AFN National Chief Bellegarde Honours November as Indigenous Disability Awareness Month

AFN National Chief Bellegarde Honours November as Indigenous Disability Awareness Month

November 22, 2016

(Ottawa, ON)― The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is observing Indigenous Disability Awareness Month for the first time this November 2016, in recognition of the achievements and contributions of First Nations peoples living with disabilities. The AFN is marking the month by renewing the longstanding call to improve the quality of life of those living with disabilities.

“Indigenous Disability Awareness Month recognizes the many contributions of First Nations persons living with disabilities,” said AFN National Chief Bellegarde. “We are working with the Government of Canada and First Nations persons with disabilities to build more inclusive and accessible communities. For too long, First Nations persons with disabilities were sent away from their home and families to live in institutions. First Nations persons with disabilities have the right to participate equally and meaningfully in their communities and to exercise their rights to the fullest. We must work together to break down barriers facing those living with visible and invisible disabilities and eliminate all forms of discrimination.”

Indigenous Disability Awareness Month was prompted by the passage of Resolution 04/2016 at the AFN Annual General Assembly 2016. The AFN is working to enhance awareness of Indigenous disability issues through a broad intersectional lens, in collaboration with the British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society (BCANDS) and other disability networks, and governments.

Quick Facts:

• According to the First Nation Information Governance Centre, more than one-quarter of First Nations adults (27.9%) reported that they had activity limitation in their daily lives
• The proportion of First Nations adults living with a disability is 1.6 times greater than the non-Indigenous population in Canada
• To view AFN Resolution 04/2016, Declaration of November as Indigenous Disability Awareness Month or any other resolutions the AFN Chiefs-in-Assembly have passed pertaining to disabilities, please visit: afn.ca/en/resolutions

The AFN is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada. Follow AFN on Twitter @AFN_Updates.

―30―

Media contact:

Jenn Jefferys
Communications Officer
613-222-9656
jjefferys@afn.ca