Forgotten During the Pandemic, the Disabled

by theinclusionrevolutionLeave a Comment on Forgotten During the Pandemic, the Disabled

“We are all in this together,” says Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. Sounds good if it were true, but it is not. Although Canadian’s within all demographics have received support during the pandemic, including a $300 stipend to seniors, there is one very large demographic who have been ignored, the disabled. 

After significant intervention by disability activists, the Federal Government finally agreed to pay the disabled a one-time benefit of $600. This received Royal assent in June, yet no disabled individual has received anything yet. The Government promises to send out the checks on October 31st, however only about 25-30% of Canadians with disabilities will receive this money. 

We have always understood that the disabled live far more difficult lives than the rest of society; from accessibility issues, to ableism, to lack of jobs, lack of health care and education, lack of transportation and much lower incomes than the average. Yet the pandemic has torn a lid off the reality of the situation. The level of poverty that the disabled live in is far worse than what we understood and far more dire than the public might have known. In fact, after considerable reflection, some disabled Canadians have signed up with MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying), assisted suicide, as they believe that suicide is the best option for them. How tragic in a country as wealthy as ours. They will be rejected by MAID as they won’t qualify for assisted suicide, but that’s not the point. 

The policies around disability benefits pre-date all current Canadian governments. In fact, they pre-date the previous governments and the ones before that too. Some policies date back to the 1970’s, when the attitude towards the disabled were very different than today. For example, some policies in one Province were actually created with the caveat that the disabled had “better be grateful” for any financial help. It is for these reasons that I joined Federal Finance critic Pierre Poilievre in 2018 to launch Bill C-395, the opportunities act, to change some of the more draconian provincial policies that punished the employed disabled. The Bill failed for partisan reasons and those policies remain today. 

Although the current governments didn’t write the policies or create the current negative cultures throughout the benefit environments, they do however have a responsibility to fix it. Here in Ontario we have the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) that handles the majority of cases. There are others such as Ontario Works. For this blog post I want to focus on where we need to be in the future. 

ODSP is not working. It is not serving the interest of disabled Ontarian’s who cannot work or who are not working because employers won’t hire them. It is operated by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. ODSP has a massive budget of over $4B and grows at a rate of 7-8% per year, outstripping the combined increase in the year over year cost of living index as well as inflation. 

Recipients of ODSP receive, at most, $1169 per month if they even qualify for that much. The bottom line is it isn’t enough to live on, and keeps a disabled person in abject poverty with all of its ramifications, such as unsafe housing, health deterioration, dependency on food banks and in almost all cases suffer from mental health, especially depression caused by their lot in life. None of this is their own fault. They were either born disabled or joined the demographic due to an accident or illness. In fact, disability is the only demographic any of us can join at any time. 

At the beginning of the Pandemic the Federal Government created the Canadian Emergency Relief Benefit (CERB) and set the amount at $2,000 per month. This was not an arbitrary amount. There was no whimsy in the formula, it was carefully chosen by Government economists who knew that $2,000 was the Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) required to actually live in Canada. Everyone who needed it got it…except the disabled. Instead they had to remain on a maximum of $1169 per month. 

The writings on the wall as to what is required going forward. We are a country of considerable means; we are a country that does not look out for disabled Canadians. But as a country with considerable means it is well past time to get this right. Therefore, the following needs to happen. 

First, I propose a small working committee to study reform within ODSP. When working with Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid in 2016, we asked a director of ODSP about the best way to leave the program believing she would say “Paid work”, instead she said, “to die”. She wasn’t wrong as we discovered only 0.4% of 1% of ODSP recipients ever find meaningful work. That has to change and I believe reform is the way to go. Clearly, with that comment By the ODSP director, the culture within ODSP is not conducive to better outcomes.

