CAILC Surfs the ’Net!

By Paul Hamilton

CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTRES

CAILC SURFS THE ’NET!

BY PAUL HAMILTON

We’ll be surfing! We’ll be surfing Waikiki, Waikiki. Heck, we’ll
be surfing from Helsinki to Halifax!

Surf, in verb or noun form, is a term traditionally associated
with fun in the sun and water sports. In the past few years,
however, surfing is something as often done on the ’net as it is
on waves.

Surfing the ’net -- or, rather, surfing the Internet -- is the
activity of travelling through cyberspace along the information
highway. This activity is mostly engaged in for the purposes of
pursuing opportunities to gather, distribute or exchange
information. Advance electronics and communications technology
has made it possible for one to freely, but at a small charge,
join in on this buzz of creativity, along with millions of other
such surfers the world over.

The information highway is rapidly becoming an essential for many
aspects of life. It permits the attainment of knowledge and the
enjoyment of communicating well beyond our usual sphere of
friends, colleagues and acquaintances. As well although this is
likely not as appealing an application -- it permits one to tend
to mundane chores, such as paying bills, with not much more
than the double-click of a mouse. (I can hear everyone saying,
"Oh boy, a depleted chequing account in a matter of
nanoseconds!")

All of this is possible by linking into the world of Web sites on
the Internet.

If this sounds to you a bit like an entrance to the next
universe, then either you have already found the on-ramp and are
travelling the world through cyber-space, or you want very much
to wander around but you’re still in search ofa means of
transportation.

Well, it appears as though several means of transportation are in
sight. The Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres
(CAILC) is launching developmental plans to create access points
onto the information highway at each of the 22 Independent Living
Resource Centres (ILRCs)across Canada.

A heading at the top of the CAILC Internet homepage could read:

NEWS FROM CAILC
The Internet Project Enabling the ILRCs to Trail the Information
Highway
CAILC is presently undertaking steps to form partnerships with
corporate Canada’s leading industries. The objective of this
venture is to bring much needed expertise and resources about the
information highway to the community of Canadians with a
disability.

For CAILC, for ILRCs and, in equal measure, for individuals, the
benefits of such a partnership will be to offer many original and
creative ways with which to apply resources available within
the IL four core-program structure.

Some possibilities might involve the following:

- expansion of the peer support network to include people with
disabilities from around the world;
- improved access worldwide to information centres such as the
Canadian Clearinghouse on
Disability Issues;
- communication cost savings;
- enhanced opportunity for information resource sharing among
ILRCs.

Foreseen added value derived from joint ventures also includes a
greater awareness of disability and social issues, brought into
clearer focus for corporate partners of the IL movement. For
persons with a disability, the practical outcomes could involve:

- Improved product design in regard to accessibility;
- Greater corporate awareness of persons with a disability as
contributing members of society and as competitive members of the
Canadian labour force;

Meaningful consultation with persons with a disability on
telecommunications policy development regarding appropriate
customer service levels.

The key word in all of this is access.

Access is the watchword of anyone with a disability. Access is
mostly thought of in terms of a person using a wheelchair
entering a building or someone with a sensory disability using
alternative means of communication. Access, however, is indeed
fundamental to the act of participating.

It is in this sense that this project carries with it so much
promise. That is, the IL movement in Canada brings out the
dynamics of the community so that, when joined along with
corporate entities that espouse excellence, the highest standards
will be brought to bear on the issue of access to the Internet
for persons with a disability. If this venture were not struck
between CAILC and corporate Canada, many might find themselves,
instead of surfing the net, merely rowing with one oar!

(For more information, contact the Canadian Association of
Independent Living Centres (CAILC)
at: 350 Sparks St., Ste. 1004, Ottawa, Ont., K1R 7S8; tel.: (613)
563-2581; fax: (613) 235-4497; e-mail: cailc@intranet.on.ca)


PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE FROM CAILC:

MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER HUMAN SERVICE: INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTRES
IN ONTARIO
Project Director: John Lord
Published in 1992, this study is a descriptive analysis of the
then-six ILRCs in Ontario. It details the unique characteristics
of each community-based centre while demonstrating the validity
of CAILC’s principles and core programs.
$16.95 + $3.00 S&H

A STEP TOWARD INDEPENDENT LIVING: HOW TO DEVELOP AN INDEPENDENT
LIVING RESOURCE CENTRE IN YOUR COMMUNITY
By Bonnie A. Kowbuz
Published in 1993, this publication provides the reader with a
comprehensive step-by-step guide to develop a community-based
ILRC. Included in are: directions on how to develop community-
based consultations, a feasibility study, an action plan, and a
Board of Directors.
$19.95 + $3.00 S&H

A COMMUNITY HANDBOOK ON DEVELOPING A LITERACY AND DISABILITY
AWARENESS TRAINING PROGRAM
Project Coordinator: Judy Calvin
This handbook is the product from the activities undertaken in
CAILC’s National Literacy Initiative. It outlines literacy
issues, describes methods which will ensure that ILRCs are
accessible to consumers with low literacy skills, and provides a
workshop model for ILRCs in educating literacy workers about
disability issues.
$19.95 + $3.00 S&H

THE CANADIAN INDEPENDENT LIVING MOVEMENT: AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
By Fraser Valentine
Published in 1994, this document represents the first
comprehensive overview of Independent Living in Canada, the
founding of CAILC, the process of securing initial funding, and
the position of Independent Living in the 1990s.
$19.95 + $3.00 S&H

CHOICE FLEXIBILITY AND CONTROL IN COMMUNITY RESEARCH: A GUIDEBOOK
This guidebook outlines the nature of research and its
implications on Independent Living.
$4.95 + $1.00 S&H

INDEPENDENT LIVING: AN AGENDA FOR THE ’90S
Edited By Aldred Neufeldt
Published in 1993, this document is a compilation of articles
written by many of the consumers responsible for the development
and continued sustenance of the Canadian Independent Living
Movement.
$14.95 + $3.00 S&H

RESPONDING TO ABUSE: AN INDEPENDENT LIVING APPROACH
By Debra Tomlinson
A comprehensive train-the-trainer resource which applies the
Independent Living philosophy to understanding and responding to
abuse as it relates to people with all types of disabilities.
$55.00

PREVENTION OF ABUSE AGAINST ELDERLY CITIZENS WITH DISABILITIES
By Linda St. Maurice
A series of seven booklets providing an overview of this issue
and a prevention model inspired by the philosophy and programs of
the Independent Living Movement in Canada.
$55.00

YOUTH SPEAK UP! YOUTH SPEAK OUT!
By Naz Husein
An Independent Living participatory research study on "abuse
against youth with disabilities, developed, conducted and written
by youth with disabilities" in their own words!
Report: $17.00 Booklet: $3.00

(Send your name, address, publication(s) ordered, and a cheque or
money order to: Canadian Association of Independent Living
Centres, 350 Sparks St., Ste. 1004, Ottawa, ON, K1R 7S8)