Monitoring Individual Human Rights Experiences in Vancouver

Part I – Context to ground monitoring efforts

Demographic and socio-economic profile of monitoring site

This section provides a proxy demographic and socio-economic picture of people with disabilities living in the areas where the monitoring site was located. It is meant to provide contextual information within which to place the findings of this monitoring project. The project included participants from Metro Vancouver and two rural areas– Oliver and Penticton which are parts of the Okanagan Valley. Current data at the local level on the demographics of people with disabilities is not available. However, data available at provincial level and estimations when possible at sub-provincial levels can provide a proxy snapshot of the context in which study participants live.

Demographic profile

According to the most recent data on disability provided by Statistics Canada ² in 2006, 18.4% (or 612,120 persons) of the population aged 15 and over in BC indicated that they were limited in their daily activities due to a physical or psychological condition (BC Stats, 2009). Females reported higher rates of disability than males both overall and within various age categories. Disability increases with age, ranging from 6.3% of those between the ages of 15 and 29 to a high of 45.7% among those aged 65 and over. On a sub-provincial basis, the disability rate was higher outside of the Lower mainland and Southern Vancouver Island and increased to a greater extent with age. The most common types of disabilities among the working age population were those related to mobility limitations, followed by psychological, learning and hearing disabilities. Almost all types of disability also increase with age. Compared to the Lower Mainland and Southern Vancouver Island, each type of disability was more prevalent in the rest of the province for both males and females (BC Stats, 2009).

Note #2

Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) 2006.

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Socio-economic profile

Education

Based on PALS 2006 data, more people with disabilities in BC did not graduate high school than their counterparts without disabilities (23.4% vs. 15.4%) and fewer attained a university certificate, diploma or degree (17.1% vs. 28.7%). In addition, fewer males than females with disabilities achieved a high school education, this gap between disabled and non-disabled persons being three times larger for males (BC Stats, 2009). In general, the educational attainment of people with disabilities living in the Lower Mainland and Southern Vancouver Island was higher than the rest of the province. Furthermore, more disabled persons living in the rest of the province had less than high school.

For students with disabilities, school boards in Vancouver, Oliver and Penticton offer various speech and language services, instruction for and teachers for people who are visually impaired, hard of hearing or deaf. However, according to the BC Teachers's federation, about 604 special education teachers have been lost between 2001 and 2008 (BC Teacher's Foundation).

Income

According to PALS 2006 data, there was an obvious differential between the median income of people with disabilities ($19,486) and people without disabilities ($27,748) in BC that is exacerbated by age. Only two-thirds (66.8%) of disabled people had at least some employment income, compared to 82.3% of non-disabled (BC Stats, 2009). BC had the highest child rate poverty in Canada 5 years in row (Social Planning and Research Council of BC -SPARC BC). There is a range of programs such as the People with Disabilities (PWD) Assistance Program offered by the BC Ministry of Housing and Social Development and the Persons with Persistent and Multiple Barriers Program (PPMB) designed to support people with disabilities in financial need. However, as noted in an article published by BCCPD, there are currently significant gaps in the disability benefit process and many people with disabilities encounter difficulties benefiting from these supports due to the complicated application process, narrow eligibility guidelines and extensive delays (BCCPD, 2007).

Employment

In 2006, persons with disabilities participated in the labour force significantly less than persons without disabilities (64.6% vs. 78.5%). Further, this gap widens as age increases from 11.5 percentage points for the age group 15 to 29, to 16.3 for the age group 55 to 64. People with disabilities were also significantly more often not in labour force than their counterparts without disabilities (38.5% vs. 21.5%). Employment assistance to those in financial need is available through the BC Employment Program (BCEP). In addition to BCEP, the ministry also funds the Employment Program for People with Disabilities (EPPD), an employment support component specifically for persons with disabilities. However, these programs have been questioned for their main focus on those people with disabilities able to participate in the workforce on an equal footing with non-disabled peers when provided with limited accommodation and unbiased opportunities (Cohen at al., 2008).

