The organization began on June 20–23, 1985, at a meeting between seventeen women from across Canada who came together to discuss issues of interest to women with various disabilities. The main purpose of this initial meeting was to plan a larger national gathering of disabled women who would then develop the organization’s strategies and goals. Early groups formed in Prince Edward Island, Toronto, Halifax, British Columbia, Montreal and in Winnipeg, through existing groups for women with disabilities in each city. The Consulting Committee on the Status of Women with Disabilities also joined the network.

DAWN-RAFH CANADA’S TIMELINE OF SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS

1985 – National meeting of women with disabilities planned by women with disabilities

1987 – Founding conference in Winnipeg. Our 17 founding mothers were: Maria Barile, Susan Buchanan, Pat Danforth,Fran Dinn, Joanne Doucette, Irene Feika, Donna Hicks, Margaret Hiltz, Pat Israel, Paula Keirstead, Diane Leeming, Joan Meister, Cathy Moore, Marie-Blanche Remillard, Jillian Ridington, Marie St.-Germain, and Barbara Smith.

1989 – Jillian Ridington researched and wrote Beating the Odds: Violence against Women with Disabilities, Different Therefore Unequal: Employment and Women with Disabilities, Only Parent in the Neighbourhood: Mothering and Women with Disabilities and Who Do We Think We Are: Self-Image and Women with Disabilities. / We held a conference and Annual General Meeting in Toronto called Who Do We Think We Are: Self-Image and Women with Disabilities Conference. / Together with the Canadian Disability Rights Council (CDRC), published four discussion papers on new reproductive technologies. / Two women in DAWN BC, Kelly Wheeler and Gem Wirszilas, published an anthology Visions Of Fight: A Journey of Thought by and about Women with Disabilities.

1992 – We worked together with the National Film Board to make Towards Intimacy a film about sexuality and relationships and women with disabilities. / Shirley Masuda, with help from Jillian Ridington, researched and wrote Meeting Our Needs: An Access Manual from Transition Houses.

1993 – Ellen Frank researched and wrote DAWN Canada Safety Network Policing and Justice Project Responding to Violence Against Women with Disabilities: An Assessment of Police Training Needs.

1994 – DAWN-RAFH Canada and the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC) put on a national conference for feminists on new reproductive technologies in Vancouver. / The Annual General Meeting attached to this conference elected a new Chair, Eileen O’Brien. / Ellen Frank did more work on the legal system and published Domestic Violence: Accessibility of Legal Information to Women with Disabilities. / Monika Chappell and Tanis Doe researched and wrote Breaking the Cycle of Violence – Healing Our Lives. / Monika Chappell wrote the report DAWN Canada’s Safety Network Policing And Justice Report Responding to Violence Against Women with Disabilities: An Assessment of Judicial Training Needs. / Shirley Masuda researched and wrote a manual on suicide and women with disabilities Don’t Tell Me to Take a Hot Bath: Resource Manual For Crisis Workers.

1996 – DAWN-RAFH Canada put on a Think Tank with women from the larger community on Employment and Women with Disabilities and later published the results Employment and Women with Disabilities: Transcript-Think Tank. / Leslie MacLeod researched and wrote Finding Directions: An Employment Skills Guide for Women with disabilities. / A German translation of Meeting Our Needs was produced. / A video by the Justice Institute in BC was made with DAWN Canada women participating in the video and participating in an advisory committee for it Charting New Water: Responding to Violence Against Women with disabilities. / Monika Chappell moved out of the judiciary and into substance use and misuse and wrote Relief…At What Cost? Women with Disabilities and Substance Use/Misuse: Tobacco, Alcohol and Other Drugs, Summary of Themes. / Shirley Masuda produced a community kit entitled Safety Network Community Kit: From Abuse to Suicide Prevention and Women with Disabilities.

1997 – Monika Chappell wrote another important tool for women with disabilities A Way Out: Women with Disabilities and Smoking. / Granted intervener status with the Women’s Legal and Education Action Fund (LEAF) on Elridge v. Attorney General in which deaf women were denied access to sign language interpretation while in hospital.

