CILT?s In the Stream Winter 2004 New disability legislation promises to replace ODA and make Ontario barrier-free by Don Barrie On October 12, the Ontario government and Citizenship Minister Marie Bountrogianni announced that the proposal for a more effective disability legislation designed to surpass the Ontarians with Disabilities Act of 2001 has been drafted. This comes as great news for those of us consumers with disabilities living throughout the province. This legislation, titled Bill 118, promises to make Ontario a better province by creating a society that is open to all, including people with disabilities. According to a statement released by the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee, Bill 118 is "a dramatic improvement on the weak, limited ODA 2001 which the previous Conservative government passed." Highlights of the proposed Act include: * Broad, inclusive definitions of disability and barriers that aren't limited to only physical disabilities or physical barriers * Mandatory accessibility standards, developed through regular consultation with persons with disabilities, as well as businesses or organizations in both the public and private sectors, will be developed * A fair and effective enforcement mechanism to ensure that progress is made * Timelines to ensure progress * Efficient enforcement tools to ensure compliance * Incentives to ensure compliance The bad news, however, is that it would take 20 years to implement all of the Act?s initiatives, to be reached in five-year increments. The Liberals under Premier Dalton McGuinty wholeheartedly support Bill 118, but it is still unclear what positions the Conservatives and NDP will take. Even though Bill 118 has passed the first reading, usually a good sign, there is a chance that it may not go beyond the second reading. If it does pass the second reading, attempts to have a third may get stalled if it faces opposition. The news of an Act designed to replace the weak ODA is very encouraging news for the disability community. We are particularly proud that Bill 118, unlike the ODA, applies to private businesses as well as government and other public sector operations. This is important to us because businesses and consumers need to establish a greater relationship in order for these barriers to be completely removed. Those who do not meet targets would face $50,000 fines for an individual and $100,000 fines for a corporation. The fact that Bill 118 has spread through the Toronto and provincial media is also encouraging. CILT applauds the government for inviting consumer participation and direction in creating this broad, all-encompassing disability legislation. "There are still many details to be fleshed out, but the consensus is it's definitely a constructive beginning," says consumer Helen Henderson, the disability news columnist for the Toronto Star. According to the Ontario Real Estate Law Developments news publication, Statistics Canada estimates there are approximately 1.5 million Ontarians with disabilities. The number is expected to increase to 20 per cent of the population (i.e. three million people) by 2025. CILT and our IL movement allies will monitor this story closely, and will post updates when available on the What?s New page of our Web site, www.cilt.ca. A follow-up story on Bill 118 may also appear in a future edition of In The Stream. CILT launches Consumer Attendant Roster (CAR) by Don Barrie CILT launched the Consumer Attendant Roster (CAR) Web site at the 2004 Annual General Meeting. CAR was created by Project Information Centre (PIC) coordinator Rolita Siu, in response to the growing demand from people with disabilities to employ attendants to help with their activities of daily living. What is CAR? CAR is a free, interactive and participant driven web-based system designed to build employment relationships between consumers and attendants. It helps to match job seeking attendants with consumer / employer job openings for attendants. Who can use CAR? 1. Consumers, who want to hire attendants to help with their activities of daily living 2. Employers, who are offering jobs to people seeking work as attendants 3. People, who seek employment as attendants, can either search for consumer/employer job ads or post their profiles online. Attendants are persons who provide physical assistance with activities of daily living to persons with disabilities who is able to self-direct the assistance. How to use CAR? All participants in CAR must register first. You can register by visiting CILT Web site at www.cilt.ca. You click "Attendant Services" in the Home Page and then click "CAR Online" in the Attendant Services Page. After you register or login as consumers or employers, you can create, edit or cancel your job ads for attendants. You can also search for profiles posted by attendants. Conversely, after you register or login as attendants, you can create, edit or cancel your profiles. You can search for job ads posted by consumers as well. PIC maintains CAR Online. If you have any questions regarding CAR Online, you can call Rolita at 416-599-2458 x34 or email pic@cilt.ca. CAILC Fact Sheets 2004 Fact Sheet #1 Did You Know? Income Support for Persons with Disabilities December 3rd is the International Day of Disabled Persons. The theme of this year?s day, Nothing About Us Without Us, recognizes the need for persons with disabilities to take a lead role in the decision making process. To highlight the importance of this day and theme, the Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres (CAILC) is releasing a series of four fact sheets throughout the month of November. Quotes: If we have learned one thing from the civil rights movement--it?s that when others speak for you, you lose."