Health Services Team

Research indicates that people with disabilities have a greater need for health services because of the complexity of their health conditions and that they also experience multiple barriers to accessing health services that non-disabled people do not encounter. Barriers include physical access to medical clinics, adequate examining rooms, lack of knowledge about the specialized needs of people with disabilities, and communication and information barriers. In addition to this some Federal and Provincial policies do not adequately provide for the needs of people with disabilities or leave citizens disadvantaged compared to those with a similar disability in other Provinces.

Scope of Research:

Over the course of this project the health services team will examine health policy in a number of areas and jurisdictions across Canada focusing on the themes of accessibility, access to services and adequate program entitlements, and systemic factors affecting people with disabilities across Canada today.

Current Research

Health Services Policy Review

A comprehensive and descriptive analysis of Provincial and Federal health and disability policies is being undertaken to identify and analyze implications for people with disabilities across Canada. Definitions of disability and benefits and across and within jurisdictions will be compared and a policy analysis document will be produced for future research cycles.

Veteran's Health: The New Veteran's Charter and the Pension Act

A comparative study is underway which will investigate changes in Veteran's health and pension benefits in the New Veteran's Charter versus the older Pension Act. The study analyses benefits according to different levels of disability and will evaluate gains or losses of benefits under the new system and their potential impact on disabled veterans.

Is Obesity a Disability?

This cross jurisdictional study will examine the extent to which obesity is considered a disability in the law and practice by investigating human rights complaints, insurance documents, and policy papers. The question of whether and how obesity should be considered a basis for disability claims or termination of employment will be discussed as well as potential implications for policymakers.

Access to Rehabilitation Services in the Public Sector

Based on work begun in a study by McColl et al. (2009) called Why are there no Rehabilitation Professionals in Family Health Teams? this study will examine the scarcity of publicly funded rehabilitation services outside of institutional contexts in Ontario and the implications for people with disabilities and Canada's ageing population.

For more details about the research plans of this team, please see the CDPA Five Year Program of Research document on the research page.

Completed Research

To view completed research of the CDPA, that is currently available, please click here

Members:

The members of the Health Services team are:

Alice Aiken (Academic co-lead)

Dr. Alice Aiken is an Assistant Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy and Associate Faculty at the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research at Queen`s University. Her research interests lie in health policy, wait lists, physiological decline, military health, obesity, and models of care as they relate to populations of special interest. As a clinical physical therapist, Dr Aiken also serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.

Gillian Bone

As the Director of Client Services, Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario Gillian Bone works to ensure delivery of high quality programs and services to meet the needs of people living with SCI and other physical disabilities. Gillian is a physiotherapist by background and has worked in both rehabilitation and acute health care environments. Her roles have included clinician, educator, researcher, coordinator and manager. She also holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto and is an Associate of the International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation, University of Toronto where she is involved in global health related knowledge exchange.

Kathleen Norman

Dr. Kathleen E. Norman is a physiotherapist, Associate Professor and, since 2007, is Chair of the Physical Therapy Program at the School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University. Her teaching, research and past clinical work are in the area of rehabilitation for adults with disabilities associated with neurological disorders.

Hélène Ouellette-Kuntz

Hélène Ouellette Kuntz, BScN, MSc, is an associate professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, and doctoral candidate in the Department of Geography at Queen's University. She has extensive research experience in the fields of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders and has a major interest in addressing health disparities for persons with disabilities. Hélène has an extensive publication record on topics related to the epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders as well as health and health care of individuals with intellectual disabilities. She has made important contributions to the conceptual development and design of the proposed research and will assist with data analysis, development of educational materials and knowledge mobilization.

Mary Law

Mary Law, Ph.D., FCAOT is a Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science and associate member of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University. She holds the John and Margaret Lillie Chair in Childhood Disability Research. Mary, an occupational therapist by training, is co-founder of CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, a multidisciplinary research centre at McMaster University. CanChild completes policy research for government and works very closely with the Hamilton Family Network, a parent support network. Mary's research centres on evaluation of occupational therapy interventions with children and the effect of environmental factors on the participation of children with disabilities in day to day activities, and transfer of research knowledge into practice.