1998 – Shirley Masuda wrote a report for Status of Women Canada The Impact of Block Funding on Women with Disabilities: Canada Health and Social Transfer. / Shirley Masuda researched the situation of women with disabilities in British Columbia and their health for Women with Disabilities: The Social Construct of Access to Health. / Maria Barile acted as a resource for the organizers of a conference for women with disabilities in Italy. They translated Meeting Our Needs, Beating the Odds and the new reproductive technologies papers into Italian.

1999 – Joan Meister and Shirley Masuda edited and wrote an organizing tool DAWNing; How to Start and Maintain a Group. / Shirley Masuda researched and wrote a first-ever exploration of health issues for BC women with disabilities Women with Disabilities: We Know What We Need to be Healthy!

2000 – Marina Morrow of Pacific DAWN wrote Challenges of Change: Midlife Health Needs of Women with Disabilities in collaboration with the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health.

2002 - A DAWN-RAFH Canada Technology listserv is created, with the objective of making technology more accessible to women with disabilities, with close to 90 active members.

2003 – Launched the Vote for Equality Project, a voter education and awareness web campaign, in preparation for the 2004 federal election. The website had over 3.83 million page views. / An online consultation on Unpaid Work and Lifelong Learning was conducted. / We maintained a pan-Canadian electronic forum on Issues for Women with Disabilities which had close to 350 members. / The end of this year marked the beginning of a brief period (2003-2006) of decreased organizational activity due to changes in leadership.

2004 – DAWN Ontario publishes Equality Means Access, a piece on access to health care, in the Canadian Women’s Health Network (CWHN) newsletter and website. / We are granted intervener status, along with LEAF (Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund) on the Auton vs. British Columbia case (funding of health services for people with autism). This was the first time DAWN-RAFH Canada was able to bring a gendered disability analysis to the Supreme Court of Canada. / Intervener status in the Broomer vs. Ontario (welfare fraud) case began this year as well.

2005 – Granted intervener status with LEAF on Barney v. Canada in which compensation was sought for Aboriginal residential school survivors subjected to multiple forms of abuse.

2006 – Sowing the Seeds Conference funded by Status of Women Canada served to re-launch the organization with a new interim board, and a renewed focus.

2007 – A new, bilingual National Head Office was established in Montreal, Quebec, strategically located in the Maison Parent Roback, a unique collective which houses a number of feminist provincial organizations. / Launched a project entitled Bridging the Gaps – Violence, poverty and housing – an update on resources for Women with Disabilities. A tool, the National Accessibility and Accommodation Survey (NAAS), was developed to determine how accessible shelters are to women with all types of disabilities. / Granted intervener status on the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) vs. Via Rail (for purchasing inaccessible railcars), a protracted case which was finally won after 7 years.

2008 – Founding member of the first International Disabled Women’s Network, which was launched at the Global Summit on the Rights of Women with Disabilities. / Dissonant Disabilities: Women with Chronic Illnesses Explore Their Lives, edited by DAWN Manitoba members Dr. Diane Driedger, and Dr. Michelle Owen was published. / DAWN-RAFH Canada conceived and organized an international panel of women with disabilities at the First World Conference of Women’s Shelters.

2009 – The Centennial Flame Research Award was awarded to DAWN Manitoba member Dr. Diane Driedger for research on the history women with disabilities in Canada, which is intimately tied to the history of DAWN-RAFH Canada. / We were asked to serve as disability consultants for Women’s Worlds 2011, an international feminist conference. We were also members of the pan-Canadian advisory steering committee. / Hosted a delegation of representatives from Thai disability organizations.

2010 – The 25th Anniversary of DAWN-RAFH Canada. / Canada ratified the Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities (CPRD). / We hosted a Provincial Round Table on Violence Against Women with disabilities, a first in Québec, which brought together the leadership of twenty-five organizations from the disability and women’s sector. / Living the Edges: A disabled women’s reader, edited by Dr. Diane Driedger was published. It included a chapter on DAWN-RAFH Canada.

