Domain 6: Accessing Democracy: Citizenship, Rights and Participation

Article 29 of the UN CRPD commits nations to provide for the effective and full participation in political and public life on an equal basis with others. It further commits nations to supporting the organization of persons with disabilities within civil society (forming advocacy groups and other associations).^[1]

Accessibility as a citizen-led movement received a huge push at the end of both world wars, as veterans – many of whom were permanently injured in the war – returned as heroes.  The War Amps, for example,  successfully advocated for services like rehabilitation, investments in adaptive technology, and employment-related services like training programs.  The push against forced sterilization (practiced in Alberta, for example, until 1972), and the deinstitutionalization movement led to a blossoming of civil society action in Canada over the half century from the 1970s through the present.

The Federal Elections Act introduced provisions in 2000 to improve the voting process for people with disabilities, including measures to facilitate such as using adaptive voting equipment.  The AODA in Ontario sets standards for accessibility in government services and elections, making it more frictionless for citizens with disabilities to participate in the democratic process.  Since 2018, Elections Canada “has committed to the full and equal participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of the electoral process, which is to be achieved through the removal of barriers by 2040, as required by the Accessible Canada Act (ACA).”^[2]  The use of accessible voting machines, expansion of advanced polling stations, and the introduction of online voting options are integral to this.

Despite progress on the electoral access front, democratic participation continues to be hampered by rights violations.  Of all of the Canadian Human Rights Commission complaints received annually, 54% are on grounds relating to disability.^[3]

Some of the civil society organizations mentioned earlier in this scan, such as the CCD, CACL, and Inclusion Canada, focus at least in part on expanding access to democratic participation.  ARCH is a legal clinic that focuses on disability rights and access to justice, providing legal advocacy to ensure equal access to political and legal systems.  Many local and regional groups throughout Canada, such as the BC Disability Alliance and Calgary’s Disability Action Hall, work at the grassroots level to advocate for rights, legal access, and equitable participation in democratic processes.  Access 2 Accessibility in Halifax provides training and coaching in public speaking for its members.^[4]

Alberta Ability Network’s Newcomer’s Disability Table is creating solutions to help address the service gap for racialized Calgarians with disabilities. A resource guide is available in eight languages.^[5] Action Dignity, a local non profit serving the diverse newcomer community, also speaks to the success of using cultural brokers to fill gaps by facilitating cross-cultural communication between caseworkers, service providers and clients.  Action Dignity employs frontline worker training to help understand the newcomer and refugee experience, including the notion of the “Excessive Demands Clause”, which perpetuates the myth that immigrants and refugees with disabilities are a burden to society.^[6]