Centre for Independent Living in Toronto - CILT Inc.

12/21/2025

Centre for Independent Living in Toronto and the GTA Disability Coalition invite you to join us for:

A Town Hall Centring Disability Inclusion in the City of Toronto’s 2026 Budget.

Have your say in the City of Toronto Budget! Join CILT, the GTADC, Social Planning Toronto and TTCriders to explore ways to engage your voice:

• letter or phone messages to your city councillor/Mayor Chow
• social media campaigns
• deputing at budget meetings on January 20 and 21

Date: Thursday January 15, 2026
Time: 1:00pm-2:30pm
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
Register on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/v_Ac_AXeQ_iWca4fQ3CroQ

If you need assistance with registering, please contact Robin Simmons by email robin.simmons@cilt.ca or call 416-599-2458 ext. 293.

Please note: The CILT office will be closed from Wednesday December 24, 2025 12:00pm to Friday January 2, 2026 9:00am.

Access: ASL-English interpretation and CART will be provided.

If you require any access accommodations, please let us know in the Accessibility Support section of the registration by Tuesday January 12, 2026

Centre for Independent Living in Toronto - CILT Inc. GTA Disability Coalition Social Planning Toronto TTCriders.ca

Alt Description: The poster contains the above invitation text, with the exception of the zoom registration link. The text is rendered in a purple coloured font, set against a white background. Logos of the 4 partners are displayed at the poster's bottom.

12/17/2025

As the weather gets colder and we near the end of the year, we want to look back at warmer days like our 30th anniversary gala for our Direct Funding program back in September! It was incredible to connect with self-managers and community partners over great food and listening to fantastic speakers.

12/16/2025

This September, our Direct Funding program celebrated 30 years of providing disabled people the funds to hire and manage their own attendants and we had the opportunity to ask DF self-managers how their lives have changed since they joined the program. We are grateful to have been able to make this impact for over 30 years and we hope to continue to support this community for at least 30 more.

During the Direct Funding 30th Anniversary Gala on September 12th, 2025, we asked DF self-managers how their lives have changed since they joined the program...

12/10/2025

On December 3, we were thrilled to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities with a virtual public event:
Resisting Ableism, Building Community and Hope.

Here's a link to the event recording on CILT's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvVa9LbW9Jg

We're honoured to give a gratitude shoutout to the 85+ community members and partners who joined us to mark the day, and to our awesome event presenters:

Ase Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities
Disability Justice Network of Ontario
Inclusion Canada
Frame by Frame
CILT's IDE+A Project
CILT's Disabled Writers Group (poems)



We warmly thank our primary funders for their ongoing partnership and funding support:
United Way Greater Toronto, City of Toronto and Independent Living Canada / Vie autonome Canada/

This online event was hosted by CILT on December 3, 2025.This celebration was an annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons, proclaimed i...

11/30/2025

Here's the program line up for our December 3rd event:
"International Day of Persons with Disabilities Celebration: Resisting Ableism, Building Community and Hope."

• Ase Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities
• Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO)
• Inclusion Canada
• Frame by Frame
• CILT's IDEA Project
• CILT's Disabled Writers Drop-In poems

We're still taking registrations at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../register/a1XmyDUsQUiRCZzUhutH-Q

The Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT) and Community Partners are pleased to invite you to our virtual celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities Dec 3, 2025: Resisting Ableism, Building Community and Hope!

Description:
This celebration is an annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons, proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations (UN).

The celebration will provide community members with a discussion around this year’s theme - Resisting Ableism, Building Community and Hope for the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities.

We will have community speakers from Toronto and other parts of Canada presenting about Community Action Projects, critical disability justice issues, Art as Acts of Resistance, and collective action work being done to address their impact on disabled and Deaf communities.

When: Wednesday December 3, 2025, 1:00-3:00 PM Eastern Time (Canada)

Access Supports: ASL-English interpretation and CART Captioning will be provided.

If you require any access accommodations, please let us know in the Access Accommodation section of the registration by Nov 26, 2025.

Register in advance for this meeting at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/a1XmyDUsQUiRCZzUhutH-Q

This celebration will be an engaging discussion on:
1) United Nations IDPWD’s Theme 2025
2) Community Action Speakers:
• Inclusion Canada’s Barrier-Free Benefits Program
• Frame by Frame Disabled Artists Short Films
• Ase Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities
• Disability Justice Network Ontario
• CILT Writers Drop-In
3) Question and Answers Segment
4) Resources

If you need assistance with registering, please e-mail robin.simmons@cilt.ca or call 416-599-2458 ext. 293. Please note, you will not be able to join the session without registering first. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

11/28/2025

The Disability Holiday Festival is Sunday Dec 7 from 11am-5pm at Wychwood Barns. This is an accessible market featuring disabled artisans, musicians and all kinds of fun organized by The Disability Collective https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AYwvUsMaE/

Join us for the fourth annual Disability Holiday Festival! The Festival will feature work created by disabled artists while celebrating the diversity of the holiday season in Toronto. Stop by to shop for arts and crafts made by local disabled artists, participate in multiple community-building events such as a free photo booth and a card-making station, listen to live music from disabled musicians, and enjoy food & drinks from community vendors to keep you warm and cozy!

