A National Anti-Poverty and Supports Agenda -- The Need to Act

Presentation to the Canadian Association for Community Living 50th Anniversary Conference
November 21, 2008

Cameron Crawford
Director of Research, CACL

CACL’s ten-year agenda

1. Achieve equality rights and recognition
2. Close institutions and assure a home in the community
3. Secure child rights and needed supports
4. Ensure families have needed supports
5. Achieve inclusive education
6. Secure the right and access to disability supports
7. Establish safe and inclusive communities
8. Eradicate poverty for people with intellectual disabilities and their families
9. Achieve employment equality
10. Make a global impact on inclusion

3. Secure child rights and needed supports

The Vision

• All children with intellectual disabilities have their rights guaranteed and respected, and have the supports they need to live, grow and thrive in their families and communities

Making the Grade

• Canada is implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Children, which includes children with disabilities
• Two federal parties parties committed to inclusive early learning and childcare
• Child rights community committed to issues for children with disabilities

Improvements Needed

• Children with disabilities are more likely to be living in lower income households
• About half of children with disabilities lack needed aids/devices
• Children with disabilities are over-represented in provincial/territorial child welfare systems

4. Ensure families have needed supports

The Vision

• Families access the supports and opportunities they need to assure inclusion for family members with intellectual disabilities through their lifetimes, and to secure family, social and economic well-being

Making the Grade

• Various financial supports are available through the tax system
• RDSP assists in preparing for long-term financial security
• Compassionate Care for supporting gravely ill/dying family member
• Provincial/territorial home supports, respite, etc. are available

Improvements Needed

• Parents of children with an intellectual disability:
  • More likely to turn down work and have other employment difficulties
  • Difficulties coordinating care and balancing other responsibilities
  • About twice as likely to have money problems because of their child’s disability
  • Still providing care after most children leave home

5. Achieve inclusive education

The Vision

• All people with intellectual disabilities are fully included with their peers in regular education, with appropriate supports from early childhood through to post secondary and adult life-long learning

Making the Grade

• Guidelines are in place for accommodating students in NB and ON
• Legislated inclusion in NB
• Most children in regular classes with intellectual disabilities: doing average or better at school
• Students with intellectual disabilities in regular classes experience many other benefits at school

Improvements Needed

• Only 1/3rd of adults with intellectual disabilities have graduated from high school
• Only 1 in 7 have any post-secondary
• For children with intellectual disabilities
  • Nearly 1 in 4 have had to leave their community to attend school
  • 2 out of 3 are in segregated placements

6. Secure the right and access to disability supports

The Vision

• All people with intellectual disabilities have access to, and acknowledgement of, the disability-related supports they need to live meaningful lives and contribute as full citizens

Making the Grade

• Disability supports are a building block of In Unison (FPT Accord)
• Progress in achieving more flexible, consumer controlled, individualized support services
• Governments have made disability a priority, and have been exploring income and support options

Improvements Needed

• 1/3rd of adults with intellectual disabilities lack needed supports
• Major barriers: cost and lack of insurance
• Patchwork of programs and inconsistent availability of supports
• System still too rigid and unresponsive
• Eligibility often linked to income

8. Eradicate poverty for people with intellectual disabilities and their families

The Vision

• Canadians with intellectual disabilities have the income and resources they need to secure a good quality of life and fully participate in all aspects of their communities

Making the Grade

• Recent decrease in the unemployment rate for people with disabilities
• Significant recent gains in employment for many people with disabilities
• Poverty reduction strategies in some provinces, with a focus on disability (e.g., NL, ON)

Improvements Needed

• For people with intellectual disabilities:
  • If employed at all, very low earnings
  • More than twice as likely to be receiving social assistance
  • Very low welfare incomes
  • Nearly three times more likely to be living in poverty than people without disabilities

Percentages of adults with intellectual disabilities not living with family members and living below the 'poverty line'

Living alone: 52.1%
Living with non-family others: 96.9%
Living alone or with nonfamily others: 74.9%

9. Achieve employment equality

The Vision

• Working-age adults with intellectual disabilities are employed at the same rate as the general population

Making the Grade

• Increased likelihood of employment and good earnings where people with disabilities have good education, access to training, transportation and the personal assistance and aids/devices needed

Improvements Needed

• For people with intellectual disabilities:
• Very low employment rate
• Virtually no change in employment rate, despite recent gains for others
• Four times more likely to have last worked a year or more ago, or never
• More than twice as likely to lack needed job supports

The Vision

• Working-age adults with intellectual disabilities are employed at the same rate as the general population

Making the Grade

• Increased likelihood of employment and good earnings where people with disabilities have good education, access to training, transportation and the personal assistance and aids/devices needed

Improvements Needed

• For people with intellectual disabilities:
  • Very low employment rate
  • Virtually no change in employment rate, despite recent gains for others
  • Four times more likely to have last worked a year or more ago, or never
  • More than twice as likely to lack needed job supports

Employment rates for six groups, by mild level of disability (PALS 2001)

Employment rates for six groups, by moderate level of disability (PALS 2001)

Employment rates for six groups, by severe level of disability (PALS 2001)

Conclusion

• People with intellectual disabilities are living as valued, contributing community members
  • With other young children, with other students at school, in their families, in their neighbourhoods, in workplaces, in their own homes
• Despite supportive laws, policies and research and the practical experience that inclusion benefits all Canadians, poverty and exclusion are still widespread
• Efforts are still needed to keep building on 50 years of experience in making inclusion a reality for all