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Over the last few years, federal and provincial/territorial governments have initiated a number of initiatives geared towards helping and supporting people with disabilities become employable or employed. This section describes several such initiatives.

One of these initiatives started in 1996 when Canadian First Ministers agreed to make the needs of people with disabilities a priority. The federal and provincial/territorial governments agreed that additional measures were needed to address negativity towards people with disabilities, realizing that this would not disappear on its own. Thus, a federal Task Force on Disability Issues ("the Scott Task Force") was created to seek the advice and guidance from Canadians with disabilities on future government actions. The Government of Canada saw this consultative approach as instrumental in setting the stage for allowing people with disabilities full and equal participation in society, be it in their communities or in the labour force.

Financial disincentives to work have traditionally been a key barrier to people with disabilities acquiring economic independence. For example, many welfare systems classify people with disabilities as "permanently unemployable". Similarly, the Canada Pension Plan used to require that a person be either entirely in or out of the workforce (i.e., employable or not employable). The reality is that many people with disabilities can work, given the appropriate accommodations and supports.¹² If finding employment means losing a financial safety net, it may perhaps be a more prudent choice not to work. People with disabilities need programs that provide assurance that income will continue when labour market participation is interrupted or not possible for a period of time.

The Canada Pension Plan recently underwent significant changes to respond to these challenges.¹³ The federal government created the CPP Disability Vocational Rehabilitation Program in 1997. The program was designed to make it possible for some people with severe disabilities to become part of and remain in the work force by personalizing a rehabilitation plan for each client.¹⁴ The plan includes elements such as the nature and level of guidance required, the process of how to return-to-work, skills and retraining requirements, and developing job search skills. The added incentives for people participating in this plan allow them to:

• Do volunteer work or attend school without fear of losing benefits (as long as they have a continuing disability);
• Continue to receive benefits for three months after they start/return to work; and,
• Have their income assistance application fast-tracked should the same disability prevent them from working in the future.¹⁵

In 1998, federal, provincial and territorial ministers gathered to develop In Unison : A Canadian Approach to Disability Issues, a framework that proposes a "Canadian Approach" to disability issues.¹⁶ The intent of this initiative is to pursue a seamless and coordinated system of benefits and services for people with disabilities to enhance their employability. It is meant to ensure that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as all other Canadians.

Since 1986, when people with disabilities were guaranteed equality under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, federal/provincial/territorial policies, programs and publications have approached disability as a citizenship rights issue. Citizenship means equality, inclusion, rights and responsibilities, and empowerment and participation in all aspects of Canadian society. By enshrining citizenship rights for all people with disabilities, the government acknowledges the important role people with disabilities have in shaping public policy and the contribution they make to Canada's social fabric and economy.

The focus on citizenship has changed the public's perception of disability. Instead of narrowly focusing on an individual's inabilities, attention is now given to measures such as accommodations in the workplace and barrier-free architecture to create more inclusive environments. Human rights and employment equity legislations have been passed to protect people with disabilities from discrimination and to remove disincentives and barriers in welfare and labour market programming.

In order to acknowledge these changing attitudes, In Unison identified three key building blocks as critical success factors for including people with disabilities in society. These building blocks are as follows:

• Disability Supports: These refer to a range of goods, services and supports tailored to the individual requirements for daily living. It will always be necessary to provide for the availability and accessibility of disability supports (e.g., technical aids and devices; special equipment; homemaker, attendant or interpreter services; life skills; physiotherapy and occupational therapy; respite care) which respond to individual needs. These goods, services and supports are essential for active participation at home, at school and in the community and are a key component of maximizing personal and economic independence.
• Employment: Persons with disabilities require access to opportunities for education, training and employment which together comprise the basis for economic independence. The intent of In Unison is to enhance the employability of persons with disabilities, encourage (re)entry into the labour market and help promote more work and volunteer opportunities. Enhancing employability means supporting access to education, providing supports and flexibility in training programs, making job accommodation available and offering job seekers and employers adequate information.
• Income: Some individuals with disabilities may not be able to support themselves sufficiently or at all. Governments recognize the need for an income safety net which rewards individual work efforts to the greatest extent possible - but which provides financial assistance if self-support is impossible or insufficient to meet basic needs.

In Unison is a major stepping-stone towards the development of legislation that is inclusive and complementary.

EAPD and the nine Promising Practices exist within this context. While there have been changes to legislation and programs to encourage people with disabilities to develop their skills and participate in the labour market without being penalized, there are, nevertheless, a variety of challenges facing people with disabilities and organizations such as the PPs in moving forward. The next section presents these challenges.

Footnotes

12	Gail Fawcett, PhD, Living with Disability in Canada: An Economic Portrait, 1996, pg. 136.
13	Annual Report of the Canada Pension Plan — 1999-2000. pg. 16.
14	Disability Vocational Rehabilitation Program. http://www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/isp/cpp/vocational_e.shtml.
15	Facts About Changes to CPP Disability. http://www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/isp/cpp/facts/factdis_e.shtml.
16	In Unison: A Canadian Approach to Disability Issues, A Vision Paper, Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services, 1998, pg.14.