Housing

Homelessness is an increasing problem in Vancouver and surrounding areas. As stated in a report by Greater Vancouver Steering Committee on Homelessness, the number of homeless people in Metro Vancouver has grown by 22% since 2005. Further, approximately 84% of the homelessness population reported at least one complex health condition: physical disability (31%); psychiatric disability (35%); addiction (61%). People with disabilities face even greater challenges than the general population with respect to finding houses that accommodate their disabilities. In response to this situation, there are a number of services in BC such as Metro Vancouver Affordable Housing and the Vancouver resource Society among others that work to provide housing assistance for people with various types of disabilities.

Part II - Discussion of findings

People interviewed

This study is based on 41 interviews conducted through face-to-face interviews with males and females of different age groups and who live with various types of disabilities. The specific socio-demographic and disability-related characteristics of these participants are summarized in Table 1 below.

The sample is almost gender balanced with slightly few more females than males (54% females). Most interviewees are middle-aged, 44% being between 45 and 64.
Regarding the types of disability, a high proportion (41%) of participants identify as having multiple disabilities. A significant number of individuals (59%) have attended college and/or university. However, despite this high percentage, 56% indicated that they were unemployed at the time of the interview.
The socio-demographic profile of this group might be different, and therefore not representative of all individuals with disabilities in the areas monitored. Therefore, it is important to consider this profile that provides the context for interpreting the results of the study.

Domains of life and human rights principles

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

In order to gain better insights into the range of participants' experiences, their reports were explored in relation to each domain of life and, within each domain, in relation to the five human rights principles.

Social participation, Income security & support services, and Work were the domains with the highest number of reports. At the opposite end, there were the domains of Access to justice and Health, habilitation& rehabilitation (Table 2).

Across all domains, both positive and negative experiences on grounds of disability were reported, although negative experiences slightly outnumbered the positive ones (Table 3). In fact, all participants talked about instances in which they experienced lack of respect and dignity as well as exclusion and inaccessibility. At the same time, they also reported situations when they felt included and their needs being accommodated. This outcome may signal that, despite ongoing disparities, positive change is also underway for persons with disabilities in Vancouver areas monitored.

Social participation

Social participation emerged as the most significant domain of life for the interviewees (Table 4). It is a complex category which entails, for the purpose of this study, experiences related to social life in a broad sense - cultural and political life, sports, leisure, and recreation.

Note #3

These categories are not mutually exclusive as each participant could report up to three different situations, and each situation reported could involve both negative and positive experiences. The percentages throughout this section are calculated on the basis of the total number of interviewees. The total in each table indicates the number of participants who reported experiences related to a specific domain considered in the study.

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A wide range of experiences have been reported by participants in their exercise of rights in relation to various aspects of social participation. Many experiences evolved around loss of dignity – participants reported feeling disrespected and devalued in their own opinions and experiences, as well as being unable to voice opinions without fear of physical, psychological and emotional harm when attempting to participate in different sectors of social life:

... I've had to deal with the fact that I was different from other people, that people treated me differently because of my disability and so... I tend to look at myself as a bit weak and not very confident and not as strong as people without disabilities. (DVC01, Female – age 32)

When I had a brace I was really hunched over, so sometimes people called me hunchback... so that's derogatory. That's another form of verbal abuse. I've got scoliosis, so I'm always aware... having a curvature in my back, people comment on that throughout my life. (DVC05, Male – age 59)

I felt ignored. I mean sometimes if you're blind you can't totally tell if people are in front of you. If they're in front of you, you try and say hi or try and talk to them. Sometimes people don't talk to you, or they just pass you... it just makes me feel absolutely disgusting. Like I'm not a person. (DVC08, Female – age 30)

An overwhelming number of interviewees reported instances of exclusion and lack of access to various aspects of social life. Many negative experiences were experienced by the interviewees because of inaccessible transportation and built environment or erosion of access as one of the participants framed it. Discrimination and unequal treatment in social life were also identified by people as key factors preventing their participation on equal basis with others in various social and cultural activities, as well as in sports and recreation:

One time last year, I had my brace on... I got on the bus at UBC and nobody would give me a seat... quite often when I get on the bus, I have to ask for a seat and demand it because a lot of times people won't give up their seat for me. That happens frequently. (DVC05, Male – age 59)

