Engaging in Disability Policy Development and Advocacy with the Canadian State

Michael J. Prince

Canadian Disability Policy Alliance
Meeting of CURA Partners
University of Regina
April 28, 2010

Slide 1
Questions

• What is involved in being a disability activist, advocate or ally for the needs, rights and inclusion of people with disabilities?
• What are the points of contact and the relationships in policy engagement?
• Is engagement always a good thing to pursue?

Slide 2
Objectives

• To distinguish citizen and community engagement
• To survey several organizational sites for policy engagement and other methods of mobilization
• To identify benefits and risks to disability groups of engaging with the Canadian state

Slide 3
Types of civic engagement

• Citizen-oriented:
• Participation of individuals as particular persons or family members
• Two-way dialogues between the state and non-aligned persons, “ordinary citizens” via deliberative processes
• Community-based:
• Participation of organizations for individuals, families, groups and networks
• Forging structural linkages within the movement and with various state locations and policy processes

Slide 4
Benefits of policy engagement

For governments:

• Acquire information
• Dispel myths
• Enhance credibility of policy or service
• Strengthen public trust in state structures and actors
• Leverage resources
• Be seen listening

For community:

• Expand inclusion
• Generate experiences
• Transform stereotypes of people with disabilities
• Advance reform agenda ideas
• Build civic capacity
• Foster sense of citizenship

Slide 5
Models of policy engagement between the disability community and Canadian state

• Intra-community engagement
• Cross-sector linkages
• Political executive contacts
• Legislative connections
• Judiciary interactions
• Public service relations
• Intergovernmental opportunities

Slide 6
Intra-community engagement

• Disability-related agencies and groups working within the disability community
• Forming partnerships and networks
• Sharing information and other resources
• Developing positions and visions
• Applying jointly for funding
• Considering costs and benefits

Slide 7
Cross-sector linkages

• Disability groups working with agencies or associations in other parts of the voluntary or the private sectors
• Forming coalitions:
• Ad hoc
• Virtual (and now with “social media”)
• Permanent

Slide 8
Political executive contacts

• Disability groups working with cabinet ministers, city councillors/mayors, and their staffs
• Access points:
• Episodic events
• Policy cycles
• Temporary committees
• Permanent structures

Slide 9
Legislative connections

• Disability groups connecting with parliamentary, legislative or council committees and individual members
• Full citizenship as a political but not a partisan issue
• E-consultations as online engagement

Slide 10
Judiciary interactions

• Disability activists, parents, and groups interacting with courts, human rights commissions and other tribunals
• Mainly individual advocacy before tribunals, with many people unrepresented by legal counsel
• Recent loss of Court Challenges Program at the national level reduces space for systemic advocacy for constitutional rights

Slide 11
Public service relations

• Interactions between disability representatives and public servants
• Sites include:
• senior officials
• policy analysts
• disability issues office
• program managers
• advisory committees and workshops

Slide 12
Intergovernmental opportunities

• Participation by disability group representatives in federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) or (PT) structures and processes
• Four levels:
• First Ministers
• Ministerial
• Deputy ministers
• Working groups of officials

Slide 13
Risks of engagement

• Cooptation/incorporation by the state
• Fragmentation of the disability movement
• Displacement of other important activities or issues for a group or sub-sector of the disability community
• Legitimating individualistic or bio-medical notions of disablement
• Being labelled as “special interests”

Slide 14
Challenges in facing the state

• Service contract agencies
• Fiscal constraints of governments
• Weak memories and policy capacities in public services as well as the community
• Inaccessible policy systems
• Unrepresentative organizations in staff
• Belated and scripted consultations

Slide 15
The Importance of Being Engaged

• Enacting our raison d’être as representatives
• Building momentum and solidarity within the disability community
• Forging alliances with other social movements and collectivities with shared values and goals
• Drawing notice, in public spaces, to inequalities, obstacles and unmet basic needs
• Advancing policy and program claims for inclusion and full citizenship

Thank you

Michael J. Prince
Lansdowne Professor of Social Policy
Faculty of Human and Social Development
University of Victoria
mprince@uvic.ca

Disabling Poverty and Enabling Citizenship CURA
http://www.ccdonline.ca/en/socialpolicy/poverty-citizenship