{"id":1148,"date":"2022-02-07T19:01:58","date_gmt":"2022-02-07T23:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blissymbolics.ca\/w532\/?p=1148"},"modified":"2022-02-07T19:01:58","modified_gmt":"2022-02-07T23:01:58","slug":"bright-shining-canadian-irish-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blissymbolics.ca\/w532\/uncategorized\/bright-shining-canadian-irish-star\/","title":{"rendered":"Bright Shining Canadian Irish Star"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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We had such a happy (but bittersweet) zoom gathering on Sunday January 30!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A group of friends and colleagues met to celebrate the retirement of Barbara Collier<\/strong> – to wish her well as she returns to Ireland with her husband, Bill, and they begin the next chapter in their lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barbara\u2019s sisters, Geraldine, Rachel, Ruth and her brother, Peter, were with us at the zoom meeting, to celebrate Barbara\u2019s return home to Ireland in February, after 4 decades in Canada. Barbara\u2019s sister, Liz, was unable to attend. Geraldine spoke on behalf of all Barbara\u2019s siblings and their families, in expressing their pride in her accomplishments. Barbara and Bill will be living in Dalkey, Co. Dublin, Ireland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How fortunate we have been to have Barbara\u2019s contribution to the lives of AAC users across Canada! Her strong advocacy work  for more inclusive communication access legislation has been powerful!  Barbara leaves a wonderful legacy through her founding and nurturing of Communication Disabilities Access Canada (CDAC) and establishing two new groups to take on aspects of CDAC\u2019s work \u2013 The Canadian Communication Access Alliance (CCAA) and Communication Access to Justice (CAJ). Her influence on legislation and the future impact it can have on the lives of those with a communication challenge will be felt far into the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hazel Self who began working with Barbara in the establishment of CDAC back in 2001, said this at our celebration: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I reviewed the annual reports of CDAC I was struck by the breadth of activity\u2026 nothing was too big or too small for Barbara\u2026her vision embraced all of life yet remained focused on human rights and the true definition of communication as being a 2 way process, with the concept of authentic communication as being generated by the individual, with and without support\u2026..input from CDAC was shaping the ODA and the Accessible Canada Act. \u2026In 2018 CDAC was invited to appear before the Standing Committee on Human Rights, Skills and Social Development and Status of Persons with Disabilities; here Barbara was responsible for having Bill C81 amended to include communication as a priority area of focus in the Accessible Canada Act\u2026..all this from her bedroom office\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 We were fortunate to have had Barbara\u2019s bright star shining in the AAC universe for so many years – working steadily to improve the lives of those with communication challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the combined efforts of Julie Millar (videography) and Moshe Fisher-Rozenberg, (arranger of ambient music by the Bliss I-Band) and my design, we produced a Bliss vignette, as our tribute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n