A Markham consulting firm that offers services to help small and medium-sized enterprises grow and succeed will receive funding that’s designed to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.
OneHub Business Consulting on Torbay Road is among 131 organizations across the country that will receive a combined $1.1 million in funding for accessibility projects led by Canadian youth.
Founded in July 2018, OneHub will receive $9,902 from the Enabling Accessibility Fund (EAF), a federal grants and contributions program that supports construction, renovation and retrofit projects that improve the accessibility, safety and inclusion of people with disabilities in communities and the labour market. More than 7,200 projects have been funded under the EAF since its launch in 2007.
Through the EAF’s youth innovation component, those aged 15 to 30 years can become Youth Accessibility Leaders (YALs) to help identify accessibility barriers within their communities and then partner with local organizations to help secure up to $10,000 in accessibility project funding to address the barriers in community spaces and workplaces.
Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Kamal Khera announced the recipients of this year’s funding on International Youth Day. “The youth innovation component of the EAF is about making sure we’re helping young Canadians to be positive agents of change within their own communities,” he said in Scarborough on August 12. “In order to build a more inclusive and accessible Canada, we need to include all voices at the table and that is exactly what our government is committed to do. Young Canadians are certainly an important part of this process, as they have unique and important perspectives on what a barrier-free Canada should look like.”
The 2017 Canada Survey on Disability found that one in five Canadians aged 15 years and older – or about 6.2 million people – report having a disability. The EAF funds projects that improve accessibility to those with physical disabilities as well as invisible disabilities such as mental, learning, and communicative disabilities.
Under a new call for proposals, young people interested in becoming a YAL can submit their expressions of interest by October 10 at 5 p.m. EDT online. Eligible organizations can submit their funding application(s) in collaboration with the YAL by October 31 at 5 p.m. EDT online. Click here to learn more about upcoming information sessions.
