Accessible Housing Network

04/14/2026

Ford Government’s New Education Legislation Does Nothing to Help Vulnerable Under-served Special Education Students, But Makes Things Worse For Them

April 13, 2026 Toronto: There’s absolutely nothing in Education Minister Paul Calandra’s April 13, 2026 announcement about new legislation governing Ontario’s school boards that will help over 330,000 Ontario K-12 students with disabilities/special education needs, and lots that will make things worse, according to a major disability advocacy coalition. The AODA Alliance is one of the many community groups that Ontario’s Education Minister refused to consult in crafting today’s announcement.
“Arbitrarily cutting in half the number of TDSB trustees means half the access to battle the many barriers that students with disabilities/special education needs face at TDSB,” said David Lepofsky, AODA Alliance Chair and one of these parents himself. “We need trustees to have stronger authority to fix the disability barriers that Ontario’s Education Minister and Ministry have left festering for years, but instead Minister Calandra wants to substantially weaken the mandates of school board trustees.”

Ford Government’s New Education Legislation Does Nothing to Help Vulnerable Under-served Special Education Students, But Makes Things Worse For Them Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Ford Government’s New Education Legislation Do...

04/10/2026

"Women, women-led families & gender-diverse persons with disabilities are systematically excluded from accessing housing that is affordable, accessible, safe. This systemic exclusion violates numerous human rights." 'The Crisis ends with Us.'

04/08/2026

https://planinstitute.ca/2026/04/07/announcement-canada-disability-benefit-webinar/

Plan Institute is excited to announce a new webinar to help you understand and access the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB).

04/06/2026

Ottawa pulls funding to program matching Lower Mainland wheelchair-users with accessible Building Better Homes Campaign
For wheelchair-users in the Vancouver area, the ability to live independently has often hinged on finding accessible housing.
Disability Alliance BC (DABC)’s nationally recognized Right Fit Program has assisted people with disabilities to find accessible housing in Vancouver.
Federal funding was cut to the Right Fit Program as of April 1, 2026, forcing the program to close and leaving hundreds of wheelchair users without critical housing support.
See this article for more info: http s://vancouv ersun.com/n ews/ottawa-pulls-funding-to-p rogram-mat ching-lower-mainland-wheelchair-users-with-acce ssible-homes
Please contact:
Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, Gregor Robertson
, as well as your MP and media to appeal for continuation of funding.

04/02/2026

New review panel accepting submissions on lack of accessible housing

Last week the National Housing Council made an exciting announcement that it is now accepting written submissions for its new review panel on the lack of accessible housing in Canada.

The review panel is especially interested in hearing from people directly affected by this issue, service providers, and experts in housing, human rights, and accessibility. By providing a submission, you or your organization will have the opportunity to share your experiences, expertise, and proposed solutions. Your contributions will help inform the review panel's report and recommendations to the federal minister responsible for housing.

Read the panel's Terms of Reference here.

04/02/2026

Roadmap to Recovery -
Easing the Journey
A comprehensive guide designed to support individuals and families navigating life after spinal cord injury, with practical tools and trusted information at every stage.
Now featuring an updated Chapter 6: Legal, helping you understand your rights, access benefits and make informed decisions about legal support. Developed by McLeish Orlando, whose generous support helps make this resource possible.

Welcome to your Roadmap to Recovery! We invite you to review the online version of this new guide for people who are newly injured and their families.

04/01/2026

Realize is a national charitable organization that was founded to address the rehabilitation needs of people living with HIV. Some of the challenges people living with HIV face are related to the episodic nature of their conditions – challenges that are also common to people living with other episodic conditions. That is why an important part of our work now focuses on episodic disabilities more broadly and why we collaborate with a wide range of organizations working to support people with other health conditions. Together we are stronger and have a greater capacity to effect change.

For instance, people living with episodic disabilities face significant employment and income support issues. Recurring, unpredictable periods of ill health make it difficult to work, especially full-time. Most people with episodic disabilities must rely on health and disability support programs. And due to the strict definitions and policies that govern these programs, many people are not able to participate in the workforce part-time or when their health allows.

