Disability Legislation from West to East: A joint blog post comparing British Columbia and Ontario
- lmcdougall15
- Mar 21, 2023
- 4 min read
By: Kethra Stewart and Letitia McDougall
There are many ways that people living with disabilities can be better served, such as learning and self-education about people with disabilities and showing compassion.
People living with disabilities in British Columbia, Canada, face many barriers to accessing B.C services. The main walls are society’s perceptions of people with disabilities, such as their attitudes, bias, and discrimination towards them, not showing respect or treating them as equals.
According to the statistics, the current population of B.C. is approximately 5.3 million, and we are the 3rd most extensive populous in Canada (Wikipedia, 2023). In addition, the percentage of people who self-identify as living with disabilities is 24.7%, including mental health, pain, and learning disabilities (B.C. Gov News, 2023).
I worked with people with disabilities in-home care, long-term care, and massage therapy in Edmonton, Alberta. I have experience with people with disabilities and have heard their stories of how people treat them and how they have felt, which affects their social status and self-esteem. Unfortunately, they face stigma and discrimination, and many people with disabilities do not know how to protect their human rights. People with disabilities include living with a chronic pain conditions such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, dementia, depression, neurological issues, mobility issues, being blind or deaf, suicidal, addicted to drugs or alcohol, or any other debilitating mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.
Many rely on caregivers to assist with their daily living and must be adequately trained to treat a person with disabilities. I have personal experience working with people who had specialized dogs that were introduced to help their owners, and a majority of people need to learn the etiquette that you do not touch their dogs because they are not pets. B.C. government website has information regarding people with specialized guide dogs and to help educate the public about these dogs (Government of B.C, 2023b).
There have been times when I was pushing a client in a wheelchair, and people talked down to the client instead of coming to their level to speak.
Something as simple as trying to understand and being patient when someone has a speech disability, instead of hurrying them, can show kindness and respect when a person tries to communicate. A person with a disability who has difficulty asking someone for help is a barrier because of communication issues, inability to speak or write, or inability to use a technology system such as a computer or mobile phone for assistance. Other barriers are not having accessible ramps to businesses or housing or ways to be portable for having access at tables in restaurants, meetings, language interpreters, and stigma about a person’s ability (Government of B.C, 2023a).
The Government of B.C website has information regarding B.C's disability, accessibility, and inclusion plan. It offers services through communities by upholding the recent law passed in June 2021, the Accessible BC Act (Government of B.C, 2023).
The divergence I noticed between Ontario is the timelines of delivering accessible services and the importance of accessibility. B.C. distinctly involves the community through funding for various programs, as we have a plan from 2022-2025 for the five priorities in place to help remove barriers for people living with disabilities (Government of B.C, 2023).
There may be some differences in the experiences of people with disabilities in Ontario and British Columbia, as each province has policies and programs related to disability support and inclusion.
For example, in Ontario, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was introduced in 2005, which sets standards for accessibility in various areas, such as customer service, employment, and transportation (The Act (AODA), 2019). In British Columbia, the Accessibility 2024 initiative was launched in 2014, which aims to make the province the most progressive place for people with disabilities in Canada(Government of B.C, 2023a).
In terms of specific programs and services, Ontario offers the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), which provides income support and employment assistance to people with disabilities (Ontario Disability Support Program, 2022). British Columbia has a similar program called the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Benefit (Disability Assistance, n.d.). However, the two programs may differ in eligibility criteria and the level of support provided.
Overall, it is essential to recognize that the experiences of people with disabilities are complex and diverse and may be influenced by various factors such as socioeconomic status, race, gender, and age. Therefore, while there may be some differences between the experiences of people with disabilities in Ontario and British Columbia, it is essential to focus on improving access and inclusion for all Canadians with disabilities, regardless of where they live.
The priorities set in place will take time for the journey toward including marginalized groups, such as people living with disabilities. People with disabilities need to be included in society through acceptance, knowledge of the barriers, and being treated with respect.
References
BC Gov News. (2023). Building a better B.C: accessibility and inclusion in British Columbia. Government of B.C. Retrieved March 19, 2023. https://news.gov.bc.ca/factsheets/building-a-better-bc-accessibility-and-inclusion-in-british-columbia#:~:text=Passed%20into%20law%20in%20June,with%20disabilities%20face%20in%20B.C
Disability Assistance. (n.d.). Retrieved from Government of British Columbia: https://alpha.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/services-for-people-with-disabilities/disability-assistance
Government of B.C. (2023a). AccessibleBC: B.C's Accessibility Plan for 2022/2023 to 2024/2025. Province of British Columbia. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
Government of B.C.(2023b). The rights and responsibilities of Businesses and the public. Province of British Columbia. Retrieved March 19, 2023. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/human-rights/guide-and-service-dog/public-rights
Ontario Disability Support Program. (2022, March 22). Retrieved from Ontario Government: https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-disability-support-program
The Act (AODA). (2019). Retrieved from Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act: https://aoda.ca/the-act/
Wikipedia. (2023). British Columbia. Retrieved March 19, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Columbia
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