As Canada considers national pharma-care policy, people with disabilities represent a special population whose needs must be accounted for. People with disabilities are among the most economically disadvantaged in Canadian society, and often medication costs represent a further burden. Shikha Gupta, a doctoral student working with the CDPA, has recently received funding from the Mark S. Lodge Fund to conduct… Read more »
When you think of changing attitudes toward disability, what are the two strategies that spring to mind? The two most popular responses to that question are unfortunately strategies that have been shown to be ineffective: public awareness campaigns and simulations. CDPA, as part of the Canada Access & Inclusion Project through SCI Canada, was selected to advise the federal Minister… Read more »
We have now completed, and are proud to present, the third of three specialized policy scans corresponding to the research priorities of the Canadian Disability Participation Project. Policy Governing Sport and Exercise for People with Disabilities in Canada summarizes policy governing disability sport in 10 provincial, 3 territorial and the federal governments in Canada. The emphasis of the federal government… Read more »
In order to conduct the work of the CDPA, five accessibility measure have been developed and validated. The Accessible Elections Checklist was developed by David Shannon and Mary Ann McColl for a study of electoral accessibility in Ontario. The Community Integration Measure was developed by Mary Ann McColl and colleagues for studies of overall participation in community living for people with disabilities. The Main Street… Read more »
An article published in the Canadian Journal of Disability Studies shows that the activity profiles of disabled and non-disabled Canadians are becoming more alike. Using data from the Canadian Time Use Surveys (1992 & 2010), CDPA colleagues Wilson, McColl and two student RA’s (Zhang & McKinnon) showed that disabled women’s labour force participation increased by 31 minutes per day (from 80… Read more »
The policy analysis framework use by CDPA is outlined in detail in the concluding chapter of McColl & Jongbloed’s Disability and Social Policy in Canada (2006). It consists of 7 questions that guide the researcher through the key issues that define and differentiate disability policy. What is the objective of the policy: Equity, access, or support? What is the history… Read more »
On April 5th, 2016, Kathleen Martin-Ginis’ op-ed, entitled We need data on physical activity among people with disabilities, was published in the Hamilton Spectator. In it, Kathleen makes a passionate appeal for good quality data upon which to base evidence-informed policy for people with disabilities. The op-ed (short for “opposite the editorial page”) is a brief, timely, accessible communication contributed… Read more »
How has the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms been used to achieve equity and justice for people with disabilities in Canada? This is the question addressed by a recent publication of a long-standing project of the CDPA, and the work of several partners and students. The paper examines the 14 cases heard by the Supreme Court of Canada where… Read more »
Doing policy-relevant research is a rewarding experience, but it not necessarily part of the skill set or incentive system in academic research. A new article (brought to my attention by Amy Latimer, lead for the Sport & Recreation team) acknowledges this difficulty, and proposes a four-part approach to what they call “strategic science”. The approach begins by establishing relationships with… Read more »
In collaboration with the Mobility Team, we have conducted a scan of legislation, regulations and programs governing funding for wheelchairs and scooters for people with disabilities in 14 jurisdictions in Canada – federal, provincial and territorial. This is the second of three reports supporting the work of each research team. The first reviewed policy governing employment supports. The third will… Read more »