The Disability Holiday Festival will allow disabled artists to showcase and sell their work in a fun and community-driven environment, while celebrating the holiday spirit. This family-friendly event will be a fun and festive opportunity for the community to come together, experience and engage in art, and enjoy the holiday season.

ACCESS MEASURES:

- A sensory friendly hour from 11 AM to 12 PM

- An audio described tour with describer JJ Hunt (time TBA)

- Sighted guides who will be available to offer described tours of the Festival

- ASL interpreters who will accompany all of our Deaf vendors and be available throughout the Festival to greet and support community members as needed

- Masks are required for all attendees, artists, volunteers, and staff but may be removed temporarily for drinking and eating. Exemptions are always made for access or medical reasons. As the Barns are a public space with folks living and working in the building, we will unfortunately not be able to enforce masking for those who are not there specifically for this event; however, additional air purifiers will be on throughout the space. Free KN95 masks will be available at all Barn entrances

- A quiet space stocked with fidget toys, earplugs, and more

- A venue guide, access guide, and audio tour of the Festival will be available on our website before the event

Join us for FREE on Sunday, December 7 at Wychwood Barns!

[Image Description: A festive poster promoting "The Disability Holiday Festival" organized by The Disability Collective. It features a cheerful winter scene on a light blue background with snowflakes and festive floral decorations. Illustrated figures are enjoying a snowy market, including people buying hot chocolate, children building a snowman, and people skating. There are stalls selling gifts, food, and hot chocolate, as well as a food truck. Text on the poster reads: “Crafts | Food & Drinks | Gifts | Free Admission,” and provides event details — Sunday, December 7, 2025, from 11 AM to 5 PM at Wychwood Barns. The event is supported by ArtHubs Events, TD Ready Commitment, and the City of Toronto, and the website listed is thedisabilitycollective.com. Access icons for ASL interpretation, mandatory masking, and audio description are included]

11/27/2025

It's just 6 days away from our annual event marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Dec 3, 2025. 1pm - 3pm, on Zoom.

"Resisting Ableism, Building Community and Hope!

We're still taking registrations and all are wecome to join us!
Register in advance for this meeting at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../register/a1XmyDUsQUiRCZzUhutH-Q

More details in our original notice below and on the registration page.

The Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT) and Community Partners are pleased to invite you to our virtual celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities Dec 3, 2025: Resisting Ableism, Building Community and Hope!

Description:
This celebration is an annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons, proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations (UN).

The celebration will provide community members with a discussion around this year’s theme - Resisting Ableism, Building Community and Hope for the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities.

We will have community speakers from Toronto and other parts of Canada presenting about Community Action Projects, critical disability justice issues, Art as Acts of Resistance, and collective action work being done to address their impact on disabled and Deaf communities.

When: Wednesday December 3, 2025, 1:00-3:00 PM Eastern Time (Canada)

Access Supports: ASL-English interpretation and CART Captioning will be provided.

If you require any access accommodations, please let us know in the Access Accommodation section of the registration by Nov 26, 2025.

Register in advance for this meeting at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/a1XmyDUsQUiRCZzUhutH-Q

This celebration will be an engaging discussion on:
1) United Nations IDPWD’s Theme 2025
2) Community Action Speakers:
• Inclusion Canada’s Barrier-Free Benefits Program
• Frame by Frame Disabled Artists Short Films
• Ase Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities
• Disability Justice Network Ontario
• CILT Writers Drop-In
3) Question and Answers Segment
4) Resources

If you need assistance with registering, please e-mail robin.simmons@cilt.ca or call 416-599-2458 ext. 293. Please note, you will not be able to join the session without registering first. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

11/24/2025

11/24/2025

Adapted & Inclusive Recreation Presents Holiday Market

Annual event in recognition of International Day of Persons with Disabilities!
• When: Saturday, December 6, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
• Where: Ellesmere Community Recreation Centre, Multipurpose Room (20 Canadian Road Toronto, ON)

Details:
The Annual Holiday Market features vendors that prioritize inclusion of people with disabilities and disability-focused organizations. Featuring: GoodOnU.Ca, SolutionsGear, Eddie Li Art, lnclusiveAbility Toronto, Simply Creative Gems, Goodness Gift, MG Moms Boutique, Sew Sisters, The Piercing Obsidian, Crochet Goods, 3D Fidget Objects, Jewellery & Pins, Holiday Cards & Decor, Stationary, Artwork, Candles & More

Notes:
• All vendors are either people with disabilities or vendors who are donating proceeds to organizations that serve persons with disabilities.
• Free parking on site.

11/22/2025

21 November, 2025
Ottawa, Ontario – Canadian Human Rights Commission

Ahead of National Housing Day on November 22, Marie-Josée Houle, the Federal Housing Advocate, and Christopher T. Sutton, Canada's Accessibility Commissioner, issue the following statement:

"On National Housing Day, we call for urgent action to ensure that every person in Canada — regardless of who they are, their background, or their ability — has access to affordable and accessible housing."