But it doesn’t stop there. The following needs to happen: 

  • We need a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income (GLBI) for those on ODSP of $2,000 per month as per the decision of our Federal Governments Economic advisors. 
  • There must be a much greater effort to ensure those on benefits who can work and want to work are provided the services they need to find real work for real pay. There are excellent agencies already doing this work but we need greater success. If 5,000 individuals on ODSP find a combination of full time, part time and seasonal work we save the taxpayer $78,000,000. This ensures no further taxpayer money would be required to raise the benefit amount to $2,000 for those who, through no fault of their own, cannot work. Having said that, in all cases where possible, work must be the expectation.
  • Unlike other GBI’s, a new GLBI for ODSP recipients cannot replace current supports. Those extra benefits such as health and prescription must remain in place otherwise the recipient could actually be worse off. 
  • Clawbacks, which currently punish an ODSP recipient, must be fair. There should be a reasonable threshold in which benefits end and employment income becomes the de facto sole income of the individual. 
  • All current benefit policies that punish those who live together or marry when both individuals are on ODSP have to be ended right away. This is a human rights violation. 
  • In cases where a job or career does not work out, benefits need to be automatically reinstated. There cannot be any wait times as this too is seen as further punishment for finding a job. 
  • Provinces must reform income tax laws for disabled benefit recipients who find work but stay on Government health benefits. Since these become taxable income, the amount of income tax paid by a worker who has a disability can be significantly higher than a non-disabled worker doing the same job for the same wage. This was the main reason for launching Bill C-395. 

Simplified, we must look after societies most vulnerable far better than we are today. Work for those who can, proper benefits for those who can’t, and an end to systemic poverty. 

Once that’s achieved we will truly be all in this together 

Systemic Racism – Are you the ally you want to be?

by theinclusionrevolutionLeave a Comment on Systemic Racism – Are you the ally you want to be?
Annotation 2020-06-22 164354

A few short weeks ago, it would have seemed unimaginable that any world news could bump COVID19 to second place for top news. The protests and civil rights of black citizens of America and beyond are now the focal point of our thoughts and discussions; a test of our collective moral compass. As it should be.  400 years of racial and economic inequality have exploded in anger.

Despite the pandemic, it is the right time. Change is now inevitable.

Systemic racism is institutionalized racism expressed in the practice of social and political institutions. It leads to discrimination in criminal justice, employment, housing , healthcare, political power and education. It is prevalent in all hierarchy’s of organized institutions.

A simple bottle of syrup has for, 130 years, been imprinted with an image truly comfortable to the non-black community. We don’t generally think about how that image affects black citizens. Our privilege is so deep we miss the obvious. Micro-aggressions abound, a purposeful part of our vocabulary, as well as entirely unintended.

Much of what we see, hear and speak of is not always purposely meant to hurt or discriminate. Some of our micro-aggressions are due to our unconscious bias. Good people often don’t realize that systemic racism exists but the sting of it is still felt every day by our black brothers and sisters. I have often written about how micro-aggressions affect the disability community, but to be clear, discrimination against any form of “different” has historically been the norm. Having said that, those who truly believe systemic racism doesn’t exist, as a few of our leaders did last week, are themselves deeply privileged.

What can we do? First, and most importantly, acknowledge that systemic racism exists even if you don’t see it yourself. Assume that it is all around you…because it is. Learn, read books about the experience of black peoples, follow black organizations and leaders on social media.

My favourites are :

  • Brittany Packnett Cunningham – American activist and co-founder of project zero

 

  • Ana Duvarney – Filmmaker, Director. Her movie “when they see us” about the Central Park five is a must see.

 

  • Alicia Garza – Civil Rights activist, founder of blacks futures labs

 

  • Ibram X. Kendi – American author and historian

 

  • Wes Moore – Author, social entrepreneur

 

Act at work. Diversify and expand your networks. Demand diverse slates of candidates for hiring and promotion. Seek out untapped talent and provide opportunities. Notice what people are experiencing and ask how their experience differs from yours. Look at your board of directors. Does it reflect the society you live in?

We already know that the disabled are underrepresented on boards so what about people of colour? Is your company’s leadership or c-suite similar?

Get Active – join boards and organizations that support the black community. Contribute your time or money towards justice system reform.

