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Disability in Canada

Common disabilities by age group
framless
Young aged 15-24
Mental health68%
Learning impairments46%
Pain-related34%
Adults aged 25-64
Pain-related63%
Mental health46%
Flexibility issues36%
Seniors 65 and older
Pain-related68%
Mobility issues63%
Flexibility issues59%
Note: Nearly 42% of seniors had four or more co-occurring disabilities, while 43% of youth and 36% of working-age adults had two or three types'[1][2]

Disability in Canada affects approximately 8 million individuals aged 15 and older.[1][2] According to the 2022 survey by Statistics Canada of those reporting a disability nearly 42% of seniors had four or more co-occurring disabilities, while 43% of youth and 36% of working-age adults had two or three types.[1][2] The disability rate was higher for women (30%) compared to men (24%), consistent with past trends.[1] In terms of severity of disabilities, about 59% of disabled persons were classified as having milder disabilities, while 41% had more severe disabilities.[1][2]

Despite significant gains for people with disabilities in recent decades, there is historical and modern discrimination issues.[3] From the late 1800s to the mid 20th century, Canadian immigration laws prohibited people who were perceived to have intellectual or developmental disabilities from entering the country.[4] People with disabilities within Canada have faced institutionalization, involuntary sterilization, employment denialism and emotional and physical violence.[5][6] Those with disabilities continue to have lower educational achievement, higher unemployment rates, thus are more likely to experience low income, and inadequate housing compared to those without disabilities.[3] Findings show that 72% of people with disabilities encountered one or more accessibility barriers due to their condition.[1][2]

Domestic legislation intended to protect disabled Canadians include the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act, and the Employment Equity Act.[7] The Accessible Canada Act aims to create a barrier-free country by 2040.[8] Internationally Canada is a signatory of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and meets regularly to address implementation of the Convention's newest recommendations.[9] Alongside social and financial support from federal and provincial governments,[10] there are a multitude of fundamental rights organizations in Canada dedicated to assisting and advocating for individuals with disabilities beginning with the War Amps after the First World War. National disability rights organizations include the Council for Canadians with Disabilities (CCD), Disabled Women's Network Canada (DAWN), and Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL).

Statistical data

Overview

Statistics Canada's 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) highlighting that 27% of Canadians aged 15 and older, or about 8 million individuals, have one or more disabilities that hinder daily activities. This marks a rise from 22% in 2017. The increase is attributed to an aging population and a notable rise in mental health-related disabilities among younger and working-age adults. In 2022, the disability rate was higher for women (30%) compared to men (24%), consistent with past trends.[1][2]

The CSD report shows significant growth in disability rates among various age groups from 2017 to 2022. The youth group (15-24 years) saw the largest increase, with 20% reporting a disability in 2022, up by 7 percentage points from 2017. In working-age adults (25-64 years), 24% had disabilities, a 4-point rise, while among seniors (65 years and older), the rate reached 40%, an increase of 3 points.[1][2] Almost 14% of Canadians aged 15 and older, or about 3. 8 million individuals, reported a disability limiting their daily activities. Prevalence varied by province, with Nova Scotia having the highest rate at 19% and Quebec the lowest at 10%.

The survey noted that disability prevalence increases with age, particularly among seniors aged 75 and older, where the rate reached 43%. The average age of onset for disabilities was found to be around 43 years.[11] Overall, the growing number of seniors in the population contributes to the rising disability rates. The report also indicates that pain-related disabilities remain the most common, affecting 62% of those with disabilities, while mental health-related disabilities witnessed the largest growth, moving from 33% in 2017 to 39% in 2022, reflecting broader trends in declining mental health indicators.[1][2]

Different age groups show varying types of disabilities. Among youth with disabilities, the most common were mental health-related (68%), with substantial rises in mental health issues noted across youth and working-age populations. Working-age adults reported high instances of pain-related (63%) and mental health-related (46%) disabilities. For seniors, the most prevalent disabilities included pain-related (68%) and mobility issues (63%). Many individuals with disabilities face multiple disability types, with 29% having one type, 37% two or three, and 34% four or more disability types. The likelihood of having multiple disabilities increases with age.[1][2]

In terms of severity of disabilities, about 59% of disabled persons were classified as having milder disabilities, while 41% had more severe disabilities. Women were found to be more prone to severe disabilities than men. [2] Barriers to accessing public spaces remained substantial, as 72% reported encountering various accessibility issues, with individuals having more severe disabilities facing greater challenges.[1][2] The most common were related to public spaces, like entrances or sidewalks (56%), followed by communication barriers (48%), behavioral misconceptions (37%), and online activity barriers (17%).[1][2]

