Biographies: Members of Accessibility Standards Canada's Board of Directors

Since January 2021, J. Paul Walsh has been the Chief Executive Officer at the Autism Society of Newfoundland & Labrador. He is responsible for the overall direction of the organization and oversight of its daily operations.Previously, Mr. Walsh worked in the private industry in the banking and utility sector for 35 years. During that time, he was also a course instructor at the Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration, and a Master’s Certificate in Project Management.

Over the years, Mr. Walsh has done various community and volunteer work on boards, committees, and councils. These include the St. John’s Transportation Commission, the Coalition of Persons with Disabilities-Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Advisory Council for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities.

He is a mentor, coach, and leader with a strong track record of developing emerging professionals. Mr. Walsh was the recipient of EmpowerNL’s 2020 Cecilia Carroll Award for Independent Living in recognition of his personal commitment exceeding 20 years to the full inclusion of people with disabilities. He was also a finalist for the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Award. 

Matthew Shaw was born with a deafblind condition. He is dedicated to helping governments, industries, private companies, and non-profit organizations. He focuses on removing barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating in economic and social life.

Mr. Shaw is the Head, Accessibility Practice for the Rick Hansen Foundation. Since 2022, he has provided technical expertise to help accessibility professionals and the design and construction industries adopt the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™.

Mr. Shaw is also an entrepreneur and consultant. In 2020, he founded Disability Solutions, an accessibility practice. This organization helps others understand their accessibility responsibilities. It also helps them grow their market share and improve products and services by considering the needs of people with disabilities.

He has also worked with many charities and non-profit organizations through Shaw Philanthropy Partners. This philanthropic consulting practice provided strategic counsel to help organizations grow revenue to support their missions.

Before joining the Board of Directors, Mr. Shaw served as a member of the technical committee responsible for accessibility in the built environment at Accessibility Standards Canada.

He also serves on various committees and boards, and is the Vice Chair of Canadian Blind Hockey, the fastest growing parasport in Canada.

William Adair is the Executive Director of Spinal Cord Injury Canada, a charity that helps people with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities to be able to do more on their own and be fully part of their community.

Mr. Adair has a lot of experience in the areas of healthcare and disability. He was one of the members who started the Canadian Disability Policy Alliance, the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation, and Candlelighters Canada. He has also helped the Government of Canada through the Federal Accessibility Legislation Alliance, the Working Group on Alternate Format Materials and the Parliamentary Precinct Advisory Panel.

Mr. Adair has a Bachelor of Science (University of Minnesota). He did the Executive Leadership Course on the Management of Non-Profit Organizations (Harvard University). He received Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal in 2016, which is an award for great Canadians who have done wonderful things that bring honour to our country.

Lucille Berlinguette-Saumure is an accessibility professional with 20 years of experience in accessibility planning, policy development, training and problem solving in the built environment, communications, transportation, customer service and programs. With a background in social work, she devoted more than 33 years of service to the City of Ottawa, serving equity deserving groups and vulnerable residents. From 2008 to 2024, she worked as a program manager and specialist of accessibility. In her role, she provided leadership, expertise and guidance to the city in matters of accessibility. She also led the city in the implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.Mrs. Berlinguette-Saumure is an advisory council member and chair of the Policy Community of Practice of the Canadian Accessibility Network. She is also a member of Ontario’s Customer Service Standards Review Committee. 

From 2023 to 2024, Ms. Berlinguette-Saumure chaired the technical committee responsible for Design and Delivery of Accessible Programs and Services including customer service. This committee’s role is to assist Accessibility Standards Canada in creating the first Canadian Accessible Service Delivery standard.

Mrs. Berlinguette-Saumure is a bilingual Métis woman who has lived experience with episodic non-visible disabilities, including hearing loss, mental health conditions, and environmental sensitivities. She believes that accessibility benefits everyone and that including persons with disabilities is essential for creating a more accessible and inclusive world.

Wissam Constantin is a well-known leader in the Deaf community since moving to Canada in 2017. Mr. Constantin is a Community and Events Manager at Canadian Administrator of Video Relay Services (CAV) since 2022. Mr. Constantin shares his true passion as a Deaf advocate for a better quality of life in the Deaf community, especially those who use sign language as the primary language of communication. He was involved with the Canadian Association of the Deaf (CAD) for several years as a former President, Vice-President and Project Director.

Mr. Constantin participated in federal government consultations on policy developments and accessibility implementations, especially public proceedings with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). He was also on the Canadian Association of the Deaf’s committee for organizing and advocating for ASL-LSQ legal recognition in Canada in 2018-2019.

Mr. Constantin was the first Deaf university graduate in Lebanon, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Technology and a Master’s degree in Microbiology and Immunology. He is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science for Canadian Politics and Public Policy, with a minor in Law at Carleton University, Ottawa.

Sarah Ève De Lisle is an accessibility professional with more than 20 years’ experience. She perfected her skills by managing public transportation and infrastructure projects for private and public organizations. She also managed her own accessibility consulting business for 5 years.

Ms. De Lisle is currently the Manager of Accessibility and Regulations at Aéroports de Montréal (ADM). There, she set up a management system to maximize compliance with accessibility laws and regulations. She has provided her expertise on inclusive design to several companies. She was the accessibility coordinator for the planning and development of public transportation in the Greater Montreal area for close to 10 years, from 2008 to 2013 and 2018 to 2022.Since 2021, Ms. De Lisle has been a member of two Accessibility Standards Canada technical committees. These committees focused on emergency egress (February 2021) and built environment accessibility (July 2021). As a specialist in universal accessibility, she participates in symposiums, co design workshops and round tables with various associations in Ontario and Quebec. She was a participant in and writer for the TRANSED international conference on the mobility and transport of older adults and people with disabilities in Hong Kong (2010) and New Delhi (2012). For many years, she took care of her brother who has muscular dystrophy. She became aware of daily systemic barriers, which led her to a bachelor’s degree in environmental design (products, architecture and areas) from the Université du Québec à Montréal. Since university, her projects have focused on improving accessibility for all.

Maureen has been the President and CEO of Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) since 2012. Drawing on her expertise, she advances equitable and meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Building on CCRW’s longstanding commitment (in operations since 1976), Maureen fosters employment engagement by implementing CCRW best practices and proven results.

Maureen has been active in the cross-disability sector. She led Civil Society’s work on Article 27 of the UN Convention of Rights for Persons with Disabilities. She also played a key role in initiatives on Disability and Work in Canada initiatives and co-development the pan-Canadian Strategy on Disability and Work. In addition, she is a Board member on both Accessibility Standards Canada and the Canadian Association of Supported Employment. Maureen was appointed to the Minister’s Disability Advisory Group at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Maureen’s awards include the inaugural Hummingbird Award from DAWN Canada.

Maureen started her career in the Deaf community and is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). She lives in Thornhill with her husband and 2 sons. 
 

Joe McLaughlin started McLaughlin Educational Consulting Services and has been President of the Canadian Branch of the International Catholic Deaf Association since 2012. He uses American Sign Language.

The research done by Mr. McLaughlin includes social justice (creating a more fair society), development of non-profit organizations and studies on deafness. He was the Dean of Deaf Studies and Special Services at Ohlone College in Freemont, California, from 2004 to 2008. He is an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia.

M. McLaughlin has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.) and a Masters of Arts in Education and Counselling Psychology (University of British Columbia). He also has a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration (Alliant International University, San Francisco, California).

Dr. Sarah Moore is an associate professor in the School of Health and Human Performance at Dalhousie University. She also works with the Departments of Pediatrics and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is an Affiliate Scientist in Pediatric Rehabilitation at IWK Health and a member of Dalhousie University’s Wheelchair Research Team.

Dr. Moore’s current research focuses on understanding and solving health challenges faced by children and youth with disabilities. She holds a PhD in Experimental Medicine, specializing in pediatrics, from the University of British Columbia. She also holds a Master of Applied Health Sciences, specializing in pediatric exercise medicine, from Brock University in Ontario.

Dr. Moore directs the ParaPLAY Hub at Dalhousie University. She has authored or co-authored over 60 peer reviewed papers and have shared her work at over 100 conferences and public events. Her work is often featured in print and digital media. Collaborating with youth with lived experience of disability, Dr. Moore has also established a Youth Advisory Panel, which is co-led by 2 teens experiencing disability. Much of the research and knowledge sharing activities that Dr. Moore and her trainees engage in is guided by this Panel.

For the past 20 years, Dr. Moore has taught courses in exercise science, rehabilitation, health promotion, therapeutic recreation, nursing, and medicine at various institutions across Canada. She has also coached several adapted and parasports including wheelchair basketball, sledge hockey, powerchair soccer, therapeutic horseback riding, and others.

Dr. Moore has received many honours and awards for her research, teaching, and community service. She is a member of several boards, including Easter Seals Nova Scotia and the North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine. Dr. Moore also sits on Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Advisory Committee.

Mojgan Yazdani-Seysan has over 15 years of work experience in the coordination and management of not-for-profit organizations. Through this experience she gained valuable experience in strategic planning, organizational management, and driving impactful change. Over her career, she has worked closely with the disability community. She has fostered collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders including government agencies, community organizations, and businesses. Together, they promote accessibility initiatives and ensure comprehensive engagement in the decision-making process.

Mrs. Yazdani-Seysan is the executive director of Centre Action since 2021. In this role she supports and advises the board of directors, develops operational plans, identifies partnerships, oversees programs and services while maintaining financial health, and managing HR policies and practices.

She previously worked at AVATIL, from 2011 to 2021, where she managed 3 residences for individuals with intellectual disabilities. She ensured their safety, accessibility, and conformity, while collaborating with government funding partners.

She holds a D.E.S.S. in Human Resources from McGill University, in Montréal, and a Master of Health Science (Quebec Comparative Evaluation: General Master of Health Sciences) from Isfahan University in Iran. She had a private practice as a family health professional practitioner in Tehran, Iran, from 1996 to 2002.