In addition to learning, be an ally. Pay attention to how people are treated. When you see injustice speak up. Be prepared to understand and empathize around the challenges that exist for black people. Finally, since racism is learned, speak openly with your children and grandchildren. Encourage children to actively engage and lead discussions.

It isn’t enough to be non-racist. We have to be against racism – Angela Davis

Be Direct. Be Daring. Be Bold

with thanks to our friends at Korn Ferry

Operation Varsity Blues – The Disability Angle

by theinclusionrevolutionLeave a Comment on Operation Varsity Blues – The Disability Angle
lori-loughlin-olivia-jade
As most of you know by now, fifty individuals have been indicted with numerous criminal charges in what has become known as Operation Varsity Blues. Twenty three of those indicted are wealthy and/or famous. The most well known being actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin. The other less well known individuals are coaches, instructors and various  grifters and conmen. Most of the charges are for Fraud, wire fraud, counselling to commit fraud and other similar crimes.
For some readers this may all seem like a ridiculous grade school pantomime. Sort of a keystone cops episode, rich, entitled, elitists, arrogant parents who couldn’t pull off a simple scam when all they really needed to do was make a donation to a school and voila, unappreciative son or daughter are automatically enrolled. For many this embarrassing failure is entertainment.
The problem however is that there are real victims of these crimes, American youth with disabilities. As the news unfolded and I learned more details about how the scam operated it became known that many of these individuals had claimed that their abled children had various types of disabilities. Learning disabilities to be exact. In US college entrance exams, accommodations and adjustments are made for students with disabilities. This is as it should be. Canadian universities have the same policy. These accommodations are tricky to obtain. In Canada one needs a letter from a doctor and a meeting with the dean or leadership responsible for the exams. More often than not a student with a disability has to argue their case unless the disability is clearly evident.
Even with these measures in place a student can still be denied access to an exam room at the whim of a person responsible on the day of the exam.  A case in point recently in Ontario.   A brilliant young man was denied access to his Bar exam despite having letters from doctors and the Law dean at a Local university. This young man cannot write due to a disability and must instead use a laptop. This was cleared as a accommodation yet he was denied.
This example shows just how difficult it is to gain a vital accommodation to write an entrance exam for college. As it is already an outrageous burden on the disabled it doesn’t take too much imagination to recognize what will happen next in US schools as a result of the disgusting behaviour of Huffman, Loughlin and the rest of these charlatans. US schools will now make it far more difficult to get an accommodation, resulting in lower acceptance rates to US colleges for American youth with disabilities.
Loughlin faces 5 years in jail. She had no concern or thought on how her despicable actions would harm the most marginalized in our society. She and the other culprits simply didn’t care. Their only thought was themselves and their underachieving offspring.
As US colleges investigate, clear out the rot and put in place more stringent policies and procedures they must take into account that accommodations are a right and not a privilege. They must train their entrance exam staff on the best way to make adjustments and accommodate applicants and they must ensure that these accommodations are granted. In order to get this right they need to include graduates with disabilities to help.
After all, with over 20% of Americans having a disability it’s clear that the cohorts of disabled applicants to US colleges is growing. In Ontario it is growing at 15-17% per year.
And to think at one time I liked Aunt Becky.

Diversish

by theinclusionrevolutionLeave a Comment on Diversish

Screen Shot 2019-02-10 at 3.08.57 PM.png

How diverse is your company? I mean, really?

It’s 2019. There is unlikely to be any Canadian Corporation in the top 100 where Diversity isn’t clearly on the radar. Millions are spent on diversity initiatives, companies employ D&I experts, corporations regularly market their diversity. In fact most corporations believe they have solved the issue of diversity. Most companies believe they are following the cutting edge of diversity and inclusion best practices, perhaps even creating these best practices themselves

If you truly believe your company is diverse I would like you to consider this: Only 4% of corporations around the world are diverse. The rest are diversish. A new term for companies who play the game well but fail miserably. For example, check your companies website. Does it indicate that your company is an equal opportunity employer? If so, your company is unlikely to be diverse as Canadians with disabilities typically won’t apply.