The issue of inclusion comes into play with a lot of things where you're dealing with accessibility because sometimes accessibility is provided, but it's totally segregated... the newer types of cinemas... with the stadium-style seating. Before, when you just had theatre type of seating, someone like myself could transfer to any isle seat going up and down as far back as you wanted. But now, there's a specific area for those in wheelchairs to sit. Again, it's another form of what I've come to call erosion of access. They've taken something that was more accessible before, and made it less accessible. (DVC12, Male – age 61)

I had a very large problem... they actually did prevent me from flying independently. They told me I needed to have a babysitter to come with me and they wanted me to pay for this person to fly with me... that's not really fair... that's discrimination. I was completely discriminated against... just because we're deaf blind doesn't mean anything...they just don't get it, so it's a huge discrimination factor. (DVF01(1), Male – age 49)

In spite of various obstacles to social participation, a high proportion of participants also reported positive experiences of inclusion and accessibility in various areas of social life as this interviewee commented:

I use a manual wheelchair to get around, and I think that we're fortunate living in the lower mainland here in B.C. because for the most part it is very accessible for people who use wheelchairs. We're also seeing more changes being made to improve the lives of people with other disabilities, other than mobility disabilities. (DVC12, Male – age 61)

Income security and support services

The domain of Income security and support services involves experiences related to access to or denial of income and social supports. The lack of these supports increases the vulnerability of people with disabilities to poverty and societal exclusion.

Almost three in four individuals in this study reported experiences of exclusion from social protection schemes on grounds of disability (Table 5). They also experienced a lack of adequate support and assistance for their unique needs, leading to serious restrictions in various other aspects of people's lives as one interviewee confided:

I don't go out very much because there's usually not an attendant available for something I might want to do during the day. People have their lives, so it's very hard to find somebody to accompany me in a reclining wheelchair... this affects my getting dressed and stuff like that. So the help I have is so minimal, it's like 6 hours a week. That's barely enough to make me a meal that you can put in the fridge or freezer and get the laundry done and the bed changed and a shower. (DVB04, Female – age 63)

Inadequate income supports represent a huge barrier to a life mastered by the persons with disabilities themselves as one of the interviewees stated:

With welfare, I don't have enough to rent a one bedroom suite. If I had disability benefits that would be the first thing I'd probably do, a dumpy old apartment or something that would give me my independence... hopefully give me enough money to somehow restart my life. (DVC11, Male – age 48)

Beyond their negative impact on the economic situation of persons with disabilities, barriers to adequate disability-related supports significantly contribute to the erosion of person's worth and dignity:

It's frustrating because you have to fight for everything and try to get everything that you possibly can and sometimes it's very stressful... Sometimes you get nervous because you think they're going to say no or they're going to fight me or argue with me or this can't be done or she can't do this a certain way or whatever it is... (DVA11, Female – age 36)

I'm angry at the system... You feel more normal when your place is clean, when it's not dusty, when there are no leaves on the floor, because it maybe hasn't been vacuumed in a month, or swept, because that's not a priority... (DVB04, Female – age 63)

Work

The Work domain entails experiences related to access, retention and progression in the labour market. The data indicates interesting varied results, with high percentages of both positive and negative experiences. Table 6 summarizes the outcomes from the stories collected in relation to work.

While slightly over half of participants encountered exclusion and/or barriers to obtain paid jobs, a similar proportion also indicated that their needs have been accommodated at their workplaces. Instances of exclusion at the workplace primarily involve situations where one's disability is not accommodated at all; often discouraging individuals to fight for changes or even voice their needs:

They know I have a disability, they know that I'm deaf, but they don't necessarily think about how to adjust accordingly for a deaf person or anyone else with a disability. So I know that if I wanted to move up to a position or move up to be considered for a promotion, I've been told that I can't because of my disability, because I wouldn't be able to use a telephone, for example. (DVE01, Female – age 41)

I find with the level of stiffness and pain, I would never be able to do a traditional nine to five job, like at a bank or for any kind of company. I find that to be a challenge because I really wouldn't even know how to approach a company to ask them for non-traditional work hours... like it's so hard for me to get there. (DVC08, Female – age 30)

