The Slaight Family Foundation has announced a groundbreaking $30-million donation to support 11 disability organizations across Canada, including Toronto’s Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and the Rick Hansen Foundation. The announcement was made on December 3rd, coinciding with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and Giving Tuesday. This remarkable donation aims to provide essential resources, promote inclusion, and enhance support for children, adults, and families living with disabilities.
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto and the Rick Hansen Foundation in Richmond, B.C., will lead significant parts of this initiative, collaborating with 11 organizations to tackle the challenges faced by Canadians with disabilities. “This is the largest donation in Canadian history dedicated to supporting people with disabilities, spanning from childhood to old age,” said Sandra Hawken, President of the Holland Bloorview Foundation.
Holland Bloorview plans to use the funding to advance brain-computer interface technology, improve prosthetics, and develop other innovative tools. The hospital will also expand its robotics and arts programs, sharing these resources with new partners to reach more centres across Canada. Eleven regional and national organizations, many of which have never partnered before, are uniting to reshape perspectives on disability in Canada.
The allocation of funds includes:
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation: $10.5 million.
- Rick Hansen Foundation: $10 million.
- Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work: $1 million.
- Canadian National Institute for the Blind: $1 million.
- Canadian Women’s Foundation: $1 million.
- Easter Seals Canada: $1.5 million.
- Empowered Kids Ontario: $1 million.
- Inclusion Canada: $1 million.
- March of Dimes Canada: $1 million.
- Ontario Disability Employment Network: $1 million.
- Wavefront Centre for Communication Accessibility: $1 million.
Brain-computer interface technology enables users to control devices like wheelchairs or play games using only their brainwaves. The Slaight Family Foundation Disability Initiative aims to improve care and support for Canadians with disabilities, a demographic that includes one in four people. According to Statistics Canada, the number of people with disabilities is expected to increase as the population ages. This initiative will make a difference nationwide, impacting all age groups in a way that has never been done before.
In a news release, Gary Slaight, president of The Slaight Family Foundation, said disability exclusion has a significant impact on individuals, families, the economy, and culture. “Connecting and expanding programs and innovations from organizations dedicated to disability care and awareness will create an umbrella of support across Canada while dismantling stigma and creating a more inclusive society for us all,” he said.
Disability advocate Taylor Lindsay-Noel believes the Slaight Family Foundation Disability Initiative will greatly benefit families and children with disabilities. Lindsay-Noel, who was paralyzed from the neck down after a gymnastics accident in 2008 and stayed at Holland Bloorview for rehabilitation, says that this investment in the rehab centre will be “life-changing,” especially for those in underprivileged communities who need financial help and resources. “In Canada, around 850,000 kids have a disability, but there are only about 150 developmental paediatricians available. The need is there.”
Source: CBC