As an activist with a significant reach into Corporate Canada I see too often the glossy brochures, the fawning over “world class” diversity initiatives, the complete lack of understanding that diversity, when ingrained in a Corporations culture, pays massive dividends, creates competitive advantages while at the same time placing such companies as leaders in their sector.

96% of companies fall into the Diversish category unless they are one of the few companies who have done nothing at all and yes, it’s difficult to believe but there are a handful of Canadian Multi-nationals who have done nothing beyond the basics of legislative compliance. They know only too well who they are. They will be irrelevant soon enough.

The easy piece of the diversity platform is to ensure women are employed in senior management roles. Most corporations have done so but wage parity is still an issue, women as governors on private sector corporate boards are still a minority with about 15-18% of board seats held by women. As we move along the spectrum of diversity the numbers shrink. People of different cultures, religion and LGBT in recent years have being Included more often but still lack reasonable numbers. For many companies, inclusion of these workers is about box ticking, tokenism perhaps.

Moving further along the spectrum of diversity and the numbers fall off the chart. People with disabilities and workers from First Nations communities. StatsCan recently published updated data showing that 22-24% of Canadians have a a disability. This is astonishing.  Only a few years ago we were discussing a figure of 15-16%. We knew well that the number was growing but to go from one on seven to one in four in only ten years is indeed astonishing. The disability community is clearly Canada’s largest minority group, more than double the size of the next largest minority group.

Sadly but expectedly the Labour market participation of Canadians with disabilities remains stubbornly low. Statistics indicate 50-54% of Canadians with disabilities are not working however those stats don’t include anyone with no marketplace attachment. Therefore the more accurate figure is 70%. The exact same number I used when I first spoke publicly about inclusion in 2007.

We can no longer rely only on the benefits of inclusion to companies. The benefits are obvious to any CEO who takes the time to look at this vast untapped Labour force but they usually ignore this as a result of fear, fear of something they know little about. As well, awareness campaigns are losing favor, it’s not working. As well as continuing to discuss how Canadian corporations can and will benefit in so many ways by including skilled, educated, ready and willing workers with disabilities in real jobs for competitive salaries we have to ensure companies understand what a culture of inclusion looks like. We must continue to explain why corporate culture without inclusion is an automatic acceptance into the club known as being Divershish

Don’t be Divershish.

Please click on this short video. This is an amusing take on the Diversish world. Keep in mind though that the responses from those acting as senior business leaders are the exact responses I receive from the majority of real business leaders. Enjoy.

Disability Employment Awareness Month

by theinclusionrevolutionLeave a Comment on Disability Employment Awareness Month
ndeammonth
October is Disability Employment Awareness Month #DEAM. In the U.S the month of October has been highlighted as a time to reflect on improvements to the lives of North Americas largest minority group, to celebrate some success and to advocate for change, much more change.
Here in Canada we celebrate the disability community on one day only, December 3rd. This is the United Nations day of the disabled. None of our governments across the country have seen the need to follow our friends to the south however outside of Government, stakeholder groups, advocates and activists are taking ownership of #DEAM. This is a good thing, the disability community is becoming stronger, louder and inevitably, more successful.
As we enter October I will be tweeting daily with quotes, tips, data and much more about real inclusion. What works? What approaches to business are successful? Why are employers still buying into age old myths, stereotypes and misperceptions? What is the value of real inclusion both to the worker and the employer?
You can follow these tweets @markwafer
To begin the month of October I believe it’s important to review the data as we stand today as a society that still for the most part shuns workers with disabilities, largely out of ignorance. A society that still misunderstands the sheer scope of the demographic of disability. Is still largely misinformed and unaware of the massive untapped Labour force and unaware of the education and skill levels of those unemployed workers.
It’s important to understand the landscape as it is today. Yes we have come a long way but looking at this in terms of a football game, we started on the 10 yard line ten years ago and with Herculean effort we are at the 20 yard line. It’s first downs but we are a long way away from even a simple field goal. We need new strategies and a bigger effort, we need to enhance the business case and sadly, still create more awareness if we want to get within striking distance of a touchdown.
To kick off #DEAM here are some numbers to review. Here is where we are today:-
18% of Canadians have a disability. That’s the entire population of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
New Brunswick has the highest percentage of citizens with disabilities.
The disposable income of Canadians with disabilities is $50B+
There are 1B people world wide with a disability. That’s one in seven and moving closer to one in five
500,000 Canadian graduates with disabilities (last five years) have never worked a single day. Of those 270,000 have a post secondary education.
Number of Americans with disabilities, 56 million
Participation rates for workers with disabilities in both countries, less than 20%
Percentage of North Americans who will experience a disability lasting more than one year during their professional lives, 20%
StatsCan data shows 54% of Canadians with disabilities not working. This does not include anyone with no marketplace attachment such as the 500,000 grads therefore the real number is closer to 70%
During the great depression the unemployment rate at its peak was 24% and considered a national tragedy. Therefore at 70%,  Canadians with disabilities live a perpetual depression.
Employers still largely look at the disability community as a niche market. This stifles innovation, market research for new products and growth yet…….research shows that 90% of retail customers prefer to shop at outlets who employ workers with disabilities.
Follow me this month for all the top news, data, tips, quotes and more. @markwafer
Be direct, be daring, be bold.