On the other side, participants also reported positive experiences when their work-related needs have been accommodated. For example, one interviewee reported:

There was a big company, and I was interested in a work opportunity there. They said, we've got all these deaf people, we've hired all of them and they're all very different..., and I felt like they understood that not every deaf person is the same. They have different levels of literacy, different experience, different skills, and this company was a lot more open to that. When I submitted my resume they said that they would find me the right match, and that I wouldn't be in a job that was below my skill level. (DVE01, Female – age 41)

People's stories related to their workplace experiences evolved around both respect and erosion of dignity. For instance, a number of individuals who felt disrespected and devalued noted the discrepancy between the values upheld by the employers in their claims and their actual practices:

I'm frustrated, not satisfied, and I also feel that there's a conflict with the organization that I work for and their mandate. I mean, everything they say that they're about, seems to conflict with the way that they've treated me. They claim to support and advocate for deaf and hard of hearing people, but I haven't really felt that myself, personally. (DVE01, Female – age 41)

Other interviewees, however, reported positive experiences and shared stories of fulfilled life due to inclusive workplace environment:

I think I've progressed a lot since I've been working here, and I've found the acceptance that I wouldn't necessarily find in other settings. There are a lot of other people here who have disabilities as well, and yet that doesn't prevent them from leading a full life... or acting or being responsible for certain things. (DVI01, Male – age 50)

Privacy and Family life

Family life and personal relationships often have a tremendous impact on people's daily experiences. Interactions with family members and privacy-related issues were explored throughout the interviews. Interestingly, many of the reported experiences in this domain of life were positive. For example, one in two individuals felt valued in their family and personal relationships and their privacy respected. However, approximately half of the interviewees also reported opposite stories.

Many participants stated that family represents an important source of emotional and material support and that connectedness with family members makes them feeling proud and useful.

My family... they are very important and it's always been something that I've tried to stay close to. I've got siblings in the lower mainland, in Vancouver Island. So, I try to stay in touch with them... looking after the house and looking after each other. (DVC12, Male – age 61)

My relationship with my family is quite satisfying. I keep in touch with them. My nephew's wife is going to give birth to a child, and I'm going to be a great uncle. That gives me a lot of pride. (DVi01, Male – age 50)

In contrast to stories of supportive families, there were also other stories around resentful feelings because of the attitudes of family and friends, poor treatment or lack of support from the close network once the person became disabled:

When I became disabled, I found that my relationship with my family and friends changed. They were used to me being the person that took care of things... I thought they would step up and help me, but I didn't realize that many of them actually were angry that I couldn't do the babysitting or do physical things for them. It was like I had spoiled them... they were actually quite resentful... and my mother and father don't really care... they're not very supportive. (DVA07, Female – age 52)

I find that it's constantly where I'm in the way, I'm slowing things down. Even at home, with my wife... I'll say look, I can't do that, I can't move that fast. I don't like it because I'm made to feel as if I'm holding things up. I'm late or I'm making you late. (DVB01, Male – age 68)

My husband left me when I became disabled. He told me it was too much for him to take it. (DVC06, Female – age 57)

Furthermore, the lack of understanding and support from participants' close networks affected their sense of belonging and inclusion.

My daughter is in New West but she hasn't spoken to me or seen me for a couple of years. (DVB04, Female – age 52)

I think my parents just thought, that's life, and that happens in a school. So they never advocated for me... We didn't have a bond at all... We are not a very close family at all. (DVC13, Female – age 37)

I feel like there is a hearing world and there is a deaf world and then there is me in the middle. I am in the middle of both. I don't get the respect of the signers of the deaf world and ...because I'm not deaf, it's not the same level of need... so I'm kind of just there in the twilight zone between the two worlds. (DVG03, Female – age 48)

Individuals felt often disrespected in their family relationships and endured stigmatization because of family's stereotyped perceptions on disability.

