Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians

08/19/2026

We're proud to introduce the ten outstanding recipients of the 2026 AEBC / Allyant Scholarships, whose academic achievements are matched by their leadership, community involvement, and a commitment to accessibility and inclusion.

Read about the people behind the accomplishments and meet the future leaders of a more inclusive Canada. Discover what they've overcome, what they're contributing today, and the difference they're already making.

Read more: https://www.blindcanadians.ca/post/celebrating-the-2026-aebc---allyant-scholarship-recipients

ALT TEXT: a student working on a laptop in a university library

Allyant

AUDIO VERSIONOn behalf of the Scholarship Committee and my Co-Chair, Betty Nobel, it is our pleasure to introduce the ten outstanding scholarship recipients for 2026. Each has demonstrated strong academic achievement, leadership, community involvement, and a commitment to advancing accessibility and...

08/13/2026

Step inside the real Downton Abbey: Highclere Castle. Richard recounts the memorable visit with his husband to this magnificent estate and some of its history. Read the full travel story: https://www.blindcanadians.ca/post/highclere-castle-is-the-real-downton-abbey

AUDIO VERSIONBy Richard MarionIn June, my husband and I went on our vacation to the UK and France. During that trip, we saw many castles and other sights. One of the highlights for me was having a chance to visit Highclere Castle which is the set of the popular television show, Downton Abbey. This w...

08/04/2026

AEBC Ottawa met on August 3rd at the Lieutenant’s Pump Pub in downtown Ottawa. This wonderful venue had great service and no issues with accommodating our large group. Great discussion on Ottawa politics, travelling, smart glasses, running for the AEBC board and our neighbours to the south.

07/24/2026

An interesting post as we close out disability pride month.

07/23/2026

Have you ever tasted donkey milk?

Neither had Neven until he visited the Azores, where he was given a behind-the-scenes look at one of the few farms producing skincare products made from fresh donkey milk.

And yes, he even tasted the milk.

Spoiler: It doesn't taste at all like you might expect.

Read about this fascinating travel experience. Read the full post: https://www.blindcanadians.ca/post/my-travel-adventure-to-the-azores-1

ALT TEXT: Neven milking a donkey by hand

AUDIO VERSIONBy Neven HumphreyIn Canada, there are now travel agencies specifically for blind or partially-sighted people. That wasn’t the case about 20 years ago, when I was doing research for a book on biographies of contemporary blind or visually-impaired role models. (I found two at the time, ...

07/16/2026

What does it take to plan an accessible European vacation? Richard shares the successes, surprises, and accessibility challenges while traveling through Edinburgh, London, and Paris as a blind traveler. Plus, you'll find practical tips to help plan your own adventure. Read the full story: https://www.blindcanadians.ca/post/how-we-planned-our-accessible-european-vacation-successes-and-challenges


ALT TEXT: Richard and Bill stand smiling together in front of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Richard, on the right, has his arm around Bill's shoulder and holds his white cane.

AUDIO VERSIONBy Richard Marion A Dream Vacation BeginsTraveling the world as a blind person is both rewarding and challenging. This year, my husband and I embarked on one of our dream vacations. While the trip itself was amazing, planning it had the potential to turn into a nightmare.Over the next w...

07/16/2026

Guide dogs aren't pets—they're working partners who help make independence possible. Thanks Guide Dogs for the Blind for this important reminder!

07/08/2026

Our newest blog, “Seeing the Sights Through Description and Touch” is the fourth in the series by Linda Bartram about travel. She writes about her recent trip, including descriptive tactile tours in Athens and Edinburgh and what she learned along the way. Read the full article:

https://www.blindcanadians.ca/post/seeing-the-sights-through-description-and-touch

AUDIO VERSIONBy Linda BartramPrior to travelling to Greece and Great Britain this May, I endeavoured to arrange some descriptive tactile tours, including ones in Athens, on the urging of an AEBC member with connections to Greece. I asked ChatGPT to tell me about such tours in Athens and Edinburgh an...

07/07/2026

AEBC is pleased to share that we have received a grant from Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) for a three-year national project focused on accessibility, lived experience, disability-led research, and practical recommendations to help improve standards, systems, and participation for people with disabilities.

We will hold a public launch in the fall, and are continuing to iron out the details with ASC, but we wanted to let our members know that we are beginning the work now and are hiring two part-time positions to help ramp up the project. You can download the postings in Word here:
Project Coordinator: https://e243e96c-4bb7-44ad-87e6-fb1e8ae96185.usrfiles.com/ugd/e243e9_844f867b80d94b39b84cfd6db852e989.docx
Admin Assistant: https://e243e96c-4bb7-44ad-87e6-fb1e8ae96185.usrfiles.com/ugd/e243e9_f30b887e93d1497b893499e9d350b370.docx

Members will have many opportunities to participate in the project over the next several months, including surveys, round tables, interviews, and possible contract work. Any member participation in project activities will be compensated.

Please read our AEBC Connect and the members’ discussion list for updates as the project gets underway.