Education, employment and income inequality

External videos
video icon " Verbal summary of the Canadian Survey on Disability including American Sign Language" – Statistics Canada 2023, (15:33 min)

The Canadian Survey on Disability emphasizes financial challenges faced by disabled individuals, noting that they had a lower median after-tax income compared to their non-disabled counterparts. The COVID pandemic intensified financial difficulties for many disabled individuals, with 45% reporting struggles to meet financial obligations. The report highlights that persons with mild disabilities are more likely to be employed than those with very severe disabilities. Adults aged 25 to 64 with disabilities had lower employment rates (62%) compared to those without disabilities (78%). Employment rates also decreased with the severity of disability. Employed persons with disabilities were more likely to work part-time.[12]

In 2022, 42% of disabled individuals aged 25 to 64 who were not employed had work potential, amounting to 741,280 people. It also points out that 17% of youth with disabilities, aged 15 to 24, were not in employment, education, or training in 2022, with a higher rate among those with more severe disabilities.[12] Employment rates have improved for working-age adults with disabilities, with 62% employed in 2022, up by 3 points since 2017, thereby narrowing the employment gap with non-disabled individuals.[1]

Disabled and lone parents with a disability represent a significant portion of the low-income population in Canada. In 2014, about one-fifth of adults aged 25 to 64 had a disability, with 23% living in low income compared to 9% among those without a disability. The likelihood of being in low income varied with the type of disability: 17% for those with physical-sensory disabilities, 27% for mental-cognitive disabilities, and 35% for those with both types. Family structure also affected these rates; low-income rates soared to over 50% for lone parents and individuals living alone with a disability, while it was only 8% for those living with a non-disabled spouse.[13]

Employment status plays a crucial role in income levels, with 22% of non-disabled individuals out of work falling into low income, compared to 35% for those with physical-sensory disabilities, 46% with mental-cognitive disabilities, and 47% with both. Certain demographic groups, such as recent immigrants and Indigenous peoples, face higher risks of low income, similar to persons with disabilities.[13]

Violence

According to Canadian indicators from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, persons with disabilities were more likely to experience physical assault before age 15, with 33% of men and 30% of women reporting such incidents, compared to 20% of men and 16% of women without disabilities. Additionally, 5% of men and 14% of women with disabilities reported sexual assault before age 15, compared to 2% of men and 7% of women without disabilities.[14]

Overall, about 7% of persons with disabilities were victims of physical assault, while 6% of persons with disabilities experienced sexual assault, nearly four times higher than those without disabilities. Women with disabilities faced sexual assault before age 15 nearly three times more often than men with disabilities (14% versus 5%).[14]

History

Institutionalization

Largely having to do with the widespread trust of medical authority and the growth of industrialization, Canadian society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries fostered the segregation of persons with disabilities.[15] Public institutions, such as psychiatric hospitals, houses for the blind, houses of refuge, and church-run homes, confined and isolated persons with disabilities from the rest of society. Persons with disabilities were seen as being a burden on the rest of society and denied the full exercise of their rights.[15]

Immigration laws

From the late 1800s, Canadian immigration laws banned people seen as “lunatics” or “idiots” from entering the country. These laws first targeted individuals lacking family support to avoid dependency on state aid. By the early 1900s, people with disabilities were deemed “inadmissible,” viewed as morally degenerate. This led to deportations until the 1967 Immigration Act amendment.[16]

Compulsory sterilization

Main article: Compulsory sterilization in Canada

Canadian eugenics beliefs and practices operated via institutionalization and medical judgements, similar to other nations at the time, with thousands sterilized during the 1930s to 1970s, when people with disabilities were seen as "defective" and not fit to reproduce.[17][18] While legislation in British Columbia required the consent of the person in question, their spouse, or a guardian, a 1937 amendment to the Sexual Sterilization Act of Alberta meant that, in certain circumstances, this procedure could be completed without the consent or even the knowledge of the person being sterilized. In Alberta, this legislation was repealed in 1972 under the Progressive Conservative government of Peter Lougheed. David King, the MLA who had tabled the bill for the repeal of the Act, stated that he saw the legislation as being in violation of human rights.[17] In British Columbia, legislation permitting sterilization was repealed in 1973, and the E (Mrs) v Eve Supreme Court decision in 1986 affirmed that, in Canada, it is not legal to sterilize someone without their consent outside of emergency situations.[18]

Deinstitutionalization

During the 1950s and 1960s, the process continued for the deinstitutionalization of persons with disabilities. Not-for-profit organizations such as the Canadian Association for Community Living (formed in 1958, then called the Canadian Association for Retarded Children) opened group homes for persons with disabilities and advocated that money saved by closing government institutions could be used for the expansion of community services.[15]

