The Canadian Labour Congress is proud to announce that our Second National Disability Rights Conference, “Doing MORE – Moving FORWARD” will be held November 11 to November 14, 2004 (registration desk opens at 4 p.m. on the 11th) at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montréal, Québec.

The Conference will do MORE to build the voice of activists with disabilities and our allies. We will do MORE to build our political agenda. We will do MORE to build our understanding of issues impacting on the lives of disabled activists. We will do MORE to build on the work done since the first conference.

At our Conference, disabled activists will examine the impact of past and present economic and social policies on our lives at work, in our unions and in our communities. We will look at issues like duty to accommodate, support systems, health care, poverty, discrimination in disabled activists’ lives, and most importantly, what our unions can do. The conference participants will explore a variety of strategies to challenge and change our world.

The registration form is here (PDF).

There will be two workshop topics: “Moving FORWARD at the Bargaining Table” and “Moving FORWARD on the Duty to Accommodate”. Both workshops will be offered bilingually. We will use the workshop time to focus on sharing knowledge and experience and to build on disability rights activists’ organizational strategies.

We want to ensure that this conference is truly representative of the diversity of our movement. We are asking you to remember that people with disabilities are women, people of colour, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered, Aboriginal people, people from different cultures and varying ages. Please make a concerted effort to send members that reflect all our communities.

The following suggestions might help encourage disabled activists from these constituencies to attend the Conference:

• advertize the Conference in your union publications;
• add a special call for people with disabilities from the designated groups;
• send Conference notices to your women's, human rights, and equity committees;
• consider sending more than one participant;
• personally encourage disabled people from the designated groups to attend.

The National Disability Rights Conference will be at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

The hotel has set aside blocks of rooms for Conference participants at a special rate of $179 per night plus applicable taxes. Reservations are to be made directly with the hotel. Call their toll-free number at 1 800 441-1414, their direct number at 514 861-3511 or if you are hearing or speech-impaired, their TTY number at 1-800-267-6511.

The deadline for the special rate is October 11, 2004. When making reservations, quote the CLC Conference group code number NDC-04 to obtain the conference rate.

We have appointed Air Canada and its partners as the official airline of the CLC Conference. Simply call Air Canada’s toll-free number at 1 800 361-7585, TTY users at 1 800 361-8071 or their direct number 514 393-9494, or your travel agent. The Conference is registered for discounted air fares (quote CV041622).

Please note the deadline for registration is Tuesday, October 12, 2004 (PDF)

If you require additional information, please contact:

Women's and Human Rights Department
Canadian Labour Congress
2841 Riverside Drive
Ottawa, ON Canada K1V 8X7
Phone: 613 521-3400, ext. 202
Fax: 613 521-3959
Email: women&hrights@clc-ctc.ca

In solidarity,
Kenneth V. Georgetti
President