Consistent with their work from 2018 to the present, Dr. Keith Gordon and Michael Baillargeon continue to be influential advocates for people living with blindness and partial sight in Canada. Their initiatives, documented through extensive research reports such as the landmark “Cost of Vision Loss and Blindness in Canada” study and the annual “Report Card on Vision Health in Canada,” consistently highlight the community’s unique vulnerabilities. A central conclusion from their research, specifically from “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Canadians Who Are Blind, Deafblind, or Have Low Vision,” which was published in the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, is that Canadians with vision loss faced disproportionate barriers in accessing healthcare and technology, underscoring the critical need to prioritize them during national crises.

Dr. Gordon and Baillargeon continue to collaborate on research in support of people living with blindness or partial sight, as well as broader research associated with vision health. To this end, they are currently partnering with Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada on a 2025 study to create a national profile of people who are blind, DeafBlind, or partially-sighted in Canada. They are also key collaborators on a first-of-its-kind in Canada population-based study examining the prevalence of vision loss and eye diseases in Ontario.

In 2022, Dr. Gordon and Baillargeon published a report calling for reform of Ontario’s Assistive Devices Program (ADP), providing evidence-based recommendations to governing bodies that were substantive and reflective of the needs of Ontarians living with vision loss. Their advocacy contributed to the Ontario Ministry of Health’s decision to fully fund white canes for people in Ontario who are blind or partially-sighted.

Their advocacy also played a key role in passing Bill C-284, An Act to establish a national eye care strategy. Along with others, they successfully campaigned for the bill and were instrumental in ensuring that vision rehabilitation was included in its final version. Their research on the pandemic’s impact on eye health provided vital, evidence-based support for this legislative effort, exposing a troubling reality of neglect and increased isolation that made a strong case for the systemic change now required by the Act.

Parallel to their policy work, Dr. Gordon and Baillargeon have actively advocated to government bodies and Health Canada for expediting access to innovative treatments, ensuring that breakthroughs reach patients faster, thus preventing unnecessary vision loss and improving quality of life for the 1.2 million Canadians living with blindness or partial sight, and the over 8 million Canadians living with an eye disease that could lead to blindness.