Its Education and Training Centre serves as a consulting, educational and training facility in the areas of race relations, multiculturalism, human rights, harassment and equity issues. While we do not directly represent the disability community, we see this issue as a priority on the public agenda garnering, as it has, strong broad support in other communities. They transcend age, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion and ethnic origin. More importantly, the numbers are growing, as our population ages. But statistics do not tell stories.
People tell stories.
And so we will not present the litany of human frustration and suffering caused by barriers, which is brought to our attention on a regular basis, and which directly or indirectly affects many of us. Too often, people with disabilities have experienced overprotection or paternalism in relation to those who wish to protect them. We believe very strongly in the principle of self-determination, which is the normal respect to which an individual is entitled. It involves asserting one's self in regard to choices, wishes and aspirations, and participating in decisions involving one's own interests. We trust that your consultation process will be sufficiently broad-based to capture the raw material necessary to develop and entrench a truly effective law.