Volunteer week
3. White cane week (Semaine de la canne blanche)
4. Letter to the CRTC
5. Letter to Retraite Québec (Quebec Pension Plan)