Enablelink - Please Help Yourself

By Raymond D. Cohen

"Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for one day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll be able to feed himself forever." So goes the old parable. Well, that’s kind of how we at the Canadian Abilities Foundation (CAF) look at EnableLink, our new website scheduled for launch this June at the People in Motion ’99 Trade Show and Exhibition.

Government cutbacks and the changing landscape of information services have had a definite impact on the time and resources of CAF staff. We have found, more than ever before, that consumers, families and professionals turn to us for advice and guidance. In a way, by default, we’ve become an information and referral service for all manner of disability-related issues.

That’s where the old fishing parable comes into to play. EnableLink is there for everybody to fish for themselves. Due to the support of our sponsors, most notably the Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada, we’ve been able to create a bridge, linking people with disabilities to a vast spectrum of opportunities and services - and to each other.

EnableLink has allowed CAF to take virtually all of the information and resources we’ve accumulated over the past 12 years and organize it in a way that makes fishing easy.

Want a copy of a past ABILITIES article on a specific topic? Want to locate a disability organization in your area? Want to know what resources are out there to help you get a job? We constantly get phone calls and letters with requests that fall into these categories.

Imagine - Enablelink can now offer you a listing of over five thousand Canadian organizations; a thousand employment resources; hundreds of national and international disability links; scores of government departments and non-governmental agencies offering
regular updates; a developing list of advocacy and support groups and a twenty-four-hour-a-day opportunity to browse our
virtual library or chat with colleagues - around the corner or on the other side of the world.

Twelve years of contacts and experience standing by to serve you. Check out www.enablelink.org and see for yourselves!

The launch of EnableLink is just one event happening in June. If you happen to find yourself in the Toronto area that month, there is a lot going on! People in Motion, Canada’s premier trade show and exhibition for people with disabilities, will celebrate its 10th anniversary June 4 and 5 at the Canadian National Exhibition’s Queen Elizabeth Building. Toronto Dominion and Cadillac Fairview are joining forces for the 11th time, along with their associate sponsors, to bring you Access-Ability Day, June 16 in the TD Centre’s downtown
courtyard. And InterMed, to be held at the National Trade Centre June 21 through 23, promises to be a valuable venue for
rehabilitation professionals. Details of these, and many other events across Canada, are available in the News and Events section of EnableLink.

Bringing the news a little closer to home, the CAF offices have been in a state of considerable transition. Gillian Lynne-Davies, CAF’s Manager of Project Development, is back from maternity leave - son Jasper (I like to call him Banff, just to bug her) being Gillian and husband Peter Sibenik’s new rising star. And Lisa Bendall, our Managing Editor, is about to embark upon a similar journey. Lisa and husband Ian Parker are expecting their first imminently (although not before this issue hits the press, I keep impressing on her). Gillian Kearney will act as Managing Editor in Lisa’s absence.

Patrick Watson, Chair of the Canadian Abilities Foundation since 1991, is stepping down. Patrick has been a great support to the organization, and frequent contributor to ABILITIES magazine over the many years in which he served as Chair. He will be missed in that role. The board members, staff and volunteers of CAF bid him a grateful and fond adieu - with most of us preferring the more optimistic au revoir!

A final note: we at CAF will miss regular feature writer Susanne Pettit-Crossman. Susanne passed away April 10 after successfully living with a variety of disabilities for many years. To the best of our knowledge, Susanne was the longest surviving person with cystic fibrosis thus far. We are very fortunate to have Susanne’s most recent editorial contribution, "In Flight," in this issue. Susanne’s article speaks to her love of adventure and her zest for life - and reflects the manner in which she carried herself for the many years she dedicated to disability issues in Canada.

Please enjoy this issue, have a safe and sunny summer, and don’t forget to stay in touch!