COD NL Mandate
Who we are
The Coalition of Persons with Disabilities – Newfoundland and Labrador is a charitable, non-for-profit organization established in 1983 by persons with disabilities who believed that a provincial organization is necessary to advance inclusion of persons with disabilities.
The Coalition’s mandate is to:
- Educate all people by changing attitudes concerning the rights of persons with disabilities;
- Influence regulations, laws, and actions at all levels of government to ensure that all persons with disabilities have opportunity to participate fully in society;
- Involve members and all persons with disabilities in influencing change.
The Coalition is dedicated to educating businesses, organizations, government stakeholders, municipalities, and community leaders about the need and responsibilities for supporting accessibility and inclusion. We are actively involved in initiatives to support and inform government policies and legislation to improve the standard of inclusion in our province. By involving persons with disabilities in our work, we ensure we are identifying gaps and determining solutions grounded in lived experience of disability.
The Coalition’s main role is to provide information, education, training, and promote awareness of concerns to disability.
In working with organizations, businesses, and all levels of government, the Coalition offers policy consultation, blue zone auditing, and disability awareness training.
The Coalition has created and sustained partnerships with other organizations to address issues of mutual concern. As a provincial member of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD), the Coalition is actively engaged with concerns to disability of national interest. Representation on the CCD network allows for the Coalition to connect with national resources, expertise, as well as to have influence on national interests.
As the Chair of the Network of Disability Organizations, the Coalition helps to ensure that our efforts towards inclusion are grounded in recommendations from all relevant stakeholders.