A Tradition of Advocacy

Alive and Well at CPA As the recently appointed CEO of the Canadian Paraplegic Association’s (CPA) national office, one of my priorities has been reaffirming our association’s rich – and very successful – 58-year tradition as a national advocate for persons with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities.

As we rapidly approach our 60th anniversary, advocacy remains as important now as it was when CPA was formed in 1945 by a group of paralyzed WWII veterans. Advances in spinal cord injury treatment and rehabilitation are making it possible for our members to live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives. But what is still needed is increased accessibility and understanding in their communities.

Our advocacy efforts in the past three decades, both nationally and at the provincial level by our divisions, are a great source of pride. In collaboration with other organizations of and for Canadians with disabilities, our efforts have resulted in many positive changes – in areas such as independent living, accessible transportation and housing, and government-funded support programs.

Yet there remains much work to do – thus our reaffirmation to continue our advocacy role. Recently, our national board of directors took the bold step of dedicating resources to advocacy, allowing us to secure the services of Alison Denton, our new National Director of Advocacy and Communications.

Alison has a master’s degree in sociology with a concentration on disability issues, and has worked with many disability-related organizations, including the Independent Living Resource Centre in Thunder Bay, where she served as executive director. Working closely with the national office team and provincial staff, as well as other like-minded disability organizations, Alison is developing a national advocacy strategy with CPA.

Generally, our priority is to work with governments to ensure access to disability-related supports, services and employment opportunities, in keeping with the principles outlined in “In Unison.” However, because lack of physical access continues to be a major barrier in many communities, so we will continue to press for universal barrier-free standards. We will also continue to advocate for accessible transportation through our membership on the Advisory Committee for Accessible Transportation and the Canadian Transportation Agency. And we remain committed to improving the Disability Tax Credit – we are hoping to work on this with the Technical Advisory Committee on Tax Measures for Persons with Disabilities.

Looking forward, as we approach a federal election, CPA is committed to ensuring that our issues are included in the agenda of our future leader, and that there is a renewed commitment to the principles outlined in “In Unison.” Among our other emerging priorities is accessible housing, which is in increasingly short supply for people completing rehabilitation.

Iun our approach to advocacy, we seek to educate and work alongside those who make disability policy, rather than using conflict as an instrument of change.

Naturally, we can’t achieve our advocacy goals alone. We are just one of many credible disability organizations in Canada. CPA values its existing partners and is continually looking to cultivate new ones. We will continue to work with CACL, CAILC, CCD, CNIB, CAF, ALA and the RHI in pursuit of common goals to ensure that all Canadians with disabilities are afforded the dignity of full participation and the protection of human rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

We also need your help. To determine our future advocacy priorities, we will, as always, take advantage of the wealth of expertise available to us through our members, volunteers and staff. This will ensure that we will continue to be driven by the needs articulated by consumers – just as has been done for almost 60 years.

If you’re interested in finding out more how we can work together to achieve our common advocacy goals, or telling us what you think is an advocacy priority, I urge you to visit www.canparaplegic.org or contact Alison Denton at (613) 723-1033, ext. 226, or by e-mail at adenton@canaparaplegic.org.

VALERIE RAVARY:
Valerie Ravary, who became the CPA National Office CEO on May 31, is a bilingual senior manager with 35 years of business experience. A Certified Management Consultant with a Masters in Business Administration, Valerie is well acquainted with all aspects of general corporate management, including organizational development, strategic planning, human resources management, sales and marketing, fundraising and communications planning. She has worked in public, private, for profit, not-for-profit and charitable sectors.

“All of my career experiences and skills will come into play in my work at CPA,” says Valerie. “My goal is to ensure our national office is as efficient and effective as possible, which will ultimately ensure that our provincial divisions have the support they require to deliver their excellent programs and services to every Canadian who needs their help.”

Valerie lives in Ottawa with her husband, Terry. She can be reached at vravary@canparaplegic.org.