Dear Service Canada

Dear Service Canada,

 

As I continue to wade through the disability application process on behalf of my sibling, I once again have to commend you on your ability to continue to "kick it old school" in providing services to the disabled.  

In an age where technology, especially computers and the internet, has done so much to make the world accessible for disabled people, it is almost laudable that you continue to see them in terms of bathroom size, elevators, and door widths. To that end, I am confident that every building in which a Service Canada office resides is fully compliant with government regulations for public buildings.

"But what about the website?" you might ask. Yes, you do have a website. It's 2014. Everybody has a website. "But all the forms are on there". Yes they are, and herein lies your problem. And by problem, I mean ignorance of the first order.

Your forms are in field-less, non-accessible portable document format, otherwise known as a PDF. It is the 21st century equivalent of a printed piece of paper.

Bravo, you've posted paper to the internet.

Here's a few things these PDF forms could do if you folks could pull your fully able heads out of your fully able asses:

Not only can they be programmed to read aloud, but all those boxes and lines can be programmed to populate by speech. Imagine that, a person who's vision impaired (I hear that's a disability), could still fill out the forms by themselves rather than rely on someone to do it for them. Likewise for someone who can't use their hands. There is more to technology than Teledec and Teleprinters. Speaking of which, the prefix "tele"means "telephony". If that term sounds antiquated to you, it's because it is.

I'm not sure if anyone has told you this before, but disabled people treasure independence as much as the able bodied. However, unlike the able-bodied, they've had to surrender up much of their independence to their disability. As such, it is important to give them every opportunity to exercise independence. Even if it's filling out a form. 

Electronic signature software exists and its popularity and use is growing exponentially. You know what would be cooler for a person whose disability prevents them from marking anything more meaningful than an X because they can't grasp a pen? An electronic signature, which requires one working finger and lets them type their own name. It would also be helpful for the folks who are helping those folks, because if you haven't seen a map recently, not everyone in Canada lives in the same town.

 

Speaking of the helper folks, providing a form that the helper, the disabled person and their doctor could all sign would be a hell of a lot easier and cheaper than obtaining a power of attorney from a lawyer. There is a reason these forms are filled out in the first place. It's called being unable to work because of "severe and prolonged" medical conditions, your words not mine. No work means no pay and lawyers are expensive.

But for the most disabled, all of this is moot. With rare exception, there is no WiFi in hospitals for patients and tray tables don't come with built in inkjet printers. They don't just need help, they need all the help.

As a society, we fail if we don't help those among us who need it the most, and on this, we, and by we I mean you, Service Canada, are failing.

Signed,

Peggy, an able-bodied person who learned from her beautiful and inspiring sister about what it's like to be disabled.