MEDIA: Rights Based Policy Key to Breaking Barriers for Persons with Disabilities

The lack of a cohesive, rights-based disability framework guiding health and social systems of care is harmful and, in some cases, deadly for persons with disability across Canadian Provinces and Territories. Children with disability are particularly impacted, a team led by the School of Public Policy is warning in a series of op-eds.

Drawing from national research and caregiver experiences, Dr. Jennifer Zwicker, Director of Health and Social Policy at the School, along Senior Research Associate Brittany Finlay and Brenda Lenahan, President of the B.C. Complex Kids Society, are sounding the alarm on the critical gaps in Canada’s disability policies.

Some provinces, including British Columbia, have made strides in accessibility legislation but systemic barriers remain as families struggle to access essential disability supports due to poor communication, fragmented service delivery and long waitlists.

“Funding for programs and services is often inadequate or unevenly distributed, leaving some parents scrambling to pay for costly services for their children out of their own pocket,” they wrote in the article for the Vancouver Province. “These barriers and gaps not only strain families emotionally and financially, they shortchange the children. Without timely access to assessments, therapies and other programs, children with disabilities miss out on developmental and educational supports, hindering their ability to reach their full potential.”

A national report, co-authored by Dr. Zwicker, also reveals the stark disparities in disability income support across provinces as Alberta, for example, provides nearly double the income support of Nova Scotia.

Dr. Zwicker, Finlay and Lenehan say Canada must move beyond patchwork solutions to meet is commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The rollout of a national disability benefit this summer holds promise, but will be insufficient without coordinated, equitable provincial action.

The recent op-eds include:

• The Province – Opinion: B.C. must put rights of kids at the centre of its disability policies
• La Source forum de la diversité – To address gaps in services for people with disabilities, BC must put their rights at the heart of its policies
• The Hill Times – Provinces and territories must work together to eliminate barriers for persons with disabilities: report
• The Free Press – Disability support reform needed