Retail Inclusion, A Lost Opportunity

by theinclusionrevolutionLeave a Comment on Retail Inclusion, A Lost Opportunity

Morrisons-in-need-of-fish-workers-at-Grimsby

Now that Ontario’s Bill 148, the Employment Standards Act, has entered its 9th month we are starting to see an increase in the number of workers with disabilities finding jobs. As reported previously on the Inclusion Revolution blog, many workers with disabilities lost their jobs when the minimum wage went to $14 per hour.

The loss of jobs hit the retail sector the hardest. It is estimated that 65-70% of workers with intellectual disabilities who work regularly are employed in the retail sector with the largest number working in the QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) sector. Not only were jobs lost, workers who remained had their shifts and hours cut. As well, the next cohort of workers who were ready to start work, were held back from January-April of this year. The cost to the economy of the intellectually challenged community was high.

The good news is that this is changing. However this change, which is benefiting new sectors, has not bounced back for the retail sector. Why? Because there is a lack of leadership in all retail areas.

More people with disabilities are finding work today than ever before. Some agencies such as ODEN (Ontario Disability Employment Network) are reporting that they simply cannot keep up with demand. This is wonderful news indeed. In fact, many of these jobs are in manufacturing, especially food manufacturing where wages are high and benefits are the norm. Compared to the QSR sector, entry-level jobs typically pay minimum wage and benefits are rare.

The list of companies who are building capacity with workers who have a disability is impressive. The work of advocates and activists is clearly paying off. Some of this, of course, is born of necessity as our shrinking labour force means employers have to reach out to normally shunned demographics. The disability community of course being the largest one.

According to Joe Dale, executive director of ODEN, these companies take about 8-10 months from initial contact to the individual’s first working shift. The good news however is that the company then employs 10-12 workers at a time, building capacity right away.

Where does this leave the retail sector?

A lack of inclusion reduces profits. It’s that simple. It reduces innovation, it increases turnover and it increases absenteeism relative to those companies that do have inclusive practices. It reduces sales and it reduces transactions.

Currently there is no leadership in the retail sector. Not only are brands not participating in inclusive practices, associations supporting retail brands lack leadership as well. A quick view of any of their websites will show this to be a fact. Of course they all indicate that they are inclusive and accessible but overall this is lip service.

This means there is a massive opportunity out there for a brand to capitalize on a clear competitive advantage. McDonalds at one time (1993) was going to be the countries star employer for youth with disabilities. The program died before launch when George Cohen, then CEO, left the company.

Who wants this? Would A&W like to add 15% to its bottom line and be the leader in inclusion for the retail sector? What about the GAP? Would they like to capitalize on a sure thing? Enjoy low turnover?

What about Wendy’s? Would they like to see increased traffic, transactions, sales? Or would they rather leave that to Subway and lose precious market share?

