Ontario’s David C. Onley Award Recipients

December 06, 2022

The David C. Onley Award for Leadership in Accessibility, established in 2014, recognizes the outstanding work of those who have demonstrated leadership and gone above and beyond to champion accessibility and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.

The recipients in each of the following categories are:

Youth Leadership: Rohan Jain, Toronto

Rohan Jain was recognized for his impressive work developing the potential of youth with autism. His passion comes from the love he has for his family – his brother is a person with autism. At school, Rohan organized a bake sale for autism awareness with the proceeds going to create comic books of visual recipes for children with autism. He also did a presentation for the school that explained autism and was aimed to show the mistake of discounting anyone with a disability.

Recognizing the deficiencies in educational support and materials for youth with developmental disabilities, Rohan co-founded Able2learn Inc. It is a social enterprise that aims to transform and empower people with autism by promoting healthy lifestyles and independent living. Able2learn Inc. also advocates for equitable education. Able2learn has become the world’s largest educational platform for children with developmental disabilities with an estimated outreach of over 500,000 students. This online resource is helping people all over the world lead a more independent lifestyle. Rohan is encouraging others to create positive change for people with disabilities, and his efforts are making our world more equitable for all.

Employee Engagement: Deanna Miskie, Bowmanville

Deanna Miskie was recognized for her commitment to inclusive customer service and her dedication to creating a more inclusive workplace. Deanna is an employee at Foodland Newcastle and was keen to provide the best service she could to a customer who is Deaf. Determined to communicate better with this customer, Deanna took courses in American Sign Language (ASL). The one-time regular customer was eventually hired to work in the store and Deanna recognized the team needed support to communicate better. So, Deanna arranged for her co-workers to meet in the staff lounge and began teaching them ASL. By promoting and sharing her new knowledge of ASL, Deanna gave staff the opportunity to have fun learning a new skill. This will not only help them better serve other customers who are Deaf, it will help staff communicate better with all members of their community who are Deaf. Through Deanna’s leadership, barriers to employment were removed, biases were challenged and positive change occurred.

Role Model: Cathy Birch, Toronto

Cathy Birch was recognized for her advocacy work for tenants with disabilities living in Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) communities. Cathy is a TCHC tenant herself and uses a mobility device to get around. She founded the Responsible Personal Accessibility in Toronto Housing (R-PATH) Committee. The Committee helps identify and remove accessibility barriers, improving the lives of residents with physical disabilities. Under her leadership the TCHC has been pushed to go above and beyond the basic requirements for physical accessibility. This includes ensuring there is accessible signage in buildings, closed captioning provided for virtual meetings and reviewing the individual needs of tenants who require accessibility modifications to their units. Cathy also helped design and deliver the TCHC’s accessibility capital program. She even travels to buildings to meet with staff who are planning and managing accessibility upgrades, and makes suggestions on how they can be even more accessible. Cathy has dedicated her life to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities who live in TCHC buildings. Day in and day out, Cathy is their champion – no matter what it takes.