“What are your thoughts, wishes and aspirations for the future of the Jewish community of Toronto?”

Edie Rice: I know from my own life experience that people who live with a disability have the simultaneous outlook on life, as do the able bodied, with the difference of the reality in which they must live. That difference is calculated upon many common factors, depending on the level of their particular disability. It should be understood that there are two categories of people with disabilities. Those who are the Disabled-Disabled, due to the level of their disability are dependent on others for their daily needs and are not able achieve a certain level of independence. Our society is structured on providing care, so these lives are cared for with the best ability that we can provide. The other group is the Able-Disabled, which makes up the majority of our disabled population, nearly 1.8 million and growing of 13 million in Ontario alone.

The Able-Disabled, those who have been educated and had opportunities, are positive contributors to society. Our community needs to maximize the full inclusion of all the Able-Disabled, but we still have not achieved the proper attitudes, mechanisms and architectural designs in place to maximize their participation. There in lie many goals we need set in our Jewish Community. The need to have outreach, with both the able and disabled via the internal and external media etc., with participation emphasis on religious, community events, volunteers, education, careers and business. My own vision would be to have all of the items, one day, to be the ‘norm’. That we no longer have to think about how to accomplish these goals, but actually have it became a part of our thinking process, what a great place we could live in.

Edie Rice