GTA Disability Coalition

02/13/2026

What a powerful moment to be a part of! While the weather may have been cold, we're grateful to everyone who was able to show up and demand better housing, services and lives for Torontonians with disabilities!

02/06/2026

“It is urgent that the city direct additional investment into primary prevention by increasing the number of new units that are deeply affordable AND accessible so disabled Torontonians are justly housed! It is troublesome that many of the city’s housing announcements include mention of affordable units but rarely, if ever, do you clearly state how many accessible units there will be.”

Kim Adlard, the coordinator of the GTA Disability Coalition at Centre for Independent Living in Toronto - CILT Inc., spoke at the Budget Subcommittee meeting at Etobicoke Civic Centre about Toronto’s crisis of deeply affordable and accessible housing.

Watch her full deputation here:

Kim Adlard, the coordinator of the GTA Disability Coalition, spoke at the Budget Subcommittee meeting at Etobicoke Civic Centre about Toronto’s crisis of dee...

02/06/2026

“While homelessness is a mass disabling crisis, our partners at Toronto Shelter and Support Services and Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness tell us that day by day, disabled folks are still routinely refused shelter spaces in our city’s shelters and provided no alternative options once they are refused because inaccessibility is a structural problem in our city. And so there’s no place for them to go.”

David Meyers, Centre for Independent Living in Toronto - CILT Inc.'s Senior Manager of Independent Living Programs, spoke at the Budget Subcommittee meeting at City Hall about Toronto’s rising disabled unhoused population and the urgent need for accessible shelter stock across the city’s shelter system.

Watch his full deputation here:

David Meyers, CILT's Senior Manager of Independent Living Programs, spoke at the Budget Subcommittee meeting at City Hall about Toronto’s rising disabled unh...

02/06/2026

“Over 87% of Women with Disabilities risk being trapped in abuse due to legislated poverty & lack of accessible airborne-safe affordable housing. Likewise, housing insecurity is skyrocketing for many across Tkaronto.”

Aasiya Hussain, CEO and Executive Director of Ecohesian, spoke virtually at the Budget Subcommittee at Scarborough Civic Centre about increasing funding for strategies to protect Disabled People during disasters (including extreme weather climate crises), AC & heating, snow removal, health and safety, safe air & water, and accessible affordable housing.

Watch her full deputation here:

Aasiya Hussain, CEO and Executive Director of Ecohesian, spoke virtually at the Budget Subcommittee at Scarborough Civic Centre about increasing funding for ...

02/06/2026

“According to the Wellesley Institute’s report on ‘Thriving in the City with a Disability,’ it is more expensive to live with a disability than without one. Every day I log onto social media, I see members of the disability community crowdfunding online for their rent, for food, for repairs to their mobility aids and more.”

Dev Ramsawakh, a program assistant at Centre for Independent Living in Toronto - CILT Inc., spoke at the Budget Subcommittee meeting at Scarborough Civic Centre about how poverty impacts disabled people in Toronto, stressing the need for improved poverty reduction and social participation strategies specifically for disabled communities.

Wellesley Institutes's Thriving in the City with a Disability Report:https://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Wellesley-Institute_ThrivingwithaDisability_Framework_Final_Sept-24-1.pdf

Watch their full deputation here: https://youtu.be/-p7mchT88jo

Dev Ramsawakh, a program assistant at CILT, spoke at the Budget Subcommittee meeting at Scarborough Civic Centre about how poverty impacts disabled people in...

02/06/2026

“People who have access to community and accessible affordable housing often start to thrive despite society being ableist. We can get there; we can lift people up."

Keat Welsh, the IDE+A Project Coordinator at Centre for Independent Living in Toronto - CILT Inc., spoke at the Budget Subcommittee meeting at Etobicoke Civic Centre about the lack of statistics on accessible housing, the need for more accessible co-op housing and reducing social isolation for disabled people.

Watch their full deputation here:

Keat Welsh, the IDE+A Project Coordinator at CILT, spoke at the Budget Subcommittee meeting at Etobicoke Civic Centre about the lack of statistics on accessi...

02/06/2026

“Contrary to popular belief, lack of housing causes mental health problems more than the reverse. In terms of costs – human and financial – it is more cost effective to provide housing than it is to respond to crises and keep people in shelters, jails and hospitals.”

Jennifer Chambers, Executive Director of the Empowerment Council, spoke at the Budget Subcommittee at City Hall about increasing funding to Toronto Community Crisis Service and affordable, accessible housing.

Watch her full deputation here:

Jennifer Chambers, Executive Director of the Empowerment Council, spoke at the Budget Subcommittee at City Hall about increasing funding to Toronto Community...

02/04/2026

“Even though healthcare delivery is a provincial responsibility, the City shapes whether people can access care through transportation services like Wheel-Trans, with 4.4 million projected rides in 2026 demonstrating the demand and reliance on accessible transit for health appointments.”

Keya Osborne, Director of Disability Justice at CNIB, spoke at the Budget Subcommittee at North York Civic Centre about how the City of Toronto can improve access to healthcare through transportation, built environments, communication systems, community health programming, and public health funding.

Watch her full deputation here:

Keya Osborne, Director of Disability Justice at CNIB, spoke at the Budget Subcommittee at North York Civic Centre about how the City of Toronto can improve a...

02/03/2026

“Poverty initiatives in the City of Toronto do not name disabled people. Again and again and again we hear that disabled people do not see themselves represented in the needs of our city. These are not data gaps but these are budget choices.”

Wendy Porch, Executive Director at the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto - CILT Inc., spoke at the Budget Subcommittee meeting at City Hall about the lack of accessibility coordination in Toronto, the need for affordable and accessible housing, affordable and accessible transit and the need for a disability-specific Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Watch her full deputation here:

Wendy Porch, Executive Director at the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto, spoke at the Budget Subcommittee meeting at City Hall about the lack of acce...

02/03/2026

01/16/2026

Did you miss our Town Hall Centring Disability Inclusion in the City of Toronto's 2026 Budget event with Centre for Independent Living in Toronto - CILT Inc., Social Planning Toronto and TTCriders.ca yesterday? A recording of the event is up now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5NQyC_y5CY

01/09/2026

Less than 1 week! Register now to join us for presentations and discussions on how you can engage with the City of Toronto 2026 budget to be more inclusive of disabled people! Details in the shared post below.

Centre for Independent Living in Toronto and the GTA Disability Coalition invite you to join us for:

A Town Hall Centring Disability Inclusion in the City of Toronto’s 2026 Budget.

Have your say in the City of Toronto Budget! Join CILT, the GTADC, Social Planning Toronto and TTCriders to explore ways to engage your voice:

• letter or phone messages to your city councillor/Mayor Chow
• social media campaigns
• deputing at budget meetings on January 20 and 21

Date: Thursday January 15, 2026
Time: 1:00pm-2:30pm
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
Register on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/v_Ac_AXeQ_iWca4fQ3CroQ

If you need assistance with registering, please contact Robin Simmons by email robin.simmons@cilt.ca or call 416-599-2458 ext. 293.

Please note: The CILT office will be closed from Wednesday December 24, 2025 12:00pm to Friday January 2, 2026 9:00am.

Access: ASL-English interpretation and CART will be provided.

If you require any access accommodations, please let us know in the Accessibility Support section of the registration by Tuesday January 12, 2026

Centre for Independent Living in Toronto - CILT Inc. GTA Disability Coalition Social Planning Toronto TTCriders.ca

Alt Description: The poster contains the above invitation text, with the exception of the zoom registration link. The text is rendered in a purple coloured font, set against a white background. Logos of the 4 partners are displayed at the poster's bottom.