... my ex husband... he tells the kids that he's so glad that we're not together because of my illness. (DVG04, Female – age 51)

For others, these misconceptions about persons with disabilities created huge barriers to even get into a relationship:

I find that the common perception is that I'm asexual, therefore I don't need companionship. That's my real barrier now... just trying to find someone who can look past the... disability which is a really hard... the fact that they don't want to date a disabled person just because they label me asexual. (DVE04, Male – age 22).

Education

The domain of education involves personal experiences in the interaction with the education system.

The principle of participation, inclusion and accessibility was mostly evoked in participants' stories (Table 9). Over one third of the participants reported feeling included and having their accessibility needs accommodated in the education environment.

I didn't have to explain myself or prove myself in order to be accepted. It's like this program was built for me. (DVC01, Female – age 32)

On the other hand, a similarly high proportion of individuals reported experiences of exclusion and facing various barriers in accessing the education system. The main reasons identified by the participants for these situations were lack of accessibility and appropriate supports to facilitate their participation in education, as well as stereotyped attitudes of teachers and staff.

The educational system... it's in shambles right now as far as education for deaf people. We have a very small segregated program, and it's not a mainstream program... it is mainly because of language issues. (DVE05, Male – age 54)

I contacted the school about accommodation and they didn't really give me a straight answer. They told me to contact the instructor of that course, which I did, and she said if you've got a visual impairment... I don't think you could handle it. She just pretty much told me that I should just give up and don't even bother signing up for the class... and during the time in that class I can tell you I didn't have a good time at all. She was pretty harsh, and she left me out group discussions when I had the answers to the questions that most students didn't know... she would just ignore me as if she didn't hear me. (DVA02, Female – age 29)

As some participants revealed, in certain situations the only alternative was to give up their education prospects:

I told the guy I have difficulty with essays, is there any way we could do multiple choice, is there any way we could do other projects? and he said No, if you can't do essays, get out of my course. (DVA06, Female – age 41)

It was a very difficult time for me to give up what I was studying and switch to something else... so in that sense I didn't feel cared about... maybe one person cared,... but the rest seemed like they were putting up barriers. (DVA01, Male – age n.a.)

A number of people in this study reported experiencing ableism in school life, which made it difficult to enjoy an educational experience equal to their able-bodied peers. The attitudes of their peers and instructors had a detrimental effect on people's self-esteem and confidence, turning their educational experience into the opposite of what meant to be – a way to create confident and fulfilled individuals.

My peers made fun of me. They talked about me behind my back. They bullied me. I was picked on all the time... my teachers picked on me too. (DVC13, Female – age 37)

The pressure to perform was huge. It not only came from my classmates, it came from me teachers. They were awful. I think my confidence and self-esteem have taken a beating, but I think that the further I get away from that department, the better I'll feel. (DVC04, Female – age 34)

Information and communication

Information and communication represents an essential aspect of life in our knowledge society. It is an area of particular concern for people with disabilities as usually the communication venues are not adapted so that they have equal access to information as their non-disabled counterparts.

According to participants' responses (Table 10), the most infringed principle within this domain of life is that of participation and accessibility -a large number of interviewees reported feeling segregated or isolated because of their lack of access to various communication means:

For access... for deaf people, they don't have access to communication. They're always waiting for an interpreter... (DVE05, Male – age 54)

The government should be providing library services universally for the disabled and for blind people that need alternate print. We should have the same access to information as sighted people, and I shouldn't have to knock on people's doors and ask for money so I can read a book. (DVC02, Male – age 68)

In the workplace... a number of issues in terms of the telephone and being asked again and again to find out information on the telephone and... I try to do some of it, but it just ends up being frustrating. Meetings... they get in to a meeting and everybody starts talking to each other and you're lost with it all, which is really hard on the self-esteem... and it's really hard on your stress management. (DVG01, Female – age 58)

About one in four interviewees linked their negative experiences around communication and access to information to diminished dignity (Table 10). Many participants reported situations of embarrassment, frustration, and disrespect in their human interactions because of the communication barriers:

It's just hard to strike conversation with strangers and sometimes even with people that I know... I don't know whether or not they would have walked away. I frequently have to check because... there are no verbal cues that they are physically there, and I find that hard for me... sometimes it makes me feel pretty stupid after you talk for a few minutes and then realize that either the other person is not paying attention or they in fact walked away. That's pretty embarrassing... (DVi02, Male – age 31)

