Overview

A New Understanding of Disability-Related Policy

To meet the objectives described above, we cannot talk about 'disability policy' as it is traditionally understood. This is because disability policy does not encompass only those policies and programs traditionally thought of as encompassing the disability policy domain. In fact, most policies and programs affect the aspirations and capacities of people with disabilities. Therefore, we need to begin considering those disability-related policies and programs that are spread throughout many departments and levels of government.

Disability policy has been traditionally seen as a dimension of health, education, social services and income security fields. While these are important components, the perspective has failed to account for the importance of transportation, finance, and the effects of trade on the lives of people with disabilities. Because disability-related policies are spread over many departments of the government, interdepartmental cooperation, the coordinated workings of one or more department in a policy or program, is an important aspect of disability-related policy. One of the failings of disability policy up until this point is that the responsibility for providing programs and services is dispersed across many different departments and when they don't work together, gaps in service provision, late referrals and inadequate follow-up, insufficient linkages with other departments and programs, and inadequate provision of information result. The system becomes very confusing for people to navigate and they don't know where to go for the help they require.

When the Government of Canada was formed in 1867, it was created based upon a federal system of government, consisting of with a central government and provinces and territories. Each body of government, central and provincial, were given certain powers and areas of jurisdiction. This means that the areas allotted to the provincial governments were their responsibilities and were not to be encroached upon by not the federal government's and the same for federal government responsibilities.

Provinces have the responsibility for Within these areas of provincial jurisdiction were the areas described above as those areas traditionally considered within the realm of disability policy: health, education, social services and income security. Along with jurisdiction, each level of government was given certain fiscal powers, such as the ability to tax citizens. The problem that has arisen from this constitutional arrangement, is that the provinces were allotted those areas that are the most costly to govern, while the federal government was given the highest level of fiscal powers. While the federal government has the most access to financial resources, the provinces have the most costly responsibilities.

This situation has proven detrimental to limited the ability of the federal government to ensure adequate programs and services for people with disabilities. Up until the present time, cost-sharing agreements have been the most frequently used method to address this issue, but with limited success. The disability community has suggested that there be greater 's perspective on disability-related programs and policies would require interdepartmental and intergovernmental coordination in programs and services. ThisIt would require all levels of government to consider the impact of all programs and services upon the well-being, aspiration and capacities of people with disabilities. For example, the disability community has been lobbying, for a number of years, for the use of a disability lens in all government departments (see Glossary of Key Terms), that would ensure that the concerns of people with disabilities are accounted for in all government decision-making processes. A similar lens has been put into place, with much success, by Status of Women Canada for concern of gender issues.

The following pages of the Disability-Related Policy 101 section of the website will provide you with additional readings on the topic of disability-related policy in Canada. Additional resources and links to other sites of interest are provided to help you better understand the nature of disability-related policy in Canada. We hope this section will provide you with valuable information to help you better understand how policy affects you.