Latest news with #disabilityrights
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Sudbury man left stranded in electric wheelchair for 2 1/2 days
Pictured are Shelley, left, Dan and Orville Wikiruk. Dan Wikiruk is able to live independently with cerebral palsy, but was left stranded when his wheelchair broke down last weekend. Dan Wikiruk, a Sudbury man who lives independently with cerebral palsy, was stranded in his apartment last weekend when his wheelchair stopped working. His family is sharing his story in hopes of shedding light on the gaps in services and funding for people with disabilities in the province. Wikiruk, 65, can live on his own thanks to ICAN in Sudbury, his service dog Molly, and his electric wheelchair. Dan Wikiruk Dan Wikiruk, a Sudbury man who lives independently with cerebral palsy, was stranded in his apartment last weekend when his wheelchair stopped working. (Lyndsay Aelick/CTV News) But his wheelchair failed him over the weekend. 'Saturday morning at seven at 7 a.m., his wheelchair broke down,' said Shelley Wikiruk, Dan's sister. 'His ICAN staff member had no choice but to leave him. He left him in the best situation.' While he had access to drinks, a urinal and a cordless phone, his sister said he was left for 2 ½ days 'without access to his washroom, without access to his kitchen, and without safety practices in place.' 'Had there been a fire in his building, how would Dan have escaped?' she said. Repair service not available A company called Motion Sudbury services Dan's wheelchair. Its service hours are until 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. But no service is available overnights, long weekends or Sundays. As the July long weekend nears, Shelley Wikiruk said Dan could face a similar situation again. 'Dan just has a temporary fix for his chair right now,' she said. 'Motions did what they could -- they put in a temporary motor for now. But this chair is less than three years old and it has not been reliable for Dan. It has broken down continually.' Complicating matters is the fact that he's now 65 and no longer eligible for ODSP. 'He has to pay out of pocket when this chair breaks down,' she said. 'He can't afford it.' A statement from Motion Sudbury to CTV News said depending on the nature of the repair a wheelchair requires, and whether parts are available, a same-day fix may not be possible. Dan and family Pictured are Shelley, left, Dan and Orville Wikiruk. Dan Wikiruk is able to live independently with cerebral palsy, but was left stranded when his wheelchair broke down last weekend. (Lyndsay Aelick/CTV News) It said the company is happy to help clients navigate funding applications to pay for repairs, but they are 'not involved in determining funding eligibility or coverage related to equipment repairs under manufacturer warranty.' 'We are committed to providing the best possible client experience in support of our vision to make life accessible for everyone,' the statement said. 'We continually identify opportunities to advocate on behalf of our clients related to system advancements as well as work directly with our clients to understand their experiences in support of ongoing operational improvements.' 'It's great if the private sector establishes some repair services, but if the private sector can't cover all the needs on its own, that's a situation where there's a powerful need for the government to intervene.' — David Lepofsky, chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance David Lepofsky, chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, said while the Ontario government has a program to help fund the cost of things like wheelchairs, if the service isn't available, it doesn't really help. 'We've got to make sure these services are available -- these are essential services,' Lepofsky said. It's not enough for the province to pass laws, he said, when people who truly need services can't access them. 'People with disabilities … are reliant on these mobility devices … and this is an area where government has a role to play,' he said. 'It's great if the private sector establishes some repair services, but if the private sector can't cover all the needs on its own, that's a situation where there's a powerful need for the government to intervene.' Lost eligibility For his part, Dan said his situation could have been helped if he were still on the direct funding model that allowed him to have a worker help him for five and a half hours a day. But he lost eligibility in 2018 because, he said, he made an error when hiring a worker. He currently receives three bookings a day that range from 15 to 45 minutes through ICAN. On most days, he said he only gets 15 minutes due to cutbacks. In a statement to CTV News, ICAN CEO Jessica Bertuzzi said they are committed to tailoring services to each client's unique needs. 'We believe that equitable access to equipment and supports is not just about logistics, it's about dignity inclusion and health,' Bertuzzi said. 'That's why continued investment in disability supports is not only necessary, it is critical. Protecting and strengthening these investments ensures that we are not taking opportunities or independence away from those who rely on them most.' Dan's family said they know that he isn't the only one facing these types of situations. 'There are many, many people living with a disability who have a lack of services and a lack of funding in the Greater Sudbury area and beyond,' Shelley said. 'Sharing Dan's story, we hope that funding will be increased where it's needed.'
