This survey is designed to collect feedback and insights for the upcoming Canadian Vision 2020 Summit on the current and future state of (1) experiences of living with vision loss (2) issues of equity and access to vision care, and (3) vision research.

Hosted by the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) and Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC) in partnership with the Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO), the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS), the CNIB Foundation, and other partners, the event will take place in Ottawa on February 12 from 8:30am to 12:30pm at the Christ Church Cathedral on 414 Sparks Street, Ottawa, ON, K1R 0B2. Registration will open soon.

The Summit will be oriented around the three topics already listed, and guided by answers you provide to the exploratory questions below. Your answers will also guide the development of three white papers—one on each topic—that will be released in draft form in January before the event, and then finalized after the event based on key learnings.

None of the below fields are mandatory, so please feel free to answer only the questions that interest you, and to use them as vehicles for communicating your thoughts and experiences. Though this depends on your answers, we expect the questionnaire to take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

If this questionnaire is inaccessible to you, you can download a Word version through the following link: https://www.fightingblindness.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Accessible-White-Papers-Survey.docx. Please email the competed file to candrews@fightingblindness.ca by December 18.

If you need assistance filling out either the online or Word versions of this questionnaire, you can call 1.800.461.3331 or email info@fightingblindness.ca.


LIVING WITH VISION LOSS

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* 1. What are some of the stereotypes faced by the vision loss community today? 

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* 2. Have you faced discrimination as a result of your vision loss?

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* 3. How can we break down misconceptions about vision loss? 

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* 4. What are some of the barriers to meaningful employment for the vision loss community? How do we tackle them? 

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* 5. Do you experience marginalization as a result of your vision loss?

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* 6. Do you have access to accessible, assistive technology? Is it affordable? Are there assistive device programs available to help you navigate these technologies?

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* 7. Is Canada accessible and inclusive? How do we rank among other countries in terms of accessibility legislation and initiatives? Is there an opportunity to improve the Accessible Canada Act?

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* 8. What is the impact of vision loss on families and overall quality of life?

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* 9. Do you have any other comments or ideas related to living with vision loss and blindness?

EQUITY AND ACCESS TO VISION CARE

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* 10. Are existing diagnoses and treatments for eye diseases widely accessible in Canada? Do we have measures in place to ensure access to treatments regardless of income, geographic location, and other factors?

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* 11. What are some of the obstacles to bringing new treatments to Canada? How do we overcome them?

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* 12. Insurance coverage for vision care hasn’t kept up with advances in optometry and ophthalmology. What are some of the gaps in adequate coverage and how can these gaps be addressed?

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* 13. What role does a potential pharmacare program play in the vision care landscape? Would a national pharmacare system make treatments more accessible or less?

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* 14. What other obstacles do you see preventing equity and access to vision care?

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* 15. Do you have any other comments or ideas related to the issues of equity and access to vision care?

VISION RESEARCH

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* 16. What are some of the key developments being advanced in vision research today (stem cells, gene therapy, pharmaceuticals, etc.)?

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* 17. Where do we need to focus research to have the most impact on improving health outcomes?

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* 18. How do we encourage more funding for vision research?

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* 19. How is vision research addressing the needs of the growing population of Canadians losing their sight, in particular senior Canadians?

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* 20. What kinds of public health and health systems research are required to convince government decision-makers and other stakeholders to increase funding for vision research?

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* 21. Where do you see vision research in 5 years from now? How about 25 years?

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* 22. Do you have any other comments or ideas related to vision research?

IDENTIFICATION 

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* 23. Which group do you identify yourself as being a member of? You can select multiple.

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* 24. Would you like to provide your contact info in case there’s an opportunity to discuss your answers in more detail? This will not be shared with anyone, and will only be used to facilitate follow-up. Please skip these fields if you don't want to be contacted in this way.

Thank you for your input!

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