What about the Bay, Home Depot, Walmart?

This is a massive opportunity to be Canada’s leader of inclusion in the retail sector

Who wants it?

 

 

Service Animals Banned Again; I Shih-Tsu Not

by theinclusionrevolutionLeave a Comment on Service Animals Banned Again; I Shih-Tsu Not
Captuadlfkhdre.JPG
Once again a restaurant patron has been refused service as a result of being accompanied by a service animal. To make matters worse, the Police were called as a confrontation ensued.
Such foolish behaviour by restaurant workers and management is not uncommon. Most of the time people with disabilities do not report the incident making the number of real episodes far greater than those we see on the news feed.
The law is firm. The AODA (Accessibility for Ontarian’s with a Disability Act), Ontario Human Rights code, the Federal Human Rights code and the Ontario Blind Persons Act clearly spell out that a service animal has the same rights of entry as the owner. In a restaurant, that means a service animal may be in any area that a customer can go. The only exception to this is in a food preparation area however these areas are usually off limits to the public.
There are significant fines for failing to follow the law. $5,000 for breaking the Ontario Blind Persons Act and up to $25,000 for breaking the Human Rights code. It is vitally important that retail outlets, and particularly restaurants, have a solid policy around service animals and that the policy be part of a new hires training as well as being reviewed by all staff annually.
The law itself isn’t enough. Business must understand that the demographic of disability is massive and has a spending power of over $50B in Canada. This is growing very quickly indeed as the number of Canadians with disabilities grows from one in seven to one in five in only 8 years. Business must understand that they cannot afford to turn away people with disabilities only because they have a service animal. It is not only grotesque behaviour but it has serious implications to a companies bottom line.
Ignorance of the law cannot be used as a defence. It is therefore much more useful to embrace a policy of inclusion and ingrain this into the companies culture.
Unfortunately without a proper written policy in place there will still be instances where workers, through ignorance or otherwise will ask a patron with a service animal to leave. Hopefully management on shift will jump in and rectify this right away but if not it then becomes important for the restaurants owner or General manager to deal with this immediately.
Sadly in the recent past this is where things went from bad to worse where restaurant owners or corporate managers failed to see the urgency of a complaint. First, regardless of any incident, confrontation or exchange of bitterness the only issue is the refusal of service regardless of wether the customer lashes out, is rude or is otherwise out of line. The most senior manager or if franchised, the owner, must contact the customer as soon as possible, provide a heartfelt apology without reservation and explain the steps he/she intends to take to prevent a reoccurrence.
The steps taken must include the following, listen to the customers concern, termination of the employee with cause (as long as service animal policy indicates such, as it must), re-training of all staff around the need for inclusion and acceptance and finally “make it right” by asking the customer what works for them. Typically these steps will prevent any further action by the customer.
The first service animals were at work in 13000BC, they were domesticated wolves. Today in 2018 we need to do better.

Be direct. Be daring. Be bold.

The Normalization of Bigotry Against the Disabled in America

by theinclusionrevolutionLeave a Comment on The Normalization of Bigotry Against the Disabled in America

II3PVEUEPUIHXGDGS7BKSGWV3A.jpg

Regardless of whose politics one follows or supports, there is little doubt that the President of the United States has normalized racism and bigotry.

Not only is there plenty of evidence that the President himself is a bigot and perhaps a white supremacist, it is also clear that President Trump has surrounded himself with like-minded advisors, he has also placed like-minded people in very important positions where their views on race, religion, sexual orientation and much more are, to be charitable, horrible.

What was once considered to be in very poor taste only two years ago is now normal. President Trump has given his supporters license to act boorishly and act with ignorance towards any group they don’t like.  It is now normal for a white guest on a talk show to say to a black guest, who’s opinion he doesn’t agree with, “are you out of your cotton picking mind”

Yes, the normalization of such comments. Two years ago that comment could have been a career ender, today it’s ok. It’s ok because the President permits and actively encourages such behavior.

