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Voting for Accessibility
Jan. 17, 2006
By Suelan Toye
He's energetic. He's bright. He's young. And on Jan. 23, Warren Rupnarain wants you to vote for a more accessible Canada.
The fourth-year Social Work student is not a political candidate running in the federal election. Instead, he is lobbying the party candidates on his own platform: to raise awareness of disability issues.
Rupnarain's main goal is to encourage politicians to bring into law the Canadians with Disabilities Act, which was recommended by a parliamentary task force in 1996 to the federal government. "This would eliminate barriers on all levels and provide a level playing field for people with disabilities," says the 23-year-old student. According to Social Development Canada, one in eight Canadians has a disability.
Rupnarain, as part of his seven-month internship with the Ontario March of Dimes' government relations department, is visiting as many candidates as possible until the last day of the campaign.
The student, who was born with cerebral palsy and relies on a motorized wheelchair to get around, will rate how easy or difficult it is to access each office he visits. Once inside, he will challenge each candidate on his or her position on disability issues.
"I want to bring awareness of the inaccessibility of society and facilitate change," says Rupnarain. "Going to campaign offices is a great way to do this because they have the power to make that change."
The student has also launched a website, warrensworld.ca, where he is blogging his experiences and posting video footage of his visits with party candidates, shot by a student film crew from Centennial College. His website also lists the platforms of the five main parties on disability issues. Rupnarain will also announce the top five most accessible offices on his website on Jan. 23.
"This is advocacy in action, and March of Dimes is proud to help advance Canada's public policy dialogue on disability issues through creative vehicles like Warren's World, on behalf of all Canadians with disabilities," says Steven Christianson, the non-profit organization's government relations coordinator. He came up with the initial idea and the student was keen on jumping aboard.
For Rupnarain, his lobbying efforts are paying off in a personal way. "It helps me in achieving my mission for breaking down barriers not only for myself but for the disabled community."
