Expanding Our Horizons: Tech 3 Project - DAWN Canada: DisAbled Women's Network

Page Contents


Introduction

DAWN Canada History

Acknowledgements

 

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INTRODUCTION
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DAWN Canada contracted with a Technical Broker from March to December 2002 to compile and implement educational aids to increase the capacity of technological skills for women with disAbilities within our provincial networks.

The broker fulfilled a number of key objectives and responsibilities, including:

  • assessing computer needs,
  • helping women to acquire the resources they required,
  • researching funding sources,
  • helping to establish or identify low-cost or free instruction,
  • providing on-going technical and troubleshooting support by email and/or telephone,
  • connecting women to community public computer and Internet access sites,
  • researched, compiled and developed content of technology information, tips, tutorials, and frequently asked questions,
  • created a listerv (electronic mailing list) and recruited 89 women with disAbilities as participants to share technology information and field test same for inclusion on this CD,
  • shared information on adaptive technology and related resources,
  • shared information on "new" and "unimplemented" features for software versions to assist women in deciding if they needed to upgrade or learn to use a different application,
  • acted as technology resource to DAWN Canada's provincial networks,
  • assisted equality-seeking organizations in assessing the level of accessibility of their respective websites and advised how online accessibility could be improved to better meet the diversity of informational needs of visitors with disAbilities.
  • empowering women with disAbilities to utilize and enhance their technology skills as a tool for advancement, for furthering education, for enhancing employment opportunities, for doing research, for communications as a mechanism to engage with others, to help bridge the digital divide, to reduce isolation,

 

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OUR HISTORY
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In June 1985, seventeen Women with disAbilities from across the country met in Ottawa to discuss issues of concern to them and from that initial meeting, DAWN Canada was born. We are a national, not-for-profit, cross disability consumer driven organization for women with disabilities which have networks in every province and all territories in the country. From our inception, DAWN Canada has focused on six areas of concern for women with disabilities. They are employment, poverty, self-image, sexuality, access to health care and other services, and violence against women with disabilities. DAWN Canada is affiliated with provincial DAWN groups and other disabled women's groups in Canada and internationally.

Our focus for the past number of years has been in the area of research, defining the needs and concerns of Women with disAbilities and implementing strategies to address these issues. We collected extensive validated information in may areas including employment, health, self-image, sexuality, violence, leadership development, parenting, and suicide prevention. Through partnerships with the funding support of several Federal departments including Opportunity Funds, HRDC, Health, Status of Women Canada, and Dept of Justice, we have produced a wide selection of publications relevant to women with disabilities. These include:

  • DAWNing Opportunities: Transitions to Self Employment
  • Expanding Our Horizons
  • Mandatory Minimum Sentencing: DAWN Canada's position
  • "Connect Our Realities" - Community Based Access to Technology
  • Portfolio Development Program Curriculum - PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition)
  • DAWNing: How to Start and Maintain a DAWN Group
  • The Impact of Block funding on Women with Disabilities
  • Finding Directions: A Career Planning Guide for women with Disabilities
  • Relief At What Cost? Women with disabilities and Substance Use/Misuse: Tobacco, Alcohol and Other Drugs
  • A Way Out: Self Help Guide for Women with Disabilities to Quit Smoking
  • Women with Disabilities and Smoking, an Educational Bulletin
  • Don't Tell Me to Take a Hot Bath: Resource Manual for Crisis Workers.
  • Domestic Violence: Accessibility of Legal Information to Women with Disabilities
  • Meeting our Needs: An Access Manual for Transition Houses.

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For the past number of years, DAWN Canada has been working very diligently and very successfully on our goals of empowering Women with disAbilities across Canada. Our mission is to end the poverty, isolation, discrimination and violence experienced by Women with disAbilities. We are working to ensure we get the services and support we need, have access to opportunities that non-disabled people take for granted, and have freedom of choice in all aspects of our lives.

To achieve our mission on behalf of women with disabilities, we have set the following goals:

  • To do outreach with all women with disAbilities including aboriginal women, black women, Asian women, South Asian women, women of colour, immigrant women, lesbians, older women, women in institutions, and single mothers;
  • To address issues such as poverty, employment equity, violence, mothering, sexuality, technology, capacity building, health, isolation, access to services, and New Reproductive Genetic Technologies;
  • To be a resource for and about women with disabilities and our concerns;
  • To provide role models for girls with disabilities;
  • To be a bridge between women with disabilities and the women's movement;
  • To work together with the women's movement on issues that affect all women and to help the movement become accessible to women with disabilities;
  • To work in coalition with those who share concerns for social justice; and
  • To be a voice of women with disabilities

 

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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This technical information CD could not have been produced without the active participation of 89 Women with DisAbilities connected to the DAWN Canada Technology listserv created in March 2002.

To all of the participants of the listserv who enthusiastically signed on, thank you for your invaluable feedback which provided the project with a forum to field test technology information available in the public domain and the development of new content based on what participants identified as the kind of technology information that would most be useful in helping to build technical capacity.

To Kathy Marshall, National Coordinator for DAWN Canada: DisAbled Women's Network Canada, my deepest appreciation for her vision and amazing leadership, for her empowering support, her friendship, her wisdom, and her amazon commitment to working towards positive change in equality rights of Women with disAbilities.

Barbara Anello
DAWN Canada Technology Broker
tech3@thot.net


Funding for the production of this CD was provided by Human Resources Development Canada, Office of Disability Issues. This publication does not reflect views or opinions of the funder.

 

Expanded Table of Contents || Condensed Table of Contents

Index listed by Subject || Glossary of Terms