The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

]i EXIDE BATTERIES Buik in Canadto endure our haàs Canaia winters. ON ,ETAS 05 CLEAN Accredited Test & Pepair Facility Sulu. 540 CCA 60 mn 11% RatsdWara-. C4md'yàna-wwn. 4- The Canadien Champion, Fniday, November 24, 2000 5 et your cIockE5 for thio year'5 j MILTON 5ANTA CLAU5 1'ARA1E I f sun. Nov. 26 I 2:00 pm - IRENE GENTLE The Champion When it cornes to breaking down barriers for the disabled, it could be said the silence has been deafening. Which is wby members of Halton's deaf communi- ty appeared before the Region's health and social ser- vices committee Tuesday to ask that it endorse a strong Ontarians witb Disabilities Act (ODA). The act, which aims for work and leisure activities to be accessible to ail, easily won the support of coun- cillors around the table. Final approval is expected at Wednesday's regionial counicil meeting. Ernest C. Drury School for the Deaf grade 1l hon- our student Brenda Koumphol addressed the commit- tee on her difficulties in finding a sumnmer job earlier this year. "I tried to explain, tbrougb writing and gesturea, that there were a variety of things a deaf person could do," she said througb an interpreter. Tbough it took a while, Ms Koumphol was eventu- ally bired to work in an office. But she soon found she wasn't being promoted as bigb and fast as ber hearing peers, said Ms Koumphol. And Marilyn Hunter of the Milton Deaf Action Croup spoke of waiting in pain in a bospital emer- gency room. Despite baving explained to staff that sbe'd need to be tapped when it was ber turn to see a doctor, sbe sat for hours while others wbo came after ber went in abead. After approaching staff to ask why she hadn't been seen, Ms Hunter was told ber narre bad been called. "Tbey were embarrassed becauae tbey forgot to pbysically tap me to let me know it was my tumn," said Ms Humter. The holldays. A tîme for Ioved ones. TUŽTLLý loliday Feagt #lD.Da 10 pieces of original recipe chicken, large fies, 2-250 mi salads, 2-250 mi gravy, and 8 TURTLES treals. 276 Main St. 878-4171_ 'Vc iô chickcn right. Donations trickling in Tbe Cbampion's Cbristmas Bureau montb if tbit year's goal of $25,000 is to Fund is now underway, and local residents be reacbed. are once again being counted on to make Last year, $22,000 was raised. Use annual fundraiser a succeas. Please send donations payable to tbe To, date, $1,520 bas been collected for Cbristmas Bureau Fund, Box 248, Milton, the campaign - wbicb assures ail local Ont., L9T 4N9, or drop tbem off at Our families bave a nice Cbristmas, complete office, 191 Main St. E. witb dinner and toys for tbe cbildren. Cash, food and toy donations are greatly A lot more belp is needed over the next appreciated. iRegion endorses a strong provincial disabilities act Incidents like tbese need to be addressed, said Halton Chair Joyce Savoline. "I tbink wbat this motion does is support sometbing that bas been silent for too long," sbe said. -I tbink that inasmucb as some of us bave been trying to change tbings, this act is a louder and mooe appropri- ate statement." Under the ODA, businesses and govemment agen- cies would be required to identify barriers witbin the organization, develop a plan to remove tbem, and tben carry out that plan. Furtber work is necessary to ensure ail residents achieve their best, said Oakville Mayor Ann Mulvale. "Tbis sort of sensitization is extremnely important," she said. "Potential comes in ail shapes and sires." A staff report on the issue noted that 1.5 million Ontarians, or up to, 17 per'cent of the population, lives witb a disability. But Burlington Councillor Jack Dennison pointed out many of tbemn are seniors, wbose limitations are due to aging. He endorsed the ODA, but stressed tbat many of tbe ilI-effeets of aging can be staved off tbrougb proper nutrition and exercise.