He started in his hometown of Toronto, surveying federal election campaign offices to see how many candidates could roll out the welcome mat for wheelchairs. Now Ontario March of Dimes advocate Warren Rupnarain is taking his call for universal accessibility straight to Parliament Hill.

Warren and the members of Warren’s World, a now internationally recognized advocacy initiative, are heading to Ottawa to encourage the new Prime Minister and his Cabinet to immediately introduce legislation that will advance a national disability act.

“We want to open a constructive dialogue and build a working relationship with this new government,” says Warren, who uses a motorized wheelchair as a result of cerebral palsy. “We’re excited about contributing to something so essential to all Canadians.”

In its election policy platform “Standing Up for Canada,” the Harper government promised to present a bill that would “promote reasonable access to medical care, medical equipment, education, employment, transportation, and housing for Canadians with disabilities.”

The Warren's World team applauded the commitment, and now plans to meet with Members and Senators from every party to impress upon them the importance of making the legislation a priority in the coming session.

“With a new government and a new session, we believe the time is right for turning promises into action,” says Warren.

Warren's World began in January 2006, when the team visited 66 federal candidates’ campaign offices in the Toronto area, testing both the accessibility of the facilities and the attitudes of the politicians to national legislation.

Their findings were posted daily on the website, and the project drew praise from politicians, commentators and the disability community.

As an ambassador of Ontario March of Dimes, 23-year old Warren is continuing the provincial organization’s long-standing tradition of promoting the rights of people with physical disabilities in Ontario, while hoping to create the program’s first successful call for action on a national scale.

“We’d like to get all Canadians involved in helping us demonstrate the need and the desire for this legislation,” says Steven Christianson, Government Relations Coordinator for Ontario March of Dimes. “We want it to represent the voice of the entire country.”

Warren’s voice has already been heard across the country and has attracted attention from as far away as Los Angeles. The Warren’s World website, www.warrensworld.ca, has also had an overwhelming response to its online “click to vote” appeal calling for a national disability act.

“We hope people continue to show their support for the act with their votes. We know the Prime Minister is listening,” says OMOD Vice President Ron Kelusky. “And we believe this is just the beginning.”

Vote for a national disability act, read Warren’s blog and get the latest news on the project at www.warrensworld.ca.

For more information contact:

Steven Christianson
Government Relations Coordinator
Ontario March of Dimes
Tel: 416-425-3463, ext. 7326
theadvocate@dimes.on.ca.