Disability Act Canada

Disability Act Canada

Disability Act

• The purpose of the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) 2019 is to make Canada barrier-free country by 2040 for all Canadians, especially persons with disabilities.
• In the Act, disability means any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment — or a functional limitation — whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.
• The Act defines barrier as "anything—including anything physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal, anything that is based on information or communications or anything that is the result of a policy or a practice—that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment or a functional limitation."

Purpose of Accessible Canada Act

• This act identifies, removes and prevents barriers to accessibility in the following 7 priority areas:
  • employment
  • the built environment (buildings and public spaces)
  • information and communication technologies
  • communication, other than information and communication technologies
  • the procurement of goods, services and facilities
  • the design and delivery of programs and services, and
  • transportation (airlines, as well as rail, road and marine transportation providers that cross provincial or international borders)
• Communication, as a priority area, includes the use of:
  • American Sign Language
  • Quebec Sign Language (Langue des signes québécoise), and
  • Indigenous sign languages
  • The Act recognizes these sign languages as the primary languages of Deaf people in Canada.
• The ACA is applicable to a wide range of entities regulated by the government, for example:
  • industry sectors such as banking, telecommunications and transportation
  • Government of Canada departments and agencies
  • Parliament
  • Crown corporations
  • Canadian Armed Forces
  • Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and
  • First Nations band councils

Current Federal Initiatives

• Autism and Intellectual Disabilities Knowledge Exchange Network (AIDE Canada): This network provides access to following resources to people on the autism spectrum, their families and caregivers access to:
  • online resources
  • local programming
  • employment opportunities
  • an inventory of services and supports
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Strategic Fund:
• This fund provides $9.1 million over 5 years for community-based projects that supports people in the autism community by:
  • addressing needs across a person's life
  • integrating health, social and educational components
  • pursuing innovative and community-based program models
  • focusing on times of transition from youth to adult and from adult to senior
• Employment and Social Development Canada: The initiatives of this groups enables accessibility to funds and supports Social Development Partnerships program

National Autism Strategy

• The Government of Canada is creating a national strategy for autism by working with Autistic people, families, provinces, territories, and stakeholders
• The bill for this strategy is undergoing the Government’s review ( BILL S-203 )