Policies

Legislation

At the federal level, Canada has the Accessible Canada Act exclusively dedicated to protecting the rights of Canadians with disabilities in areas of federal jurisdiction. Canadians with disabilities can additionally find prominent protection in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which applies to all levels of jurisdiction in Canada, the Canadian Human Rights Act, and the Employment Equity Act.[19] Discrimination against persons with disabilities is prohibited by the Canadian Human Rights Act, which was enacted in 1985.[20] In addition, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, enacted in 1982,[20] guarantees that persons with disabilities are protected by and will receive the same benefits under the law as any other Canadian.[21] Canada is thus the only country in the World explicitly protecting people with disabilities from discrimination in their constitution.[22] The Employment Equity Act aims to ensure that particular groups, including persons with disabilities, enjoy the same employment opportunities and benefits as anyone else.[23]

Programs and support

In 2022, 10% of people with disabilities lived below the poverty line, compared to 7% of those without disabilities.[12] Canada's provincial disability programs do not provide sufficient income to recipients that fully depend on government support to enable them to afford typical food and housing costs of $341 per month[24] and $1529/month for a studio apartment[25][26] respectively. In Ontario and British Columbia, disability support program payments max out at $1308 and $1483.50 per month, respectively, for an individual.[27]

The government has adopted a wide array of programs designed to make life more affordable for people with disabilities. These include the creation of Registered Disability Savings Plans in 2006, the Accessibility Fund in 2007 and Tax-free free Disability Savings Account in 2008.[22] In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government enhanced these programs with increased funding, including reinstating the Canada Revenue Agency's Disability Advisory Committee.[28]

Other financial programs for Canadians with disabilities currently offered by Employment and Social Development Canada include:[29]

  • Canada Pension Plan disability benefits,
  • Canada Pension Plan children's benefits,
  • Disability benefits for Veterans,
  • the Child Disability Benefit,
  • the Federal excise gasoline tax refund program,
  • the Canada Disability Savings Grant,
  • the Canada Disability Savings Bond,
  • the Grant for services and equipment for students with permanent disabilities,
  • the Canada student loans program - severe permanent disability benefit, and
  • Grants for students with permanent disabilities

Environmental sensitivity

The Canadian Human Rights Commission maintains a policy on "environmental sensitivity" (a recognized disability) which gives affected employees the right to request that their employer ensures workplaces are free from egregious chemicals or smells.[30]

Provincial policies

Most Canadian provinces and territories adopted disability support programs similar to the Ontario Disability Support Program.[31] Ontario also adopted the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act in 2005 but within that policy there is a clause called undue hardship which allows continued discrimination against persons with disabilities based on financial grounds.[32]

Disability organizations

After World War I, many veterans returned to Canada with physical and mental disabilities and had difficulty re-integrating into society. The needs of these veterans gave rise to disability advocacy organizations such as the War Amps, which fought for the need for services like rehabilitation, training in sheltered workshops, and other employment-related services.[15] A disparity formed between the status of veterans with disabilities and that of civilians with disabilities, which would continue to widen until after World War II. In the mid-20th century, civilians with disabilities and their allies advocated for the rights of all persons with disabilities to participate fully in society. The deinstitutionalization of persons with disabilities was among their primary causes.[15]

The end of the 1970s marked the establishment of the Coalition of Provincial Organizations of the Handicapped (now the Council for Canadians with Disabilities [CCD]), a prominent advocacy group. This organization stood out from others in that it was composed mainly of persons with disabilities themselves, rather than allies or professionals.[15]

In 1981 the United Nations International Year for Disabled Persons drew attention to and triggered an increase in Canadians' awareness of disability issues. The following year the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was amended to include disability as a basis for discrimination,[20] a cause strongly advocated by stakeholder groups such as the CCD. Canada's Human Rights Act came into effect in 1985, and the Employment Equity Act in 1986.

As a result of the economic recession, the early 1990s marked a difficult time for persons with disabilities: less funding was made available for social assistance and government subsidies were scarce and more difficult to obtain.[15] Developments on disability issues continued to be made at a federal level. In 1991, under the Mulroney government, a five-year strategic action plan was announced for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities. In 1996 Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed a Federal Task Force on Disability Issues.[20] The federal government Office for Disability Issues, the Government of Canada's focal point on matters with relation to disability, was founded in 2001.[20] The 1990s marked the emergence of an academic discourse aimed at determining the place of disability in Canadian society....

