MP Laurie Hawn does his weekly video blog from a wheelchair on Wednesday, May 22nd while taking part in the Spinal Cord Injury Chair-Leader Event. The challenge was for 26 Parliamentarians to spend a day in a wheelchair to better understand the challenges faced by folks with spinal cord injuries. MP Hawn is a co-chair of the event, and has accepted the challenge for the past 4 years.

The fundraising campaign is still on going, and contributions to support SCI can be made at http://sci.akaraisin.com/chairleadersHome

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26 Parliamentarians spent the day in a wheelchair

Ottawa, ON – Today, 26 Parliamentarians representing all political parties came together to participate in the 6^th annual Chair-Leaders Campaign  to raise awareness for people living with spinal cord injuries.

“It does wake me up to the fact that the places we think are barrier free are in fact not barrier free,” said Laurie Hawn, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre.  “Places like Parliament Hill you think would be, but it’s not.”

The total achievement of $56,194.00 was announced during the event, which marked the end of a national fundraising campaign for Spinal Cord Injury Canada that took place during the month of May.

“Fundraising is very important because we will never get enough money to advance the cause otherwise,” said Myrtle Jenkins-Smith, president of Spinal Cord Injury Canada.

A committee comprised of Laurie Hawn, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, Peter Stoffer, Member of Parliament for Sackville – Eastern Shore, Sean Casey, Member of Parliament for Charlottetown and The Honourable Jim Munson, Senator, Ottawa-Rideau Canal challenged 26 Parliamentarians to spend a day in a wheelchair and live first-hand what accessibility really means.

About the campaign

The Chair-Leaders Campaign is an annual fundraising campaign to raise awareness about ability.

Every year, people across Canada get together to spend the day in a wheelchair and see first-hand what accessibility really means. But this year, it’s more than that. This year, we celebrate ability! 

About Spinal Cord Injury Canada

Spinal Cord Injury Canada assists people with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities in achieving independence, self-reliance and full community participation. Spinal Cord Injury Canada has been the lead community-based service provider to persons living with spinal cord

injury (SCI) in Canada since 1945. Together with its affiliated provinces, Spinal Cord Injury Canada (formerly known as The Canadian Paraplegic Association) provides services to over 20,000 members yearly.

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Edmonton, AB – Today, the Honourable Laurie Hawn, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, worked with service specialists from CNIB to experience firsthand how vision rehabilitation can empower Canadians who are blind or partially sighted.

More than one million Canadians are living with blindness or partial sight, including approximately 100,000 in Alberta. Many people who are blind or partially sighted live independently and work or volunteer, but research shows they may experience two to five times as much difficulty with daily living than people who are sighted.

“Today I had a brief glimpse of what living with vision loss might be like,” said MP Laurie Hawn. “It’s reassuring to know that for the growing number of Canadians with vision loss, CNIB can help enable an independent, engaged and community-driven lifestyle.”

Using vision simulator glasses, MP Hawn was able to experience how challenging everyday tasks can be for people who are blind or partially sighted. He navigated an unknown office space with a white cane, and used special screen-reading software to access content on the internet.

MP Hawn was also introduced to some of the thousands of tools and devices that support users with vision loss. They range from simple devices like the white cane to complex software applications.

“We were pleased to have this opportunity to show Mr. Hawn some of the important ways CNIB can support Albertans in overcoming the challenges of sight loss and rediscovering their independence,” said Diane Bergeron, National Director, Government Relations and Advocacy, CNIB. “We truly appreciate his willingness to participate in this exercise.”

At the event, Mr. Hawn encouraged legislators, public servants, industry representatives and the general public to learn more about vision loss and the services CNIB provides. “I am happy I was able to raise awareness and gain a better understanding of the difficulties of the day to day life we so easily take for granted,” concluded MP Hawn.

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