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Last week I was honoured for my contributions to independent living and disability advocacy

Founders’ Award Acceptance Speech

(October 15, 2021) 

Donald Barrie

Thank you so much for presenting me with the Founders’ Award. I am honoured to be the 28^th recipient of this award from a wonderful organization. I am forever thankful to Executive Director Wendy Porch, President Jacques LeBlanc, the Board of Directors, and the staff of CILT for their support over the years.

My association with CILT has lasted 20 years and counting. I have been an employee of the centre, a volunteer director on the board, and served as its Vice-President! I also participated in the D-Next media project, a follow-up to the old Disability Network program that CBC aired during the 1990s. When I was employed as the Resource Coordinator, I helped edit and publish the CILT newsletter, which I later renamed as CILT Now.

If you have read the bio included in the AGM package, it says that I tell the stories of IL through my stories. Tonight, I will share some of my own story with you.

I valued my independence long before I knew about the concept and history of IL. At an early age, I had a desire to take risks. At 13, after watching my other friends play wheelchair hockey at my school, I decided to join in. I was advised not to play due to the nature of my disability (osteogenesis imperfecta). I played for many years, and not once did I fracture myself. I am now a coach at a wheelchair hockey league in the city.  

When I turned 21, I took one of the biggest risks of my life by moving to Ottawa and living and studying at Carleton University. At 25, I returned to Toronto and studied journalism at Ryerson University. While there, I learned another benefit of advocacy. If it hadn’t been for the efforts of Ing Wong-Ward, a previous recipient of the Founders’ Award, I likely would not have been able to attend many of my classes.

It was prior to graduating in 2000 that I met Sandra Carpenter. I still remember that first conversation we had when I interned at CBC’s former TV series Moving On. She asked me if I knew anything about the history of IL. I couldn’t answer her. My definition of independent living at the time was being a person with a disability living in his or her own place! A year later, I applied for a job at CILT. When I got hired, I became both a staff member and full-time student at a school that teaches and celebrates the IL community.

A year into my job, turbulence occurred between me and my attendant service provider. Its manager at the time made changes to my daily routines I felt were working against me. I decided to apply for the Direct Funding program. For the past sixteen years I have been a self-manager of my own attendant services, and I am eternally grateful to be part of it.

In 2018, I appeared in an episode of Employable Me, a show you may have seen on AMItv about jobseekers with disabilities. Former Ontario Lieutenant Governor David Onley appeared in the episode. He reminded me that many of us in the community are natural problem-solvers and can find creative ways to get through nearly any obstacle. (I recently learned that he was the person who nominated me for the Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013.)

So, what does IL mean to me in 2021? It means being able to make your own decisions (being your own advocate), applying your knowledge from your experiences living with a disability, and making constructive use of the time you have been given. I also believe that IL involves constant, lifelong learning. While ableism and other societal attitudes and barriers persist, I tell others with disabilities who are feeling discouraged to not let these harsh realities defeat them.

In my quest for independence, I want to acknowledge my mom and dad. Their love and support have been unconditional. I also want to acknowledge a cherished friend named Eleana. She would have loved to have seen me win this award, and to know how far I have come. She is always with me in spirit.

I am grateful CILT exists, and how it continues to support me and others in the community. The pandemic, while trying at times, has not slowed me down. I work at my current jobs from home and socialize on Zoom when possible. For the remainder of my life, I aim to continue living up to the standards set by the best of the IL community. (This includes previous honourees like the recently departed Ian Parker and Marcia Rioux.) Thank you again for honouring me. See you again in person soon.