Twenty-first century developments in disability issues include a 2012 Supreme Court decision which established that persons with mental-health disabilities can provide reliable court testimony,[20] and Canada's ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in March 2010.[15] In signing the convention, Canada committed to attempting to improve the social and economic condition of Canadians with disabilities, and in 2014 it submitted a report to the UN detailing its progress.[15]

Provincially and territorily there are multitude of groups including: Disability Alliance BC, Voice of Albertans with Disabilities (VAD), Barrier Free Saskatchewan, Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities (MLPD), Citizens with Disabilities — Ontario, Confédération des Organismes de Personnes Handicapées du Québec (COPHAN), Environmental Health Association of Canada/ Environmental Health Association of Quebec, Nova Scotia League for Equal Opportunities (NSLEO), ResourceAbilities (PEI), Coalition of Persons with Disabilities--NFLD and Labrador (COD) Nunavummi Disabilities Makinnasuaqtiit Society, NWT Disabilities Council, Canadian Association of the Deaf (CAD), Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB), National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) and National Network for Mental Health (NNMH)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "The Daily — Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 to 2022". Statistics Canada. 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "The disability rate in Canada increased in 2022". Statistics Canada. 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  3. ^ a b "Policy on ableism and discrimination based on disability". Ontario Human Rights Commission. 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
  4. ^ "Appendix A: Historical context". Ontario Human Rights Commission. 2014-01-15. Retrieved 2025-01-05. Text was copied from this source, which is available under the Ontario Open Government License.
  5. ^ "Conclusions Serious Problems Experienced by Diverse People with Disabilities: Western Canada". Ministère de la Justice. 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
  6. ^ "The Daily — Experiences of violent victimization among persons with mental health-related disabilities in Canada, 2018". Statistics Canada. 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
  7. ^ "Canada". Disability:IN. 2024-01-22. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
  8. ^ "About the Accessible Canada Act". Canadian Human Rights Commission. 2024-12-31. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
  9. ^ "Promoting rights of persons with disabilities". GAC. 2017-02-21. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
  10. ^ Canada, Financial Consumer Agency of (2017-01-18). "Living with a disability". Canada.ca. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
  11. ^ "A profile of persons with disabilities among Canadians aged 15 years or older, 2012". Statistics Canada. February 25, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c "The Daily — Accessibility in Canada: Results from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability". Statistics Canada. May 28, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Wall, Katherine (2017-08-11). "Low income among persons with a disability in Canada". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
  14. ^ a b Canada, Social Development (December 18, 2024). "4. Canadian Indicators for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) – article 16: freedom from exploitation, violence, and abuse". Canada.ca. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Disability Rights Movement". Historica Canada. 2015-02-04. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  16. ^ "Appendix A: Historical context". Ontario Human Rights Commission. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2025. Text was copied from this source, which is available under the Ontario Open Government License.
  17. ^ a b "Eugenics". Canada's Human Rights History. Retrieved 2015-04-09.
  18. ^ a b "Eugenics Timeline". eugenicsarchive.ca. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  19. ^ "Acts and Regulations: Disability". esdc.gc.ca. 2013-12-17. Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  20. ^ a b c d e f "People with Disabilities Significant Historical Events" (PDF). Region of Waterloo.ca. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  21. ^ "Human Rights". Council of Canadians with Disabilities. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  22. ^ a b McColl, Mary Ann; Jaiswal, Atul; Jones, Shannon; Roberts, Lynn; Murphy, Caitlyn (December 2017). A REVIEW OF DISABILITY POLICY IN CANADA (PDF) (3rd ed.). Canadian Disability Policy Alliance.
  23. ^ "Employment Equity Act". justice.gc.ca. 2015-11-05. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  24. ^ "Canada's Food Price Report 2023_Digital.pdf (dal.ca)" (PDF).
  25. ^ "January 2024 Rentals.ca Report". Rentals.ca.
  26. ^ "Average rental prices in Canada surge to record highs in October 2023: report". CTVNews. 2023-11-04. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  27. ^ Balintec, Vanessa (2023-07-23). "Financial support to keep people with disabilities housed falls short of what's needed: advocates". CBC News.
  28. ^ "Budget 2021 Disability Updates". Plan Institute. April 20, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-04-22. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  29. ^ Canada, Employment and Social Development (2014-03-31). "Disability benefits". aem. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  30. ^ "Environmental sensitivity and scent-free policies" (PDF). Canadian Human Rights Commission. 2019.
  31. ^ "Canadian Down Syndrome Society | Federal and Provincial Disability Supports". Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  32. ^ Mason, Rita; Truelove, Janine; Dakai, Carol, eds. (2006). Canadian Master Labour Guide (20th ed.). CCH Canadian Limited. ISBN 1553675622.
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