Basically left out and angry... you want to say to yourself, well who the hell are you supposed to talk with about this. Who is giving out this free ticket and who is giving out this free information? No one sends anything to me or to people with disabilities at all. (DVF02(2), Male – age 67)

Health, habilitation and rehabilitation

Accessing the highest available standard of health and health services is an important aspect in the lives of numerous people with disabilities. Individuals may encounter difficulties in dealing with health care practitioners, as well as in accessing various health-related services. Table 11 summarizes the results of this study in relation to health domain.

In their encounters with the health system, many participants reported feeling devalued as a result of poor treatment received from various practitioners:

So I thought, I'm going to talk to my doctor, she'll get something going... but nothing. Then I got angry... She didn't want me in her practice. It made me feel, on a scale of one to ten, that I was less than zero. That's how I felt with her. I can tell you that whenever I had an appointment, I hated it because I had to try to find some kind of strength to sit in the appointment and not show my feelings. (DVC09, Female – age 66)

Users and survivors of psychiatric services, in particular, expressed their dissatisfaction and frustration with the treatment received and the attitudes of health care workers that affect their dignity:

As a person with a mental health disability, the unaccountability of psychiatry, the arrogance of psychiatrists who are almost infamous... with most of them, in my experience... I find that in the system itself the mental health system, on a very real level, it has more to do with controlling people and doesn't really offer me a lot of hope, it's forced me to seek out other alternatives... I'm angry, I'm still angry with my doctor. (DVC10, Male – age 49)

Another cause of feeling devalued in accessing health services came from not being allowed to voice up their concerns. For example, interviewees described various situations dealing with physicians insensitive to people's health concerns, this contributing to their wider social exclusion:

It made me feel frustrated because I knew what the problem was and he didn't believe me. He told me I had migraine headaches. I never had migraine headaches. I know my symptoms when my shunt locks up and he doesn't. He doesn't know me... so it just made me really frustrated that he wouldn't believe me. (DVA04, Female – age 44)

The orthopaedic surgeon, when I was 45, refused to repair my knee. He said I was too fat, too old and diabetic. ... So I stopped playing floor hockey and field hockey... (DVA07, Female – age 51).

One third of individuals in this study reported various experiences of lack of respect in medical settings. They felt misunderstood and stigmatized through the medical treatment that objectifies them. Again, this is particularly the case of individuals with psychiatric disabilities:

I went to the hospital and there were tons and tons of doctors and nurses and lab technicians seeing me... they thought I was like a spectacle... (DVC13, Female – age 37)

Access to justice

The domain of access to justice was the least discussed by participants. It encompasses people's experiences in their interaction with the legal system, as well as liberty and security of the person.

Few individuals expressed feeling a loss of dignity or being disrespected and devalued in interacting with the legal system (Table 12). One participant said:

I feel very frustrated by going back and forth to court. You're going there for nothing for one, and you're wondering in your mind, is it worth it...? (DVF01(2), Male – age 67)

Some individuals also felt largely excluded in their access to justice system, mainly because of financial and legislative barriers. As a result, people with disabilities are not able to bring legal actions to an end, feeling as they cannot rely upon the system to protect them against unfair treatment. For example, one interviewee reported difficulties in dealing with law enforcement officials themselves, when he sought help in dealing with the owner of a restaurant who refused to receive him because of his assistant dog:

I called for help and the police... pointed me to nowhere. I think they could do better. I understand that it is not an emergency, but at least they could give me better direction or maybe I expected more support from them than saying 'we don't help'. As if this is not their issue and I should deal with someone else. (DVI02, Male – age 31)

Another respondent commented on possible lower standards of legal aid in Vancouver, particularly when compared with other major cities in Canada – and cited this as a barrier to taking legal action:

If I'd been in Toronto or Montreal, where I would have had access to a good lawyer, I would have taken legal action. (DVC02, Male – age 68)

Intersectional analysis

In this section, the exercise of rights by people with disabilities was explored in connection with other characteristics – mainly gender and age ⁴ – in order to better contextualize people`s experiences. These important attributes were also examined in the context of the key human rights principles employed in this study. However, it is important to note that this study includes slightly more females than males, and also a higher number of individuals over 35, the age group of 18-34 being less represented. The distribution of participants across the two main characteristics is summarized in the table below:

Note #4

Analysis by type of disability was not possible due to small cell sizes once disaggregating by various types of disability reported by participants in this study.