Imagine what would have happened if President Obama or President Bush had called legal asylum seekers animals. The outrage would have been huge but not with President Trump. We have become so accustomed to his dreadful behavior that we internalize it as perfectly normal.

It’s up to all of us to stick up for minority groups who are under siege, living in fear, targets of hate. However there is one vulnerable group that the current regime have attacked who are often unable to defend themselves; people living with disabilities.

The first incident against the disabled was during the election in 2016 when Trump mimicked reporter Serge Kovaleski who has Cerebral Palsy. Trump denied doing so as he so often does but the behaviour was obvious, clear and horrible. The Future Presidents actions should have damaged his election prospects, they didn’t. The normalization of bad behaviour was clearly underway.

In the past week we have another glaring example. This time from Trump political campaigner Corey Lewandowski. Lewandowski upon learning an 8 year old child with Down Syndrome had been separated from her mother used a cartoon Tuba sound that has the same effect as meaning “you lose” or “who cares”

Remember, it didn’t start with gas chambers. It started with politicians dividing the people with an “us vs them”. It started with intolerance and hate speech and when people stopped caring, became desensitized and turned a blind eye. Hate became normalized.

Remember, they came for the disabled first.

America. A once respected world leader, a country that has done so much for the world, now to be remembered for the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens.

 

 

The Demise of the Sheltered Workshop Model

by theinclusionrevolutionLeave a Comment on The Demise of the Sheltered Workshop Model

Screen Shot 2018-05-21 at 11.08.39 AM.png

December 1st 2015 I was walking towards the House of Parliament in Whitehall, London to listen to a debate on the distribution of funding for Autism programs in the U.K. when my phone rang.

It was Moira Welsh, an investigative journalist from the Toronto Star whom I had been working with for over a year on the subject of Ontario’s Sheltered Workshops. A Sheltered Workshop is a manufacturing or packaging business staffed by “workers” who are intellectually challenged. Moira had written an expose on these locations with the first post published a few days prior to this phone call. The second was published November 30th, the day before the phone call. There were other posts ready to publish.

For years I and many others had fought hard to close down these dreadful entities. Many in society wrongly believe that these places are doing good work, that it is a safe place for these individuals to go to, to socialize and to earn some money.

The reality is very different. First, none of these workers in the 45 or so large workshops in the Province earn anything at all. Perhaps in some cases they may earn a stipend, perhaps a movie pass after a weeks work. Secondly, the only people working at these shops are those with intellectual disabilities, secluded from the rest of society. These workshops are often connected to or associated with social service agencies such as Goodwill, Community Living, the Salvation Army and others therefore they receive funding through the Ministry of Community and Social Services.

Seclusion by design is oppression.

Despite our work to challenge various governments to change course, close down the model and get these individuals into real jobs, nothing happened until that phone call from Moira. Moira says to me, “Mark are you sitting down?” “the Government has caved, the sheltered workshop model is dead”

This happened as a result of the Stars expose.

The Minister responsible for this decision was Helena Jaczek, Minister of Community and Social Services. It was a brave decision indeed because many non-disabled people relied on the sheltered workshops for their income, managing the shops, while parents of adult children working in the shops did not at first understand what would happen to their sons and daughters. There was fear and that of course was understandable.

Sheltered workshops have often been depicted as sophisticated slavery. Very few countries in the world allow them to exist, Canada has been ridiculed by European countries for continuing to use this model. The workshops were originally created after World War II to rehabilitate injured soldiers so they could return to work. In the late 70’s someone came up with the idea that this would work also for those with disabilities. Perhaps it would have been if the idea was a stepping stone to real work for real pay but that rarely happens.

One may wonder how it is possible that workers can earn less than minimum wage in Canada. The Employment Standards Act has a carve out that allows a sheltered workshop to pay by piece work. The shop however determines the production goal and often that goal is beyond the means of even non-disabled workers. In fact even with Bill 148 in place in Ontario with a new minimum wage of $14 per hour, sheltered workshops still can continue to pay workers whatever they wish.

