Tag: Accessibility
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The Negative Polarization of “Person First Language” and “Disability First Language”
A Silent City Blog According to the CDC, the most respected and politically correct way to address someone who has a disability is to use “first-person language” instead of pointing out the disability. For instance, instead of introducing myself as a hearing-impaired person, I would say I have a hearing impairment. It separates the disability…
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Schools Just Don’t Understand
The Silent City Blog Two months ago, there was this video going viral on TikTok where a female deaf student was being disrespected by her professor for not paying attention in class without realizing that the reason she hadn’t responded was that her sign language translator must translate for her first for her to understand.…
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We are Not Disabled, We Are Human
A Silent City Blog One morning, I was scrolling through TikTok, as one does. Between the funny skits of Frozen Texas and Wanda Vision spoilers, I came across a devastatingvideo of a young man who was crying. He showed the audience his hearing aids, before stating that someone said to him that he would never…
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Redesigning the Mask
A Silent City Blog The date is April 5th, 2020, and it is day 24 since the quarantine began on March 13th. Ever since then, Canadians have experienced a new normal. Most things we take for granted are closed. There are no new movies, no more sports or games because places we would often go…
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The Other Institutional Abuse That Canadians Forgot: Huronia Regional Centre
A Slient City Blog When Canadians think about institutional abuses, we often think about Indigenous Residential schools. The amount of horror that went down at these schools cannot be described in one word or paragraph. The thought of the government ripping children from their parents’ arms, placing them in these so-called “schools” where they are…
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Accessing the Court
A Silent City Blog Welcome back to Silent City! Today, I went to New City Hall, a place I have been to multiple times. Upon going to the square, I remembered when my law class took us to the city court that is found beside the City Hall. We attended several cases. My favourites were…
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Designing an Accessible Classroom Conference
On March 29th, I and six other students organized the Ableism in the Classroom conference, the first to bring together students, faculty and staff on the issue of accessibility. Despite the challenges and stress behind the scenes before and during the conference, it was a success! I’m deeply grateful to my team for starting a…
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Canada Disability Benefit: Share Your Ideas
The Government of Canada is consulting with Canadians on the new Disability Benefit: Here is why you should participate. “According to the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability, 58 per cent of Ontarians withdisabilities aged 25 to 64 years were employed – well below the 81 per cent level for theircontemporaries without disabilities.” As stated by…
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Minister of Diversity, Inclusion & Persons with Disabilities – CDB Round Table
On October 20th, 2023 – the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion & Persons with Disabilities – Honourable Kamal Khera – hosted a round table to discuss the Canadian Disability Benefit ( that gained royal approval this past July) to learn its impact on young persons with disabilities. On October 20th, I had the distinct honour of…
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Accessibility & Public Transportation
Transit Accessibility Sucks For the past 4 years at the University of Toronto (minus the years of lockdowns) I have commuted all over Toronto, via bus, trains, and street cars, regardless if they are TTC, Viva or The Go. As a commuter, I have come across inaccessibility DAILY. It was the first thing I noticed…
Catherine CC Dumé 