~ Ed Roberts 1 The demand ?Nothing About Us Without Us? is a demand for self- determination... ~ James Charlton 2 1 Driedger, D. (1989) The Last Civil Rights Movement: Disabled People?s International. New York: St. Martin?s Press. Page 28. 2 Charlton, J. (1998) Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and Empowerment. London: University of California Press. Page 17. Fact: * People with disabilities represent 12.4% of the Canadian population. 1 * Government programs are the main source of income for the majority of persons with disabilities not in the labour force. 2 * The employment rate for persons with disabilities is almost « that of their non-disabled peers. 1 * There are additional costs associated with living with a disability, and persons with disabilities typically need higher incomes to maintain an adequate standard of living. 3 * Working age persons with disabilities only get 76% of the average household after tax income. 1 * Cost has been cited as the main barrier preventing individuals from obtaining the assistive devices they need. 1 * Less than « of the 1.9 million persons with disabilities in Canada over the age of 15 receive the help they require with activities of daily living: 45% say they need more help than they are receiving, and 10% say they receive no help. 1 * A source of income, either from paid employment or income support, has been identified by persons with disabilities as essential, yet the majority of persons with disabilities worldwide continue to experience chronic poverty and inaccessible supports. 4 * In Canada, persons with disabilities are more likely to experience food insecurity (i.e. going without food, eating less, and/or being unable to purchase needed food). 5 * 41% of those using food banks have either a disability or long-term illness. 6 1 Government of Canada (2002) Advancing the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. 2 Saskatchewan Voice of Persons with Disabilities. Income Support for People with Disabilities. 3 DAA/UNISCO (1995) Overcoming Obstacles to the Integration of Disabled People. 4 Turmusani, M. (2003) Poverty and disabled people in development context: examples from Jordan and Afghanistan. 5 Canadian Council on Social Development (2003) Disability Fact Sheet No.10. 6 United Way of Greater Toronto (2002) United Way Facts: Helping People with Disabilities Live Independently. Solutions: * Supporting the growth of Independent Living (IL) in Canada is essential to addressing the needs of persons with disabilities. *The IL model of service and supports has had a more positive impact on people's lives than rehabilitative and traditional models1; it has enabled persons to make more effective use of services and supports2; and it has supported over 5,000 persons with disabilities in their journey towards employment and financial independence. * Independent Living enables persons with disabilities to move away from models that foster dependency and promote the marginalization and poverty highlighted above. Independent Living facilitates the full social, economic, political, and cultural inclusion of persons with disabilities. 1 The Impact of Independent Living Centres in Canada (1996) Brock university. 2 The government of Canada (1996) Lessons Learned: Disability Policies and Programs. 2004 Fact Sheet #2 Did You Know? Housing and Homelessness Quotes: ' Nothing About Us Without Us? requires people with disabilities to recognize their need to control and take responsibility for their own lives. It also forces political-economic and cultural systems to incorporate people with disabilities into the decision-making process and to recognize that the experiential knowledge of these people is pivotal in making decisions that affect their lives. [1] ~ James Charlton 2 Charlton, J. (1998) Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and Empowerment. London: University of California Press. Page 17. Fact: *Almost « of the homeless population has a disability. 1 * 1 in 7 persons with a disability has affordability problems with respect to housing. 2 *According to the 1986 census, more than « of the owned households where a person with a disability lived earned less than $30,000 per year, and over 80% of rented households where a person with a disability lived earned less than this. 3 *37.5% of persons with disabilities living in Toronto are living in poverty. 