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Executive Summary

According to Statistics Canada, in 2001 approximately 1.5 million people in Ontario, or 13.5% of the population, were limited in their daily life activities due to a physical or psychological condition.  From this data it can be estimated that about 335,000 Torontonians had some sort of disability (Statistics Canada).  Many of these persons also experience significant barriers in exercising of their rights.

Canada is signatory of a number of international human rights treaties, including the recent United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Canadians with disabilities, regardless of where they live, should therefore be entitled to the same human rights and freedoms that are granted to all other citizens. Monitoring studies are fundamental to measuring the extent commitments made by the Canadian government are translated into action on the ground.

DRPI-Canada is a collaborative project funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) through its Community-University Research Alliance program (CURA), working to establish a sustainable monitoring system to address disability discrimination in Canada. The project employs a human rights approach to disability, which focuses on the way systemic discrimination and social exclusion increase vulnerability of persons with disabilities to abuse, poverty, unemployment, and other forms of discrimination and inequitable social conditions. Evidence-based knowledge regarding the extent to which people with disabilities face discrimination will inform effective societal, policy and program change to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Canada. 

This study was one of a series of studies carried out across Canada and using the same methodology.  Projects were carried out in Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. 

The study in Ontario was based on 42 individual interviews conducted in the city of Toronto with persons with various types of disabilities to document their lived experiences in exercising their rights. DRPI-Canada partnered with the Centre for Independent Living Toronto (CILT), which took leadership at all stages of the monitoring activities.  Monitoring data has been collected through face-to-face interviews conducted by monitors, persons with disabilities themselves. Training was held in advance for people with disabilities to learn the research skills of monitoring. Interviews were taped, transcribed and coded using a coding scheme developed by the international DRPI project (DRPI Home Page). Finally, coded transcriptions were analysed.

In the studies five key human rights principles - autonomy; dignity; participation, inclusion & accessibility; non-discrimination & equality; and respect for difference - were explored in connection to key areas of life for people with disabilities. The areas considered in this study are: social participation; privacy and family life; education; work; information and communication; access to justice; income security and support services; and access to health, habilitation and rehabilitation.

Experiences of Human Rights across Areas of Life

Overall, the findings indicate that individuals with disabilities encounter both positive and negative experiences in exercising their rights. However, instances of denial of human rights tend to outnumber positive experiences. Social Participation, Work and Income Security & Supports were the most discussed areas by people with disabilities and also the ones where negative experiences predominate.

Social Participation

Of the eight areas of life, social participation is clearly the most significant area of concern for participants. In this arena interviewees reported a myriad of obstacles, stemming from difficulties such as barriers to public transportation and the built-environment and discriminatory attitudes hindering their active and equal participation in society.

Work

The labour market and the workplace constitute another realm of exclusion and inequality for a large proportion of participants. Many were unable to find a job and others reported feeling discriminated against, with little opportunity for advancement and professional growth on the grounds of their disability.

Income Security and Supports

Another prominent issue that emerged in this study concerns the lack of opportunity to make autonomous choice around the provision of disability-related services.  This creates unnecessary dependence and prevents many people with disabilities from living independent lives and taking part in society as equal citizens. It is clearly a violation of their human rights.

Health, Habilitation and Rehabilitation

In this realm of life, some interviewees, especially those with psychosocial disabilities, reported experiences of exclusion and disrespect or labelling. Participants with mobility disabilities, on the other hand, reported the lack of physical accessibility in medical facilities, hindering their right to access health care.

Privacy and Family Life

For a significant number of participants, intimate relationships and family life experiences are intermingled with stories of disrespect and loss of dignity. These experiences stem from feeling largely misunderstood as a result of the disability, particularly due to deeply entrenched perceptions that cause shame or embarrassment in those who are around or care for the person with the disability.

Education

The majority of experiences collected in this area of life indicate instances of discrimination and lack of accommodation of disability-related needs. Some participants, however, also reported positive experiences of inclusion and accessibility, thus suggesting that the education system is a changing environment for persons with disabilities in Toronto.

Access to Justice and to Information and Communication are two other realms of life where people with disabilities faced significant disadvantage and exclusion. Lack of adequate supports for those with various sensory disabilities were reported as leading to exclusion from social contacts and marginalization in the labour market. Those interviewed also emphasized lack of accessibility in the justice system with legal and attitudinal barriers resulting in exclusion, particularly for those with psychosocial disabilities and/or those who were homeless.

Nevertheless, the majority of participants tend to take a proactive attitude when facing discrimination. In fact, almost three quarters of those interviewed chose to report or file an official complaint when they experienced a violation of their rights. For those who did not take any formal action, they reported that they did not think this avenue would be effective in changing their situation.

Systemic Roots of Discrimination

This study also explores the systemic roots of discrimination, as perceived by people with disabilities themselves, with a focus on economic, social and legislative factors. Most participants perceive social factors (e.g. ignorance and widespread misconceptions about disability) as the most dominant root cause of the discrimination they face. Economic factors closely follow as another prominent source of systemic discrimination and exclusion. The drive for profit that is characteristic of capitalist societies is often pointed out as a systematic force pushing people with disabilities to the margins of society.

Recommendations

In light of these findings and the reflective discussions held among participants, monitors and leaders of the partner organization, the following are the recommendations of the study:

  • Guarantee income security and ensure the right to a decent standard of living to all persons with disabilities in Ontario.
  • Improve accessibility in the public transit system in the city of Toronto and increase the quality and availability of the adapted transportation service Wheel-Trans.
  • Improve accessibility to the built environment and to information and communication systems in the city of Toronto.
  • Improve personal assistance services and expand the number of beneficiaries of direct funding schemes in the city of Toronto.
  • Raise awareness and educate the public about disability as a human rights issue.

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