Fostering positive change for people living with HIV and other episodic disabilities

03/31/2026

https://archdisabilitylaw.ca/resource/fact-sheet-what-is-the-accessible-canada-act/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ441lleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFXMXFVNUxxcGNJMUNLem8wc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHu3fyWZgYHWNO7XZGNMvhWArZK4xRHQXJzkmt2pBq_E3Wf0yBozdbaqqVXu1_aem_S5qqKCvKv92xhdKQSb5G0A

The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) is a law with the goal to remove disability-related barriers across Canada by 2040. The ACA aims to achieve a barrier-free Canada by identifying, addressing and preventing barriers. A barrier is anything that makes the full and equal participation in society difficult...

03/27/2026

Today: The review panel on the lack of accessible housing officially begins! Make a written submission.

03/26/2026

OT in the news📰

CAOT’s CEO, Irving Gold, recently published a national editorial in The Hill Times highlighting the urgent need for accessible housing.

Irving emphasizes the need to “Treat universal design as essential for building resilience and preventing health problems, not as a bonus feature” and calls for occupational therapists to be at the design table for all new homes built under the government’s Direct Build program.

We will continue to call on the federal government to consult with the occupational therapy community and commit to making accessibility a core principle of housing.

---------------

L'ergo dans les nouvelles📰

Le chef de la direction de l'ACE, Irving Gold, a récemment publié un éditorial national dans The Hill Times sur le besoin urgent en matière de logements accessibles.

Il souligne la nécessité de « considérer la conception universelle comme un élément essentiel pour renforcer la résilience et prévenir les problèmes de santé, et non comme une simple prime », et demande que les ergothérapeutes soient associés à la conception de tous les nouveaux domiciles construits dans le cadre de l’initiative de construction directe du gouvernement.

Nous continuerons à demander au gouvernement fédéral de consulter la communauté de l’ergothérapie et de s'engager à faire de l'accessibilité un principe fondamental du logement.

03/26/2026

From:
Info.Accessibility.Standards-Normes.Accessibilite.Info


New technical guide: Accessible-Ready Modular and Prefabricated Housing

We’re excited to share a new technical guide that supports more flexible, accessible-ready housing in Canada:
Technical guide on Accessible-Ready Modular and Prefabricated Housing
This guide shows how modular and prefabricated homes can be designed today, so accessibility features can be added later. It supports housing that can adapt as needs change.
The guide contains guidance on:
· planning accessible-ready features early in design and construction,

· documenting accessibility features, and

· supporting future accessibility upgrades that are easier and more affordable.

Help us promote housing that works better, and longer, for more people. Use and share this guide today!

03/20/2026

......the harm to students with disabilities taking place at the Toronto District School Board for some of its 40,000 students with disabilities/special education needs. TDSB is one of the 8 Ontario school boards that is now being run by Ontario’s Education Minister Paul Calandra. He has turfed their elected school board trustees. You are encouraged to read that article below.
At the March 2, 2026 meeting of TDSB’s Special Education Advisory Committee, TDSB staff were pressed on why the school board is gradually draining two special education high schools of students by not placing any incoming students in Grade 9. This appears like an obvious formula for eventually closing those schools down as bereft of students.
TDSB senior staff’s response at that meeting was very disturbing. They said that there was no consultation with parents in advance of these enrollment decisions because this was part of the ordinary process of deciding where special education programs and classes would be located each year. TDSB no doubt thought that this was a good defence for its actions. It’s actually the very problem.
Openness of government conduct at all levels is a key part of democracy. Before last October, you would have been able to watch that SEAC meeting on a TDSB livestream, or afterwards, archived on YouTube. However, since last October, Education Minister Paul Calandra took the unprecedented step of ordering school boards under his supervision not to livestream these meetings any longer. That, of course, helps insulate Minister Calandra from public scrutiny of his actions and those of his Government while running those school boards.....
-

The Issue of the Plight of Students with Disabilities at School Boards that Education Minister Paul Calandra Runs is Not Going Away! Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities Website: www.aodaalliance.org Emai...