1 * Most shelters cannot accommodate individuals who need support with daily living, and the structural accessibility of shelters continues to be a barrier for persons with disabilities.4 * 1 in 5 people with disabilities need housing adaptations of some kind.2 * Cost is the most commonly cited barrier for adults with disabilities not acquiring needed adaptations. 2 * Although most individuals with disabilities facing obstacles to obtaining adaptations cite financial support as a barrier, landlord resistance is also cited as a significant barrier.2 * Persons with disabilities in rental accommodations and rooming or boarding houses are least likely to be satisfied with their accommodations. 2 * A majority of persons with disabilities who express an interest in moving would opt for home ownership if it was a viable option. 2 * Cost has been cited by persons with disabilities who wish to move yet cannot as the major barrier preventing relocation. 2 1 United Way of Greater Toronto (2002) United Way Facts: Helping People with Disabilities Live Independently. 2 Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The Housing Conditions of Persons with Health and Activity Limitations in Canada, 1991: A Retrospective. Research Highlights: Socio-economic series Issue 58. 3 Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (1992) Research and Development Highlights. Issue 9. 4 Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2003) Housing Options for Elderly or Chronically Ill Shelter Users. Research Highlights: Socio-economic series. Solutions: * The following have all been identified as necessary actions to support the housing needs of persons with disabilities: increased information and resources; accessible housing inventories; support in the search for suitable accommodations; and adequate funding for community-based organizations. 1 * No one knows the needs of persons with disabilities more than people with disabilities themselves; people with disabilities have to take a lead role in the design and implementation of solutions for housing and homelessness issues. * Independent Living Resource Centres have experts in the areas of universal design, accommodations, adaptive aids, and housing options for persons with disabilities. They can assist city planers, builders, landlords, and other community organizations to ensure the housing needs of persons with disabilities are being addressed in each community. * Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (2003) Examining the Housing Choices of Individuals with Disabilities. Research Highlights: Socio-economic series. 2004 Fact Sheet #3 Did You Know? Employment Issues Quotes: Citizenship can be seen as the realization of certain rights? Physical, social, political, economic, and cultural barriers keep millions of disabled adults and children throughout the world excluded from fundamental citizenship. ~ Marta Russell 1 1 Marta Russell (2003) Nothing About Us without Us: Human rights and Disability. Fact: * In Canada, persons with disabilities experience low income, high unemployment, low rates of labour market participation, employment discrimination, and socio-economic disincentives preventing them from entering the workforce.1 * People with disabilities are often denied equal opportunities for education, thus making finding paid employment more difficult.2 * There is a clear relationship between unemployment and poverty.3 * Over 9% of the core working-age population (25-54) in Canada has a disability, yet working members of this group have significantly lower household incomes ($52,835 compared to $72,951 for their non-disabled peers).4 * Among persons with disabilities, the employment rate is 41% for men, and 32% for women; employment rates are 83% for non-disabled men and 70% for non-disabled women.5 * The employment rate for aboriginal persons with disabilities living on reserve is only 18%.6 * Persons with disabilities who are a part of the paid labour force typically receive lower hourly wages than their non-disabled peers, with women with disabilities between the ages of 16-34 receiving the lowest wages.7 * The labour market and barriers to participation have been identified by persons with disabilities as a key element that must be addressed. 1 Saskatchewan Voice of Persons with Disabilities. Income Support for People with Disabilities. 2 Department of International Development. (2000) Disability, poverty and development. 3 Lochhead, C., & Shillington, R. (1996) A Statistical Profile of Urban Poverty. Ottawa: Centre for International Statistics. 4 Government of Canada. (2001) Disability in Canada: a 2001 profile. 5 Government of Canada. (2002) Advancing the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. 6 National Aboriginal Network on Disability Publication (1990) A Needs Assessment: Aboriginal People and Disability. 