The reason I am writing about this today is because this week a group of parents and support workers from Guelph traveled to Queens Park to protest the closing of the workshops. These parents are desperate however they are misguided.  One parent pointed out that her son enjoyed going to work and socializing with others. Of course he does, he knows no other normal, he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.  Social media for the most part supported these parents because as I said previously society doesn’t typically understand the damage these workshops are doing.

The government gave the workshops a soft deadline of five years to transition. From my perspective more than half the workers in a sheltered workshop are employable in real jobs for real pay in the private sector. The Government did not legislate the end of the model and that in my opinion was a mistake because some shops have gone underground, rebranded as gathering spots with no programs or strategies while some have approached private sector donors so that they can continue.

For those who can’t work in real jobs, innovative programs need to be designed. Life skills programs in an inclusive setting where these individuals are interacting every day with people who are not disabled.

People with intellectual disabilities reach their full potential in the workplace while working with those without disabilities. They mimic or try to be like those around them. If they are in a workshop with other people like them, the set the bar extremely low, in a real job they try to emulate those who are so called typically normal. Only then can a worker with an intellectual disability be the best they can be.

Although I certainly feel the frustration and fear of the families who traveled to Queens Park this week, a return to this dreadful model must never happen. The transition is under way, it’s not easy but it is entirely necessary so that thousands of Ontarian’s with intellectual disabilities can live a life where they are independent, supporting themselves and living life to its fullest. Anything less is unacceptable.

Be Direct, Be Daring, Be Bold

 

The Increasing Demographic of Disability

by theinclusionrevolutionLeave a Comment on The Increasing Demographic of Disability

Screen Shot 2018-05-10 at 3.43.57 PM.png

According to London’s Financial Times, the global impact of disability on humanity is growing rapidly.  Estimates from the International Labour Organization (ILO) suggests 1B people worldwide currently have disabilities, 800M of those being of working age. Four fifths of those are in developing nations with 200M being adults with significant disabilities or difficulties in functioning.

These numbers are about to explode. People are living longer and chronic conditions such as Diabetes are on the rise. As well conditions developed at birth along with mental health disabilities discovered later in life either increase or become more difficult to manage with age.

The UN backed global burden on disease study uses a calculation of years lived with disability that shows three quarters of medical conditions would benefit from rehabilitation support. This is limited even in developed nations.

My good friend, Susan Scott Parker CEO of the UK based International Forum on Disability says one of three adults aged 50-65 will have a disability. “It’s simply an inevitable part of what it means to be human.”

There are many organizations around the world doing remarkable work to ensure those belonging to or joining this growing demographic are cared for with dignity, are represented in society and are ensuring barriers are broken down. Although technology has made significant changes to the lives of those with disabilities, technology also creates its own barriers.

The one area where a break through has still not materialized is in employment. Accessibility has increased exponentially over the past ten years yet even employers who create fully accessible workplaces are still largely reluctant to staff those workplaces with workers who have disabilities. An example of systemic barriers around technology is with online recruitment practices.

An employer would not invite a wheelchair user to a job interview on the second floor of a building with no elevator and expect the candidate to climb the stairs. This would be outrageous however it is equally outrageous that an employer uses outdated, inaccessible online recruitment software that blocks those with low vision, dyslexia and other types of disabilities. In fact one of the most popular online recruitment software programs out there today blocks those with the aforementioned disabilities. This is humiliating but it also prevents a recruiter from hiring some potentially amazing talent.

The U.S. Department of Labour announced its 25th straight month of increased labour force increases for Americans with disabilities in April however, America is still not back to its pre-2008, pre-recession participation rates. Cause for celebration and alarm at the same time.

As the demographic increases, employment is going to become a critical factor in ensuring this massive minority group live full contributive lives. Our Governments must set the tone and provide significant guidance to the private sector. The global economic burden will be unsustainable if the current lack of workplace participation remains as it is today as we quickly move to a disability rate of one in five.

Note : Mark Wafer will co-moderate a leaders debate on accessibility and inclusion at Ryerson University May 16th along with Canadian Press reporter Michelle MacQuigge.  This event will be live streamed, please check Ryerson website for details.