CNET
4 days ago
- General
- CNET
Social Security Disability Insurance: The Final Payment for June Is on the Way
June's SSDI checks are headed to beneficiaries soon. Here's this month's payment schedule. CNET Social Security Disability Insurance recipients who haven't been paid yet can expect their payments soon, as the last round of payments will head out in a couple of days. What week of the month you get paid is dependent on the day of the month you were born, how long you've received SSDI or whether you receive Supplemental Security Income, too. We'll explain. The Social Security Administration sends monthly payments to people with disabilities that prevent or limit their ability to work. Depending on their individual situation, others may qualify and can apply for SSDI as well. We'll break down the full SSDI payment schedule for the month of June and how your payment date is calculated so you'll know exactly when you can expect your check. For more, here's what you can do if your last payment never arrived, and here's the Supplemental Security Income payment schedule. If you've had SSDI since May 1997 or earlier, or also receive SSI If you started getting SSDI before May 1997, you'd usually receive your payment on the third day of every month. Note that this isn't always the case, like when the third day falls on a weekend or holiday. For 2025, this will happen in August, so you can expect to receive your payment during that month one to two days earlier. If you also receive Supplemental Security Income, you'll fall into this category. You'll receive your SSDI payment on the third of every month and your SSI payment on the typical day, the first of the month. For everyone else, payments are birth date-dependent If you began receiving SSDI after May 1997 and don't also receive SSI, then your payment date is determined by the day of the month you were born. Payments are typically paid out on the second, third and fourth Wednesday of the month. Which Wednesday you get your check breaks down like this: Birthdate between Social Security check date 1st and 10th of the month Second Wednesday of the month 11th and 20th of the month Third Wednesday of the month 21st and 31st of the month Fourth Wednesday of the month Here's when you'll get your SSDI payment in June Here's when your SSDI payment should arrive this month: If you've received Social Security before May 1997 June 3 If your birthday falls between day 1 and 10 of the month June 11 If your birthday falls between day 11 and 20 of the month June 18 If your birthday falls between day 21 and 31 of the month June 25 How does 2025 COLA affect my payment? The COLA for 2025 introduced a 2.5% increase in monthly benefit checks, but exactly how much of an increase will depend on several factors. Any monthly income, how long you've received benefits and what type of benefit you receive can result in a different payment increase. Recipients should have received their COLA notice sometime in December with specific details on their case. A COLA of 2.5% will add about $48 to the average benefits check. For more, don't miss four ways you could lose your Social Security benefits and how to apply for SSI.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Starmer faces major Labour rebellion over benefits cuts
Sir Keir Starmer is facing the biggest Labour rebellion of his premiership to date after more than 100 of his own MPs backed a bid to sink his £5 billion welfare cuts. Dozens of Labour MPs have signed an amendment to the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, which is due to be debated in the House of Commons for the first time on July 1. The amendment sets out a long list of reasons why the Bill should be rejected, including a lack of consultation with disabled people and the Government's own assessment that the changes could push an extra 250,000 people into poverty. If the amendment is selected for debate and if all of the Labour MPs who have signed it were to vote in favour of it, along with opposition parties, it would be enough to kill the Bill. It represents a major challenge to Sir Keir's authority and will send Downing Street scrambling to defuse the situation and keep the Bill alive. The Government's welfare reforms would see more of an emphasis placed on getting people on benefits back into work, with the stated aim of saving £5 billion a year by 2030. Under the proposals in the Bill, ministers will limit eligibility for the personal independence payment which is the main disability payment in England and also limit the sickness-related element of Universal Credit. But there has been rumbling and growing opposition to the changes from Labour MPs concerned at the impact they could have on some of the most vulnerable people in society. Ministers have already attempted to soften the impact of the changes but dozens of Labour MPs are still opposed to the Bill. The amendment has been tabled by Dame Meg Hillier, the chairman of the powerful Liaison Committee, and has been signed by numerous senior backbench figures. Another nine Labour select committee chairs have also backed the amendment, including Debbie Abrahams from the Work and Pensions Select Committee and Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, from the Defence Select Committee. Other notable Labour figures who have signed the amendment include Diane Abbott, the Mother of the House of Commons, and former leadership contender Rebecca Long-Bailey. Vicky Foxcroft, the former whip who resigned from the Government last week over the welfare plans, has also signed the amendment. 'Consult disabled people' The amendment notes the 'need for the reform of the social security system' and agrees with the Government's 'principles for providing support to people into work and protecting people who cannot work'. But it states the Bill should be rejected 'because its provisions have not been subject to a formal consultation with disabled people, or co-produced with them, or their carers'. It also states that the Government's own impact assessment 'estimates that 250,000 people will be pushed into poverty as a result of these provisions, including 50,000 children'. A total of 108 MPs have signed the amendment. Ms Abrahams said the MPs 'want the Government to listen and to think again on this Bill'. She added: 'We are being asked to vote for this Bill before disabled people have been consulted, before impact assessments have been conducted and before we have given enough time to some of the Government's key policies – investing in the NHS, to the right to try, and to work coaching – (to) have been able to bed in.' Liz Kendall, the Work and Pensions Secretary, told a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday evening that the proposed changes were 'rooted in fairness'. She argued the reforms were about ensuring the survival of the welfare state so there is always a safety net for those who need it. Ms Kendall added: 'Above all, they are about our belief that everyone can fulfil their potential and live their hopes and dreams when, collectively, we provide them with real opportunities and support. This is the better future we seek to build for our constituents and our country.'