7 Canadian council on Social Development (2002) Disability Fact Sheet No.4. Solutions: * Since Navigating the Waters (NTW), CAILC?s national employment initiative began in 1997, it has supported over 5,000 persons with disabilities in their journey towards employment. * Through NTW, over 1,500 people with disabilities have become employed or self-employed, over 970 persons with disabilities have upgraded their labour market skills and/or become active volunteers, and over 950 persons with disabilities have begun to lay the necessary foundations for labour market inclusion. * In 2003-2004 alone, NTW supported over 950 people with disabilities in their journey towards paid employment. During this time, 266 persons became employed or self-employed, 242 became volunteers or upgraded their employability skills, and 207 persons received the support necessary to begin building the foundation necessary for real and sustainable employment. * Since its beginning, NTW has illustrated how CAILC and the network of Independent Living Centres across Canada are successfully designing, implementing, and maintaining creative supports and services designed by and for people with disabilities. These initiatives have proven to be successful in the facilitation of the full socio-economic inclusion of persons with disabilities. 2004 Fact Sheet #4 Did You Know? Accessibility Quotes: For me [accessibility] includes something that is less tangible than architecture and communication devices. It is the likelihood of receiving support, services, and devices necessary for a reasonable quality of life; it does not help to make a building accessible if people with mobility disabilities cannot get to the building because of street or transportation or attitudinal barriers. ~ James Charlton Charlton, J. (1998) Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and Empowerment. London: University of California Press. Page 103. Fact: * In a recent study, 53% of respondents with disabilities noted there were adaptive features they needed in their homes, yet they did not have these. Many of these adaptations included relatively inexpensive modifications like grab bars and lever handles on doors. In this same study, 33% of individuals using a manual wheelchair wanted to move, citing things like unsuitable accommodations (78%), lack of affordability (59%), and too costly to move (57%) as barriers. Most respondents also indicated that they would need assistance in order to move, including help finding appropriate accommodations. 1 * Persons with disabilities are less likely to receive the health care they believe they need1, in fact 14.5% of persons with disabilities feel they are unable to receive the health care they require, while only 3.9% of their non-disabled peers report this. 2 * Many persons with disabilities need housing adaptations in their current housing, yet cannot afford them. 3 * Designing structures that meet universal accessibility standards makes sound social and economic sense. Accessible structures benefit all users, and provide added value for owners and developers as they meet the needs of a larger and growing group of buyers who want to invest in something that provides flexibility in case their circumstances change. 4 * Designing building structures that meet universal standards for accessibility generates little or no additional expenses. 4 1 Government of Canada. (2002) Advancing the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. 2 Canadian Council on Social Development (2003) Disability Information Sheet No. 9. 3 Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The Housing Conditions of Persons with Health and Activity Limitations in Canada, 1991: A Retrospective. Research Highlights: Socio-economic series Issue 58. 4 Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Healthy High-Rise: A Guide to Innovation in the Design and Construction of High-Rise Residential Buildings. Solutions: * CAILC and its network of Independent Living Resource Centres identify and work to remove the many structural, social, economic, and attitudinal barriers that prevent the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in their communities. * The Independent Living paradigm allows CAILC and its Independent Living Resource Centres to provide innovative supports and services designed by and for persons with disabilities that promote barrier removal and facilitate full and equal citizenship. * CAILC and its network of Independent Living Resource Centres are comprised of persons with disabilities who are experts in accessibility issues and barrier removal. These individuals pull their most valuable expert knowledge not from textbooks or professional degrees, but rather from the everyday lived experience of disability. This reality situates these individuals as the real and most proficient experts on disability issues in Canada. * Experts within the Independent Living movement are qualified, ready, and able to assist individuals, the government, and private institutions in removing remaining barriers to full participation. Contact Us: Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres Association canadienne des centres de vie autonome 1104-170 Laurier Avenue Ouest/West Ottawa, ON K1P 5V5 Tel/T‚l: (613) 563-2581 Fax/T‚l‚copieur: (613) 563-3861 TTY/ATS (613) 563-4215 info@cailc.ca Web/Internet: www.cailc.ca This is only the main section of In The Stream, our quarterly newsletter. If you would like to read more of our articles, why not become a member? For more information, or to request a membership info pack, please call 416-599-2458, or email info@cilt.ca.