Yvonne Peters: Sight impaired, Braille Advocate , Human Rights Lawyer

"I wanted to be more than just a screamer!" - Yvonne Peters.To acknowledge World Braille Day, Humans, on Rights spoke with Yvonne Peters. Yvonne practiced as a human rights lawyer in Winnipeg for over 30 years. During this time she served as legal counsel and advisor on a number of equality test cases involving disability rights and women’s rights. Her work also included serving as a legislative consultant on the implementation of regulated midwifery in Manitoba and acting as project manager for the development of a free-standing birth centre in Winnipeg, the first of its kind in western Canada. Yvonne has served on numerous boards and committees at the local, national and international level.Most notably, she was the Chairperson of the Manitoba Accessibility Advisory Council and the Chairperson of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission. A highlight of Yvonne’s community work occurred in 1980 when she chaired the Human Rights Committee of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities. A key goal of this Committee was to secure recognition for disability rights in the then proposed Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Committee’s efforts paid off and in 1981 Canada became one of the few countries to grant Constitutional protection to the rights of Persons with physical and mental disabilities. Yvonne is no longer a practicing lawyer but continues her community work in the area of human rights. In the fall of 2018 she was appointed by the federal government to the Court Challenges Program of Canada Human Rights Expert Panel. In the spring of 2021 she was invited to join the Inclusive Design Advisory Committee with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. For the past few years she has served as a proud member of the Board of Directors for the Winnipeg theatre group Sick + Twisted.Yvonne travels with a guide dog and as such has encountered discrimination because of her dog. She is therefore a very active and passionate member of the National Coalition of Persons Who Use Guide and Service Dogs. Fun facts include learning to play the flute, involvement in horseracing activities and relaxing with her dog and husband at their cabin in Nopiming Park in Manitoba.A Transcript of the Show is available here.