BBC News
5 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
'My mission to get myself weighed ended on some scrapyard scales'
Dave Eastham could not believe what it had come to, when he arrived at a scrapyard in north Manchester in search of scales to find out his 30-year-old has used a wheelchair since injuring his spine in a traffic accident a decade ago, and wanted to know if his exercise routines were helping to build muscle mass during a Covid fitness had called several hospitals trying to find accessible scales, he says, without any luck. He'd also called several vet surgeries, and had even attempted to get on the scales at his local Pets at Home store, which he had to wheelie onto - all without run out of the options that most people can do at home, at the gym or during routine medical appointments, Dave decided to "take matters into my own hands" and ask the local scrapyard if he could use the large scales they usually use for metal and other experience was "degrading", he lots of disabled people, knowing an accurate body weight is crucial for lack of accessible weighing scales for many disabled people around the country hit headlines in the last week, after wheelchair user Sarah Rennie was advised by her local NHS trust to use a weighing scale designed for animals at Pets At said the episode was "dehumanising". The trust has since apologised."It just shows how hard it is now to exist with accessibility needs," Sarah says."There are serious consequences to overlooking something as basic as access to understanding changes to your body." Dave says he was nervous about the reaction that he might get from the young men working at the scrapyard, but says they were brilliant with had to do a difficult transfer to lift himself onto the scales, which are designed for scrap mental, not humans."It probably wasn't good for my skin, the scales were full of copper and debris," Dave says, adding that it was only possible because of his fitness levels."Although it wasn't a bad experience, it wasn't something I wanted," he says he had tried to contact several local hospitals in his attempts to get himself an accurate weight, though without an appointment. One of them, North Manchester General Hospital, run by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said all patients who are referred to them and require accessible scales can access them as part of their care."We recognise how important it is for individuals to be able to monitor their health and remain committed to making our services as inclusive and accessible as possible for our patients," a spokesperson added. 'Not entirely surprised' Dr Hannah Barham-Brown, a GP and disability expert, says she was "horrified" to hear about the experiences of Dave and Sarah - "but sadly not entirely surprised".She says knowing the weight of patients is important for a "whole range of reasons", including providing accurate medicine dosages and assessing eligibility for certain treatments and Barham-Brown says it's "impossible to know" how many accessible scales are available across the NHS."These scales certainly aren't widely available, which is a travesty and means wheelchair users face unnecessary health inequalities," she says."We see similar issues with limited access to hoists in GP practices, meaning that hoist-dependent wheelchair users are unable to have routine screening and examinations, such as cervical screening."An NHS spokesperson said: "We expect NHS organisations to provide reasonable adjustments for patients to ensure equitable access to services, including access to weighing equipment." Gary Dawson, from the Spinal Injuries Association, says experiences like Dave's and Sarah's are "unacceptable and humiliating", adding that accessible scales are also "shockingly" limited for other disabled people living across the says this is not the first time he has heard of people resorting to using scales at scrapyards, as well as garages and equestrian centres, to get says weight management is crucial for those living with disabilities to keep on top of their Naik, from Muscular Dystrophy UK, says that they have also had calls to their helpline highlighting the lack of suitable weighing equipment in hospitals around the a problem that many disability campaigners are doing their best to Wood, a speech and language therapist from York, did a sponsored wheelchair walk with other volunteers back in 2011, to raise money for accessible scales in the scales are still used "almost daily", Andy says, and have been an "incredible benefit" to people in the now works in a spinal injuries centre supporting people with similar injuries to his own, which means he can use the scales there, but knows that "everyone else isn't in that position".Many people have to drive long distances to get to the centre, Dave says, adding that he thinks accessible scales should be available for all wheelchair users close to where they live."Everyone likes to look after themselves. If you can weigh yourself, it can help get you into stuff like sports and keep you motivated," he says."It's about that self-pride."
Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
What The June 28 European Accessibility Act Deadline Means For Brands
This photograph taken on March 19, 2025 shows European flags outside the EU headquarters in ... More Brussels. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images) In less than a week from now, on June 28, 2025, the requirements of the European Accessibility Act come into force. The intention behind the EAA is to provide fair and equitable access to digital products to the more than 100 million consumers with disabilities living across the European Union. One of the key things to keep in mind about the EEA is that it doesn't just affect European companies. It applies to any organization from around the world selling into the EU market. It goes beyond standard web accessibility and e-commerce, incorporating areas such as computers and operating systems, smartphones, digital TV services, ATMS, ticketing machines and other digital kiosks within its remit. The legislation requires companies to do more than simply make digital products and content accessible. Instead, it seeks to embed accessibility commitments and best practices at a more fundamental organizational level through requirements like official accessibility statements and providing specialized training to staff. Non-compliance with the EAA can lead to fines and ultimately the termination of EU market access. The proximity of the deadline may for some be a cause for panic but cutting through the noise, here are what some digital accessibility specialists are urging organizations to keep in mind with less than a week to go: It's still not too late to get started 'It's not too late to start addressing accessibility. Starting now is better than not doing anything about EAA compliance,' says Jon Avila, Chief Accessibility Officer at Level Access, one of the leading providers of digital accessibility services in the United States. Avila continues, 'For organizations just getting started, the most important steps to take now to mitigate risk are demonstrating that you're taking action to make sustained progress, and beginning to put processes in place aligned with EAA requirements. One of the biggest gaps we observe is third-party content. Companies often assume that embedded tools or plugins are outside their responsibility, but under the EAA, they're very much in scope. We recommend that organizations make accessibility a requirement during the procurement process and request documented proof of accessibility (e.g., a completed VPAT report) from vendors prior to making a purchase.' Eric Portis, a Developer Evangelist at Cloudinary, a software company that helps organizations manage their visual content online, also agrees that it's still not too late to get started with EAA compliance. 'The best time to consider the accessibility of a project was before you shipped it, but the second-best time is today. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are just a big checklist. And while checking every item off the list before June is not a realistic goal for many teams, everyone can start tackling an item or two and begin building momentum towards full compliance. All progress is good progress,' Portis says. The AI landscape has changed Back in 2020, when AI website accessibility overlay widgets hit the market, they were met with a degree of skepticism. That's because the marketing claims were bold – buy a software subscription and let AI do its magic in both spotting and fixing accessibility fails, saving you time and money. It quickly became widely accepted that the technology was, in fact, nowhere near ready to entirely replace human oversight for accessibility remediation. Fast forward five years, and the same remains true but the technology has undoubtedly gotten a lot better meaning that, though AI won't solve all digital accessibility issues, it can now do a lot more of the heavy lifting which genuinely allows teams to focus more precisely on the more nuanced human elements related to user experience. What this ultimately means for the market was recently brought into sharp relief in a report authored by AAAnow, leading digital compliance benchmarking specialists based in London. AAAnow's report looked at the websites of organizations comprising The Valuable 500, a collective of some of the most profitable companies on the planet with long-standing pledges to accessibility and inclusion, including the likes of Apple, Google and BP. According to the V500 scorecard, the average member organization manages around 178 websites, each comprising around 211 pages. To remediate accessibility on the average of 85% of pages where it is required would take 3,480 workdays, or 13 full-time staff working for a year (per org). In terms of cost, this equates to $767,000 per company just for initial compliance, let alone maintenance. Scaled across the full Valuable 500, that's over $380 million and 9 years of full-time work at current capacity. 'We argue that only a risk-managed, AI-powered approach can address the scale, cost, and operational complexity. It's not a 'nice-to-have' - it's fundamental,' commented AAAnow CEO Lawrence Shaw in an earlier interview. Regulation is not something to fear Instinctively, when any type of new regulation comes into force, particularly one that potentially involves fines and other punitive measures, fear and trepidation tend to be the most common reactions off the bat. Yet, it can be argued that brands should welcome the new regulations from the EU as they provide clarity and a roadmap into areas of technical compliance that have previously been murky. In a recent company press release, Amit Borsok, CEO of Italy-based Accessiway, which takes an end-to-end approach to accessibility remediation involving both automation and human testers, said, 'European regulations have shifted the narrative around accessibility from a compliance issue to a strategic investment. Until now, regulatory fragmentation across member states has prevented companies from fully capitalizing on this potential, increasing compliance costs and limiting competitiveness. 'Now, instead of being a hurdle, the new framework provides clarity that encourages companies to invest in accessible technologies and services to expand their market reach. For many organizations, accessibility has evolved from a nice-to-have to a competitive necessity. With regulation now offering predictability and standardization, uncertainty is reduced for investors, and new opportunities for innovation are unlocked.' Though the word deadline usually implies finality, whether, as an organization, you are right at the start of your digital accessibility journey and anxiously playing catch-up, or significantly further down the line, June 28 will surely be the opening of a new chapter for all involved. The story about to unfold will be one of whether human intention layered onto ever more advanced technology can ultimately help make access to the digital realm an equitable experience for everyone.
