Canadians with disabilities have lower incomes, less likely to finish university or have a full-time job

Canadian Human Rights Commission

When compared to other adults, adults with disabilities:
are half as likely to get a university degree, more likely to settle for part-time work and have lower annual incomes.

A new study by the Canadian Human Rights Commission paints a bleak picture of how well those with disabilities fare in Canada. 

Canadians have a better picture of how disability affects equality of opportunity, thanks to a new benchmarking study released by the Canadian Human Rights Commission today.

Mean income after tax shows gap

The survey showed that after-tax incomes for families with a person with disability are significantly lower than other Canadian households. This income gap means their standard of living will be lower since families with disabilities also have much higher medical and other disability related costs to absorb.

“In March 2010, Canada ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” says the Human Rights Commission report. “In signing the Convention, Canada promised to protect, promote and advance the rights of people with disabilities.”

The report discloses gaps in eduction, income, workforce participation and other social inclusion for the disabled. The Human Rights Commission is hoping politicians, academics, the media and Canadians will use the report as a guide to what policies need change to cut those gaps.

The study is based on the 2006 PALS study by Statistics Canada and other reports from the government. In 2011, the Federal government cancelled the Participation and Limitation Survey that detailed the situation of the disabled every 4 years.

“The Report on Equality Rights of People with Disabilities compares Canadians with disabilities to those without disabilities across a spectrum of indicators, such as education, employment, economic well-being, health, and housing. The report consolidates data from seven Statistics Canada surveys.”

“This is the first comprehensive examination of how disability affects equality of opportunity in daily life,” Acting Chief Commissioner David Langtry said. “It provides a benchmark that will enable Canadians to track progress and identify barriers that deny people with disabilities the full opportunity to make for themselves the lives they wish to have.”

“The report released today provides insight for academics, NGOs, community groups and all levels of government involved in developing policies and programs aimed at improving life for Canadians with disabilities. It provides a baseline for future studies that the Commission intends to undertake to measure change.”

“The report shows a different reality for people with disabilities in areas such as education, employment and economic well-being.”

“The Report on Equality Rights of People with Disabilities” can be obtained from the Commission’s website at chrc-ccdp.gc.ca.”