Webinar - Live - COVID-19 Supports for People with Disabilities with Pooran Law & AIDE Canada

This webinar is facilitated by Pooran Law and features a live question and answer session at the end. It will include an overview of federal and provincial benefits available to people with disabilities and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as considerations related to the health care of people with disabilities during the outbreak.

Topics will include:

- Federal Government Benefits

- Provincial Government Benefits

- Health Care, Decision-Making and Duty to Accommodate

- Live Q&A After the Webinar

Presenters: Brendon Pooran and Saquiba Rahman

Brendon Pooran has been involved with various disability organizations as a member, volunteer, employee or director for most of his life. He created PooranLaw to provide support to this community and to influence disability law and policy throughout Canada.

Prior to founding PooranLaw, Brendon worked for a large multi-national law firm where he practised labour and employment law and at a boutique law firm that specialized in accessibility issues. Before entering the legal profession, Brendon spent several years as a management consultant where he regularly provided strategic advice to human services clients in the United States.

In addition to practising law, Brendon teaches Critical Disability Law at York University, is the Past-President of Community Living York South and is a founding director of both PLAN Toronto (now Partners for Planning) and Microboards Ontario. He is also a Senior Lawyer Member on the Ontario Consent and Capacity Board.

Community Involvement and Advocacy Work

- Ample policy and law reform work in the areas of income security, legal capacity and accessible, inclusive housing options

- Founding director of Plan Toronto (now Partners for Planning) and Microboards Ontario and Past-President of Community Living York South

- Contributor to various Law Commission of Ontario initiatives relating to the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), legal capacity and the Registered Disability Savings Program (RDSP)

Saquiba Rahman joined PooranLaw  as an Associate after having articled and worked for the firm during law school. Saquiba has always been passionate about and active in the disability sector, having completed Osgoode’s Disability Law Intensive in her second year of law school at ARCH Disability Law Centre (specialized legal aid clinic). While at Osgoode, she also volunteered for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Alliance and served as a member of Osgoode’s Daredevils in Training Organization (DITO), which advocated for greater accessibility at the school. In her graduating year, Saquiba received the Legal and Literacy Society’s Student Honour Award for her significant contribution to the Osgoode community.

Prior to law school, Saquiba was a Policy Advisor to a Senator in the Parliament of Canada, where she assisted the work of the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights and Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Community Involvement and Advocacy Work

- Director, Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association (CMLA)

- Volunteer, SMILE Canada Support Services

- Volunteer, Ottawa Chapter, Canadian Association for Muslims with Disabilities (CAM-D/DEEN Support Services)

- Volunteer, Canada Bangladesh Muslim Community (CBMC)

Presented in partnership with: