NWT Human Rights Commission

🧡 On September 30, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, in partnership with APTN and CBC/Radio Canada, will host its annual commemorative gathering on Parliament Hill, on the unceded territory of the Anishinabeg Algonquin Nation.
Cultural support providers and emotional support workers will be available throughout the gathering.💙

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Melissa Blake was told she was too ugly to post photos of herself online. So she posted a selfie every single day for a year. What started as an act of defiance became something much bigger.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1493831226111435&set=pb.100064537158542.-2207520000&type=3

A woman was told she was too ugly to post photos of herself online. So Melissa Blake did exactly that—every single day for a year.

Freeman-Sheldon syndrome affects Melissa's facial muscles and joints, but what really shaped her wasn't the condition itself. It was the cruelty that followed a 2019 CNN opinion piece she wrote. The comments weren't about her journalism. They were about her appearance—vicious, dehumanizing, and designed to silence her. One stuck: someone said she should be banned from posting selfies because she was too ugly.

Instead of disappearing, she posted three. Then she committed to a year of daily selfies under —some serious, some playful, all unapologetically hers. Each photo was a small act of resistance against a world that tells disabled women their bodies aren't worth seeing.

What started as defiance became something deeper. Melissa said the daily practice gave her a freedom she'd never known before. It wasn't vanity. It was about taking up space, demanding to be seen, and proving that representation matters. She wanted the trolls to understand: there's a human being on the other side of that screen, and she deserves basic decency.

That year of selfies led to a book deal. In 2024, she published Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths About Disability, turning her act of courage into a call to action for the entire disabled community. Her daily photos became more than images—they became proof that no stranger on the internet gets to decide who is worthy of being seen.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone! 🌞🌈😁

Today is the day, folks!!
The NWT Literacy Council is inviting communities to join us in giving back to children by supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Visit their social media accounts to learn about fundraising events and how you can support the program in your community.

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Give Like Dolly Day is coming September 25!
Dolly Parton believed in giving back and helping children dream bigger—and this year, we’re celebrating that spirit here in the NWT through Give Like Dolly Day.
On September 25, we’re inviting our community to join us in giving back to children by supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in your community. Your support helps make it possible for children in your community to receive a free, high-quality book every month from birth to age 5.
Check out our social media posts over the next week to learn about fundraising events in NWT communities and to support the program in your community.

Accessibility is not just about wheelchair access. While physical disability and mobility remain a significant barrier, there are barriers for people with other disabilities that also need to be addressed.

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The Accessible Canada Act defines a barrier as “anything—including anything physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal, anything that is based on information or communications or anything that is the result of a policy or a practice—that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment or a functional limitation.”

On a day-to-day basis, that could mean stairs-only access, needlessly complex language, broken elevators, lack of accessible washrooms, and non-adjustable lighting. They can also be systems, policies, hiring practices, communication methods, and technologies. Invisible barriers like attitudes and unconscious bias remain some of the most difficult to identify, remove, and prevent but it’s critical that we do. Recognizing barriers is the first step. Then, it’s time to take action to remove them.

Alt text: Purple web card reading “The Accessible Canada Act defines a barrier as: anything—including anything physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal, anything that is based on information or communications or anything that is the result of a policy or a practice—that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment or a functional limitation.” Our office’s applied signature and the Canada wordmark appear at the bottom.

The Accessibility Standards Canada draft Accessible-Ready Modular and Prefabricated Housing standard is open for public review.
The draft standard looks at how modular and prefabricated homes can be designed with accessibility in mind from the start.

The draft standard includes guidance for:
• entrances,
• garages,
• kitchens,
• bathrooms,
• stairs,
• mechanical and electrical systems,
• other features that support future accessibility.

To share your feedback, access the standard and sign in to our online user portal: https://ow.ly/48Er50ZOKJB
Deadline: November 16, 2026

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Your voice matters. Share your feedback!

Our draft Accessible-Ready Modular and Prefabricated Housing standard is open for public review.

The draft standard looks at how modular and prefabricated homes can be designed with accessibility in mind from the start.

The draft standard includes guidance for:
• entrances,
• garages,
• kitchens,
• bathrooms,
• stairs,
• mechanical and electrical systems,
• other features that support future accessibility.

To share your feedback, access the standard and sign in to our online user portal: https://ow.ly/48Er50ZOKJB

Deadline: November 16, 2026

Another important analysis of current events affecting Indigenous people in Canada by the Yellowhead Institute. Their reports are informative and can help the public undertand the context of current events and why they are important. Have a look!

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Send a message to learn more

Anyone who has a 3D printer can participate for free! A fantastic initative by Neil Squire to provide accessibility tools to kids who need them!