Budget Investment Means More Service, Greater Independence For People With Disabilities

TORONTO – The McGuinty government is investing in more services for Ontarians who need intervenors or sign language interpreters to assist them with daily activities.

“For someone who is deafblind or has a hearing disability, communication barriers can seriously limit their access to things that most of us take for granted, such as going to the bank or visiting their doctor,” said Community and Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur. “By breaking down these communication barriers, we are building greater independence for people with disabilities.”

The government’s 2006 Budget includes nearly $11 million for interpreter and intervenor services, an increase of nearly 65 per cent over existing funding levels. The funding will help to provide more service to people who need it, improve the quality of services and improve wages to attract and keep people who provide interpreter and intervenor services. The government will also explore opportunities to increase the availability of French sign language interpreters and intervenors in the coming year.

“I am particularly pleased to be working with our stakeholders and with my colleague, the minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, on issues of access and availability of French sign language interpreters and intervenors,” said Meilleur.

Interpreters act as a language and cultural bridge between a deaf person and a hearing person and make it possible for deaf and hard-of-hearing people to use essential services such as legal, health and social services. Intervenors make it possible for deafblind people to participate in community activities through a variety of communication methods.

“The Canadian National Institute for the Blind welcomes this historic investment in critical service,” said CNIB Ontario executive director Dennis Tottenham. “The government’s progressive approach to modernizing these services will provide tremendous support for deafblind Ontarians to participate in their communities and live independently. CNIB is committed to intervention services and it is gratifying to know that the government is there with us.”

The government is also providing $1.9 million to the Canadian Hearing Society, in partnership with the Canadian Deafblind and Rubella Association, to develop an interpreter and intervenor services database to make it easier and faster for people to find services when they need them.

These investments are the latest way the McGuinty government is breaking down barriers for people with disabilities. Since 2003, the government has also:

• Provided $28.2 million to help universities and colleges provide services for students with disabilities to help them succeed
• Committed nearly $276 million to strengthen community supports for people with a developmental disability
• Committed to closing the province’s remaining institutions for people with developmental disability and creating new homes for them in communities across Ontario.

“We are committed to building a province in which people with disabilities can participate to their fullest potential,” said Meilleur. “By investing in greater accessibility for people with disabilities, we are investing in stronger, more inclusive communities for us all.”