Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
My name is John Rafferty. I'm the president and CEO of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, best known as CNIB.
CNIB has been part of the Canadian landscape for over 100 years with a continuous mission to ensure inclusion and accessibility for all Canadians who are blind or partially sighted.
Currently, the Government of Canada data shows that there are 1.5 million Canadians living with sight loss. We have a long history of working with governments going back more than 90 years, advocating for the accessible voting act for Canadians who are blind, and working most recently with government across all disability sectors on BillC-81, the Accessible Canada Act.
Today, we are here to talk about smart devices, affordability and access. Smart devices over the last five or six years have changed the way Canadians with disabilities are able to interact. With developers developing new applications all the time, a smart device can allow me to navigate safely in the physical environment. It can allow me to read prescriptions when I can't see and safely take medications. It can keep my connected the way it keeps others connected. These devices and applications are about a person being able to interact in the community.
In areas of education and employment, access to high-speed data and affordable plans are more important. For Canadians who are blind or partially sighted, with a full-time employment rate of just 28%, affordability of data is critical. These devices may be smart, but if they're not connected, they really are not. More and more, now is the time for us to look at closing this gap. We are looking at addressing issues related to applications that are there for the safety of individuals who are blind or partially sighted, and to even consider looking at applications that should be exempt from data charges at all.
We urge this committee to take a look at affordability, access for both rural and remote Canadians, and also for all Canadians with disabilities.
I look forward to questions you may have.