Fighting for Change Inside and Out: Advocacy Strategies from Lawsuits to Leadership

Featuring Tim Rose, Senior Accessibility Consultant at CIBC & Founder of Disability Positive Consulting

Accessibility isn’t just policy, law, or regulation. It’s people, power, and persistence. In this conversation, Tim Rose walks us through what it means to push for change from both outside systems and inside organizations. Whether you’ve been part of an advocacy effort, are curious about where to begin, or want to support inclusion more deeply, there’s something here for you.

What Sparks Change: Lawsuits and Speaking Up

Tim’s advocacy began with frustration,specifically, over airline accessibility. When he took legal action against Air Canada for operating non-accessible flights despite advance notice, he wasn’t just seeking compensation. What he wanted was a policy shift: if a flight route is inaccessible and a passenger with a disability requests an accommodation, the airline should be required to provide an accessible plane.

“I was asking for a policy change. If someone with a disability gives you notice, and the route is served by a non‑accessible plane,you have to switch planes.”

His vision is big. He hopes that his case will be “the pebble that starts an avalanche.” Because the problems go far beyond one person or one flight: broken mobility devices, lost equipment, inaccessible boarding, lack of consistency in how airlines handle accessibility requests.

These stories show how deeply systemic the issues are, and how legal enforcement can sometimes be the only way forward.

The Role of Community, Mentors & Resilience

Advocacy can be isolating. Tim shares that what carried him through wasn’t just legal strategy or policy briefs,it was people.

“The only way I got through it was with the support of my community. And honestly, the advocates who came before me.”

One of the most poignant moments was a conversation with David Onley (late Lieutenant Governor), who encouraged Tim during the appeals process. Onley’s words,They’re scared,” became a kind of lifeline, reminding Tim that fear in the system doesn’t always mean strength for those trying to change it.

Moments like that, grounded in lived experience and shared struggle, demonstrate the essential role community plays in the advocacy process. It’s not just about having a network; it’s about drawing on the wisdom of those who’ve already walked the road.

Inside the System: Corporate Advocacy and Leadership

As a Senior Accessibility Consultant at CIBC, Tim now leads accessibility initiatives from within the corporate world. This difference — from outsider to insider — brings new opportunities and new challenges.

“It can feel like you're pushing a boulder up a hill… But for the first time in my advocacy career, I have the resources to make change.”

Within CIBC, Tim is able to leverage resources, relationships, and institutional influence to embed accessibility into more aspects of the organization's operations. Change from within means more buy-in from leadership, more sustainable policies, and the opportunity to influence culture rather than just compliance.

He also talks about seeing more people with disabilities take leadership roles, which does more than representational work; it shifts who gets to make decisions, define priorities, and influence culture.

Culture Shift Starts with Representation

One of the most encouraging changes Tim has observed in recent years is the increasing presence of people with disabilities in leadership positions across the corporate and public sectors. Their presence matters. When people with lived experience are in the room, decisions are made differently. It shifts the focus from assumptions to insight, from checklists to real impact.

Alongside policy, Tim sees culture as a driving force behind lasting change. Media, in particular, plays a powerful role in shaping how society views disability. But with that influence comes responsibility. In a world where content spreads rapidly and attention spans are short, misrepresentation and misinformation can quickly gain traction. Despite that, Tim remains optimistic. He believes that storytelling and visibility, when done with care and authenticity, are some of the most effective tools we have to build empathy and change minds.

A Vision for the Future

Toward the end of the conversation, Emma asked Tim what he would change if he had a magic wand. His answer was clear: a universal basic income for people with disabilities. Not just survival-level support, but a livable income that recognizes the value of their expertise, labour, and time.

Too often, people with disabilities are expected to give their stories, their insights, their emotional labour, without compensation. A more equitable future, Tim argues, would allow them to participate fully in advocacy, leadership, and innovation without being stretched thin or forced to choose between sustainability and contribution.

Tim Rose’s story is a reminder that advocacy isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey. It can involve challenging policies in courtrooms, influencing teams within a major institution, or simply asking the right questions in the spaces we’re already in.

What matters most is that the work is grounded in community, guided by lived experience, and carried out with persistence and dedication. Whether you're pushing for change from the outside or working within systems to shift the culture, both approaches are not only valid but necessary.

And while the path can be slow or frustrating, the progress is real when we choose to build it together. Change doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in conversation, in collaboration, and in the quiet determination to keep going, even when the system pushes back.

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