Bios of AODA Alliance Board Nominees
Jean Beckett
Jean is a founding member of the Resource Centre for Independent Living and served as Chair for seven years. She was also involved with the Ontario Network of Independent Living Centres and the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres. For her work with these organizations she received an Ontario Volunteer Service Award. Jean also sits on the Board of the Muskoka Parry Sound Community Mental Health Service. She has served on numerous committees and a Program Advisory Committee. Her work there and within the broader mental health system earned her a second Ontario Volunteer Service Award. Currently she is also Co-Chair of the Board of Lake Country Community Legal Clinic. Jean has a number of disabilities and is based in Parry Sound.
Eric Brittle
Eric is the former Director of Glengarry Association for Community Living. He has successfully advocated for improvements for people in power wheelchairs and he is a member of the Independent Funding Coalition of Ontario. Eric is based in Alexandria (East of Cornwall).
Catherine Dunphy
Catherine has a BA from St. Xavier University and a M.T.S. from the University of Toronto. She is currently working as a self-employed Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant with the Ontario Disability Supports Program where she provides Employment and Self-Employment supports to clients. With a focus on employment for persons with disabilities, Catherine’s career history also includes Labour Market Re-entry for WSIB clients and employment equity. She is a member of the Roundtable Project “Return to Work Return to Function,” DEEPA and is a Gold Member of the Duke of Edinburgh Award of Canada. Catherine has volunteered at seniors homes, soup kitchens and for refugee housing. Catherine has a disability and is based in Toronto.
Bill Elms
Bill graduated from Variety Village Vocational School in Scarborough in 1968 as a heating and air conditioning draftsman. He has actively pursued accessibility issues such as disabled parking, transportation and access surveys. He also has some experience in the filing of discrimination complaints through the Ontario Human Rights Commission and of its mediation and investigation processes. Bill is presently pursuing issues with wheelchair accessible taxis, ploy johns and family washrooms. Bill is based in Trenton.
James Hunsberger
James has BA in degree in Psychology from The University of Western Ontario. His past work experiences include working as: Handicapped Ministries Coordinator for the Mennonite Central Committee (Ontario), Executive Director for the Independent Living Centre in Kitchener, Coordinator for the Coalition for Development (Southwestern Ontario) and Community Development Officer for the Ontario March of Dimes. James is currently a Board Member for the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies and the Independent Living Centre of Waterloo Region. He is appointed to the Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee. He is also an Active Special Skills Dog User for the Lions Foundation of Canada. James is living with a disability, based in Waterloo, and takes an extra interest in issues relating to aging with and into disability.
Gary Malkowski
Gary received his BA in Social Work and his Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counselling from Gallaudet University, Washington D.C., the only accredited university for the deaf in the world. He is currently Special Advisor to President, Public at the Canadian Hearing Society, where he also oversees consumer, government and corporate relations. Prior to joining the Canadian Hearing Society, Gary became the first elected deaf politician in the world. During his term as MPP for York East (1990-1995), he was Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Citizenship and he was also Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education and Training. Gary has worked tirelessly on issues such as anti-racism, access and ethno-cultural equity, and access to professions and trades initiatives. His invaluable contributions to legal community services led to the successful introduction and implementation of the Federal and Provincial Employment Equity Acts, the Anti-Racism Education Directorate, the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Duty to Accommodate Policy, the Mental Health Services Act and the Literacy and Life Skills Program. Gary has been awarded several honours and awards and has lectured throughout Canada, the US, Europe and Asia. Gary is based in Toronto
Mark Nagler
Mark Nagler holds a BA from the University of British Columbia, an MA from the University of Chicago and a PhD from the University of Stirling (Scotland). Dr. Nagler has taught at McMaster University and the University of Waterloo in the discipline of Sociology. His research interests are the sociology of disability, implications of disability for individuals, disability and every day life, strategies for handling disability and maximizing habilative potential, and race and ethnic relations. Mark is also the president of Nagler Consulting Services where he conducts seminars related to the impact of disabilities and the physical, psychological, social and sexual abuse of persons with disabilities. Mark has won awards and honours and has published 10 books. He is currently professor emeritus at the University of Waterloo, and is a board member of Temple Anshe Shalom and Shalom Village Seniors and Nursing Home. Mark has CP and is based in Hamilton.
John Rae
John is the National President of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC). He retired in January 2005 after a 24-year career in the Ontario Public Service. Over the past 30 years, John has been a Board member on numerous disability rights and other human rights organizations. He also currently serves on the National Council of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD). John is blind and is based in Toronto.
Richard Théberge
Richard has a BA from the University of Montreal, a LLB and a Masters degree in Corporate Law (LL.M) from the University of Ottawa. He was awarded the “Prix du Barreau de Paris,” an annual award granted by the Law Society of Paris (France) for excellence in postgraduate studies. Richard is an experienced policy analyst with a strong background in Human Rights Law. He has his own consulting business specializing in accessibility. He was a founding member of the Ottawa Chapter of the ODA Committee and is currently the Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, an appointment that has been renewed until 2008. Richard is the author of several papers published in legal periodicals. He is a lifetime member of Optimist International and a recognized patron of the Jules Léger Centre, the only French Secondary school for the deaf in Ontario. Richard is also a two-term member of the board of the Ottawa Deaf Centre (4 years) as well as a Lifetime Honourary Member of the Canadian Council of Independent Laboratories (CCIL) as a reward for services rendered to the Canadian testing industry. He has also recently been appointed President of the Ottawa Carleton Independent Living Centre. Richard acquired his disability due to a motor vehicle accident in 1971 when he sustained a severe brain injury. Richard is based in Ottawa.
Doreen Winkler
Dr. Doreen Winkler has skills in counseling, interviewing, working with small groups, writing, organization, speaking to audiences, keeping files and editing. She belongs to the Institute of Doctors in Social Work where she has been a very effective member of the Executive Council since 2003. She is former member of ODA Committee. Doreen is blind and is based in Toronto.
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