2011 – Women’s Worlds 2011 was a resounding success for Canadian women with disabilities, as it included 29 presenters with disabilities, including two high-profile international speakers (Judith Heumann, US State Department and Sebenzile Matsebula, founding member of the South African Office on the Status of Disabled People) and hundreds more as volunteers. The model of inclusion which DAWN-RAFH Canada helped develop and implement set a new standard for the inclusion of women with disabilities. / Granted intervener status with LEAF on L.S. in which spousal support paid to a woman with a permanent disability was rescinded based on the husband’s testimony that she was capable of working outside the home; and R v. DAI (2011), in which the testimony of a woman with an intellectual disability who claimed to have been sexually assaulted was excluded because her competence to testify was successfully challenged. / We were contracted by the Canadian Women’s Foundation (CWF) to conduct a series of pan-Canadian focus groups as part of their Violence Prevention Review. We also served as key informants in this process.

2012 – R v. DAI is won – the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in R. v. D.A.I. confirming the importance of access to justice for sexual assault complainants with intellectual and other disabilities. / Attended 5th Conference of State Parties (CoSP5) on the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) at the United Nations in New York at which we were instrumental in developing a statement calling for the issues of women with disabilities to become a permanent focus at future CoSP meetings. The statement was read into the official record by the UN Special Rapporteur on Disabilities, Mr. Shuaib Chalklen. / We were project partners in the preparation of a report entitled Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading? Canada’s Treatment of Federally-Sentenced Women with Mental Health Issues, authored by Elizabeth Bingham and Rebecca Sutton of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, International Human Rights Program. This report examined the circumstances surrounding the death of Ashley Smith. / We developed and began implementation of a cross-ministerial/cross-sectoral approach to support the implementation of our pan-Canadian strategy on violence prevention for people with disabilities. / Re-engaged with the health sector through the launch of our project on Elder Abuse in partnership with CACL, and through our participation in a working group on continuing care led by the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions. / We developed a Business Plan in partnership with Kuy Chheng Treng, a participant on the Global Change Leadership Program for Women at the COADY Institute, to develop a social enterprise for women with disabilities that would create employment opportunities for women with disabilities in the Caribbean and in Canada (in partnership with ERDCO and DPI Caribbean Region) / Hosted representatives from the Guyana Officer for Disability Issues / Developed and launched an inclusion tool which can be used to assess how accessible and inclusive an event or project is, not only to women with disabilities but to all participants. / Led an international panel at the 2nd World Conference of Women’s Shelters with our partner Women with Disabilities Australia. / Presented at the NPD Women’s Summit – a discussion on the future of the Canadian women’s movement. / Presented at the Canadian Federation of Nurses Union (CNFU) National Discussion on Continuing Care.

2013 – 2014

 We are now in our second year of In-Focus: Bringing People with Disabilities into the Picture, a multi-year pan-Canadian strategy on violence prevention and health and wellness for people with disabilities. This year we received funding from Status of Women Canada which allowed us to expand the anti-violence reach of the project. So far, this community development project has achieved excellent results in each of the ten provinces and three territories where it is being implemented. These communities across Canada (from Iqaluit to Steinbach and Halifax to Vancouver) are a cross section of the places where the more than two million women with disabilities and Deaf women in Canada live.

Released a report entitled “Women with Disabilities and Breast Cancer Screening”, which was prepared for the Canadian Breast Cancer Network (CBCN) and highlighted various barriers preventing women with disabilities and Deaf women from having adequate access to breast cancer screening services. Through the month of October, we featured blog posts by women with disabilities sharing their experiences in accessing these services and offered recommendations.

From January to March 2014 our Regional Team worked with our Local partners to deliver workshops to healthcare professionals and people with disabilities in thirteen (13) locations across Canada, with funding from PHAC

Together with the Canadian Association for Community Living, presented IN FOCUS project at the 4th Annual Federal Policy Forum on Inclusion to representatives from the Office for Disability Issues, the Department of Justice, the Canadian Human Rights Association and Status of Women Canada.