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The impact of gender

When exploring how gender affects experiences of discrimination in the eight domains of life examined in this study, interesting differences were found between the reports of men and women, particularly in relation to four domains: Privacy and family life, Health, habilitation& rehabilitation, Education and Access to justice. Privacy and family life, Health, and Education were the domains more discussed by women than men (Table 13). On the contrary, access to justice, although generally a not very discussed domain, was more often addressed by men. It is also interesting to note that certain areas such as social participation, work and income security & support services, were similarly addressed by both women and men, denoting their central role in the well-being of persons with disabilities, regardless their sex.

Women's and men's experiences were also very similar in relation to their access or denial of human rights principles (Table 14). Both groups reported both negative and positive experiences and no significant pattern emerged differentiating women from men regarding the human rights principles examined.

The impact of age

The study also examined the impact of age on participants` experiences across the eight domains of life. Some interesting relations were found concerning three domains – work, privacy & family life and access to justice. Findings are reported in Table 15.

Younger participants (18-34 and 35-54 age groups) reported their human rights experiences in the domains of Work and Family life more often than the older interviewees. This may be explained by the greater relevance of these domains in the lives of younger people. On the contrary, Access to justice, although the least addressed topic overall, was only discussed by mature participants (55+ and 35-54 age groups), which may also indicate the relevance of this domain for people within these age groups. All age groups, however, gave prominence to issues related to Social participation.

Regarding the human rights principles evoked by the stories collected (Table 16), there were little differences across the age groups with no pattern emerging. Regardless of age, participants reported instances of both confirmation and denial of certain human rights principles with, for example, equal proportion of stories dealing with aspects of exclusion and inclusion. Some interesting differences were found in relation to the principle of autonomy, otherwise not too often emphasized in the stories. Cross-age analysis suggests that the older groups were more able to exercise self-determination than youngest people. It is possible that with mature age it also comes a greater ability for self-assertion, in spite of other hostile factors. At the same time, youngest people might also value autonomy more than the older ones, experiencing this way more distress when this is denied on grounds of disability.

Analysis based on participants' responses to discrimination

Responses to Abuse and Discrimination

In this section, the analysis is based on the interviewees` responses on their own actions when facing discrimination. A wide range of responses was provided. Some interviewees chose to distance themselves from the contexts in which they faced discrimination in order to avoid further discrimination; others resisted by trying to change specific situations and contexts; while others reported the discrimination to a local authority or had taken legal action. Results of this analysis are presented on Table 17.

Note #5

Since each respondent may have reported up to three different incidents, percentages were calculated on the basis of the whole sample and do not sum up to 100%

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The majority of participants chose to report or file an official complaint in their encounters with certain situations of abuse, which shows a high degree of proactivity. Many of the reported instances of discrimination seem to occur in the area of services provision and emphasized the multitude of barriers people faced in their efforts to get issues addressed:

I had a human rights complaint against the service provider, alleging that they denied me housing because of my disability. (DVC03, Male)

I tried everything. I talked to the MP's... my whole phone book has got little squiggly lines in it because I used to go through and look up human rights. I phoned every office that I thought would help me in there. (DVC11, Male – age 48)

On the other hand, many participants chose to avoid or distance themselves from those situations and contexts of abuse or ill-treatment.

People insult me... and I can't really do anything about it. I don't want to start creating more issues or more problems... I just don't want to cause more stress on my shoulders so I just ignore it and stay calm... I just want peace, so I don't say anything to anybody. (DVF01(1), Male – age 49)

Reasons for Not Reporting

Not all interviewees, however, sought remedy to an offence or discrimination. This study also explored the reasons why the interviewees decided not to report the instances of rights violations. Results are summarized in Table 18.