Federal Housing Advocate and Canada's Accessibility Commissioner

For National Housing Day, we are very pleased to see this critical call to action from Marie-Josée Houle, Federal Housing Advocate and Christopher T. Sutton, Accessibility Commissioner. Their calls here are the same calls all members of the Accessible Housing Network and our many allies have been making for years—that affordability and accessibility are not a tradeoff or opposed, but instead two goals all disabled people on these territories need and demand.

As they say here, we have the tools we need to make housing accessible and affordable—but we need the Building Code to catch up fast and for Build Canada Homes to ensure that funds for affordable housing are held to the highest standard of accessible housing construction.

And if we fail to build accessible housing now? “History offers a warning... We need homes that are permanently affordable and that meet people's needs now, and for generations to come.”

Link in bio or https://www.chrc-ccdp.gc.ca/resources/newsroom/canadas-new-homes-can-be-both-affordable-and-accessible

Alt: a blue background with a prominent title in yellow and white text at the top reading, "Landmark Statement on Accessible Housing." Below the title are two circular, blue-bordered portraits. The left portrait shows a person with short hair and glasses, labeled "Marie-Josée Houle, Federal Housing Advocate." The right portrait depicts another person with glasses and a beard, labeled "Christopher T. Sutton, Accessibility Commissioner." Below the portraits is a white, torn-texture graphic with text: "“History offers a warning. Many of us can still see wartime houses built in the 1940s to address a national housing crisis. They provided affordable homes, but were not designed to meet the diverse and changing needs of Canadians, including veterans returning from combat with disabilities. Eighty-five years later, we cannot make the same mistake. That's why the solution cannot focus solely on the number of new units built. We need homes that are permanently affordable and that meet people's needs now, and for generations to come.”

11/21/2025

We agree, United Way Greater Toronto:

Every person deserves a fair chance at a good life, free of poverty.

United Way Greater Toronto!

1 in 10 Canadians live in poverty. “By tackling poverty as a matter of human rights obligation, the world will have a better chance of abolishing this scourge in our lifetime…Poverty eradication is an achievable goal.”— UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, 10 December 2006. Today is Human Rights Day. Share this post if you think every person deserves a fair chance at a good life.

11/20/2025

International Day of Persons with Disabilities Conference: Inclusion Benefits Everyone

WHEN: Saturday, December 6, 2025 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm ET
WHERE: Online by Zoom

About this Event
The goal for this year's conference is to explore how being inclusive benefits everyone—not just people with disabilities, and to bust the myths that perpetuate exclusion. This virtual conference will be accessible to all and will feature ASL interpreters and real-time live captioning. Featuring guest speakers and an interactive, “Ask Me Anything” panel.

Come curious – leave empowered!

REGISTER NOW: https://tinyurl.com/36bxf8v6
OR register via email or request accommodations by emailing IDPWD.event@blindcanadians.ca

Thank You to Our Sponsors & Conference Partners!

SPONSORS:
TRAILBLAZERS Tandem Cycling Club
Ontario Council for International Cooperation
Baker McKenzie

PARTNERS:
TRAILBLAZERS Tandem Cycling Club
Ontario Council for International Cooperation
Baker McKenzie

Speakers:
Johnny (Tiger) Tai
Johnny Tai is a blind and partially deaf Canadian-Taiwanese artist, martial arts instructor, and disability advocate. Since losing his sight and hearing at age three due to Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, he has devoted his life to proving that disability and capability can coexist—and even amplify each other.

Karoline Bourdeau
Karoline Bourdeau, accompanied by her guide dog Raven, will join us to speak on the topic of AI. Karoline was an early adopter of AI using Be My Eyes and Seeing AI and is a passionate advocate of the usefulness of these tools for the sight loss community. Karoline will demonstrate some of the tools she uses and talk about the many ways AI can be helpful to everyone if they dare!

Panelists:
Amber Kaur
As a visually impaired individual, Amber Kaur is deeply committed to advancing inclusion, digital accessibility, and equitable employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Her lived experience has guided her passion for building systems that empower rather than exclude. Amber Kaur is a Business Administration student at Nova Scotia Community College studying inclusive design, assistive technology, and equitable systems.

Yagiz Boran
Yagiz Boran is an international, physically disabled professional and community advocate with lived experience as a leukemia survivor and wheelchair marathoner. His work covers nonprofit, education, and international development sectors, specializing in accessibility, well-being, and community engagement.

Alicia Grace Chenier
Alicia Grace Chenier is a blind actor, filmmaker, accessibility consultant and Disability Studies student at Toronto Metropolitan University. Alicia’s passion in advocacy centers on authentic disability representation, community inclusion, and the understanding that lived experience is a form of expertise and leadership.

Ben Fulton
Ben Fulton is a blind, Toronto-based Human Rights lawyer with a practice focused on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Mediations Arbitrations, Boards, Committees and Tribunals. Ben is passionate about disability rights activism and helping people understand their rights and how to fight for them.

To learn more about our speakers, visit: https://www.blindcanadians.ca/post/international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-conference-inclusion-benefits-everyone