Ensuring a Voice for Women with disabilities who are Victims of Crime

Took the lead in making sure the needs of women with disabilities and Deaf women who are victims of crime were adequately represented in new legislation: Victim’s Bill of Rights.

Participated in a national forum for victims of crime hosted by the Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime (OFOVC) and submitted recommendations to the OFOVC and the Department of Justice and the Attorney General of Canada.

Victims of crime awareness week: create a PSA, released the video WeCanTellWeWillTell to encourage women with disabilities to report abuse.

Presented at a colloquium on Access to Family Justice hosted by the Law Society of Ontario and Supreme Court Justice(s) McLachlin and Cromwell

Participated in the launch of the National Victims of Crime Network in Toronto

As a member of the Episodic Disabilities Network (EDN) we were involved in a policy dialogue held in Ottawa in April 2013 to develop a strategy to help the millions of Canadians living with episodic disabilities to fully and productively participate in the workforce. This policy dialogue included members of the government of Canada, policy-makers, employers, and people living with an episodic disability joining together to identify achievable solutions to the barriers that prevent full workforce participation by people living with episodic disabilities.

 In collaboration with the University of Western Ontario’s Centre for Research and Education on Violence against Women and Children, we produced a new multi-lingual, accessible resource on addressing Violence against Women with Disabilities resource features an article by Fran Odette on ableism as a form of violence against women and highlights the intersectional context of violence experienced by women with disabilities and Deaf women. It is available in French, English, American Sign Language (ASL), and Langue de Signes Quebecois (LSQ).

Increased our Social Media Presence (Twitter, Facebook & Youtube) and gained increased media coverage of our issues, in the Toronto Star and Accessible Media Inc.,as well as various radio programs and newspapers.

2014 – 2015

Our video  “Inclusion is…” is launched at  Women’s World 2014 in India

Bonnie Brayton, our National Executive Director, was chosen as one of 23 women leaders who took part in A BOLD VISION

Released a PSA as well as a number of resources (blogs, factsheet) related to Breast cancer and disability. We continue to work on accessible cancer screening through our program “OUR HEALTH MATTERS“.

Joined the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) in launching a Federal court challenge against Canada Post’s decision to end home-mail delivery.

Bonnie Brayton, National Executive Director of DAWN-RAFH Canada was recognized as change makers published in the 40th anniversary edition of Canadian Living Magazine.

The Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities chose, on Tuesday, December 9, 2014, Selma Kouidri as the recipient of the 2014 Centennial Flame Research Award.

We contributed to the 12 days against violence against women campaign. We also launched a social media campaign #WecanTellandweWillTell to invite women to talk about their stories of abuse. (Notre cause a fait l’objet aussi d’un article sur le Devoir).

Selma Kouidri presented a brief of sexual violence to the Quebec Provincial Parliamentary Commission on action.

Bonnie Brayton, DAWN-RAFH Canada’s national executive Director, delivered a keynote address at the EVA BC Annual Training Forum. She spoke on the response needs of women with disabilities who are victims of violence.

DAWN-RAFH Canada is recognized by Handicap International as one of ten examples of global best practices addressing violence against women with disabilities.

Presented a parliamentary brief to Federal government on a study entitled “Promising Practices to End Violence Against Women”.

In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 7th, Tangled Art + Disability and the DisAbled Women’s Network Canada hosted  BODIES OF LIGHT an evening of media work by women artists with disabilities.

Attended CSW59 the fifty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Mother’s Day: We released an inforgraphic on mothering and disabilities, and featured on in Huffington Post article on parenting with disabilities.

We joined the call for a National Action Plan on Violence against women and girls.

Attended CoSP8 the 8th session of the Conference of States Parties (CoSP8) on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and presented at the “Disability and Gender Forum” hosted by Handicap International.