Many people didn`t report their experiences of abuse or discrimination for different reasons. Mostly often, participants reported that nothing would have happen as a result of their action.

Even if I do stick up for myself and push myself and never let people walk on me, sometimes... I just let things roll because I don't know if they can do anything about actually fixing that washroom because of how small the restaurant is... I don't think they can fix it anyway. (DVA11, Female – age 36)

We've been to a number of forums... seniors forums and disability communities have written in and talked about all of these things... it's so much lip work., but nothing ever actually seems to happen... I'm sixty-five. I've been talking about the same stuff for forty years. (DVC02, Male – age 68)

Some participants also pointed out the lack of access to appropriate information and resources in order to proceed with a claim:

I already have a disability... with all the forms and things it was just really difficult... I had a lot of problems... some stuff I didn't understand and I wasn't really getting any help with the forms, so I just gave up. (DVA02, Female – age 29)

Other reasons were mentioned by some interviewees for not reporting on discrimination. A number of interviewees described the substantial efforts involved in order to take legal action; the complexity of the process often leading to frustration and discouragement:

I just was too mad. I reported to the one at the front desk, and there was so much commotion, then three others came up to the front. At this point I have four people to deal with... so I just decide I'm getting out of there. (DVG03, Female – age 48)

Systemic Roots of Discrimination

Systemic roots of discrimination comprise social, legislative and economic factors which lead to mal treatment on grounds of disability. Throughout the interviews, respondents reflected on their experiences and linked them with broader factors that impact their exercise of rights. Findings are presented in Table 19.

More than half of the interviewees cited economic factors as primary systemic root of discrimination. People`s experiences touched upon various economic aspects such as living in poverty and lack of appropriate supports from government, making it impossible to live a decent life:

Not being poor is a source for... not being ill. People with physical disabilities develop mental disabilities because they're ill and they're not getting the help that they need, (DVC10, Male – age 49)

It's more the financial issue that really becomes in a factor. I wish I just had more money, more than anything else. (DVB02, Male – age 29)

It's very hard not to have money to buy food... It's not a matter of me not knowing how to budget. There's just not enough money to budget with. I would love if I had $200 more a month... I just think it's strange if the BC government is cutting back... how can there be money for people to live better? (DVB04, Female – age 63)

Interviewees' recommendations for political action

Participants made a number of recommendations to improve the situation and circumstances of people living with disabilities (Table 20).

Almost three quarters of the participants suggested that educating the public about disability and raising awareness around less visible disabilities is essential in order to improve the situation of people with disabilities.

Education, I think, is a huge aspect in change, which leads to understanding, which also leads to... equality. (DVC01, Female – age 32)

I think that in education... it would be nice to see tolerance policies... they always talk about the main disabilities that are very visible, but... to talk about the ones that are not so visible... to say, just because you can't see a disability doesn't mean that somebody doesn't have a disability. Don't assume that everyone is fully capable of something... a little more emphasis on that... (DVB02, Male – age 29)

I think it's more... awareness and understanding, and knowing that everybody is treated equal and everybody is given the same opportunities. I think there are some people that are... just really ignorant. (DVA02, Female – age 29)

Provision of better social supports emerged as another important recommendation. Specifically, participants pointed to the need for stronger mechanisms to be created by government in order to address chronic poverty faced by people with disabilities.

Give them more money. I believe in a guaranteed liveable income for everybody... there's no reason not to have that, especially not in a country like ours where we're a lot more fortunate than most countries in the world and have loads of wealth... All they would need is the political will to eliminate poverty... it could actually be done within a few years. (DVC10, Male – age 49)

Other recommendations included improved accessibility which is essential to participating in all aspects of life on equal basis with other members of society.

How do they expect somebody with a disability to function and get through their work day, or their shopping day, or their appointment in a quick and fast way? First of all, we lose track of time... our mental function isn't as easy because we're pressed to do things. We're absorbed in trying to manage the physical problems that we may be having that day. Not having to report to the ferry more quickly than a regular person would be really helpful. If a disabled person could arrive even fifteen or twenty minutes before the ferry sailed, that would be really nice... (DVB01, Male – age 68)

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