Directorates
·	Director General's Office
·	Data Development
·	Strategic Evaluations
·	Partnership and Continuous Evaluations
Publications
·	Evaluation Reports
·	Evaluation Briefs
·	Labour Market Development Agreement Series
·	Lessons Learned Series
·	Evaluation Tool Kit Series
·	Evaluation Forum Newsletter
·	From Theory To Practice

This section describes the specific challenges faced by both the programs and services offered by the EAPD Promising Practices and the clients served (i.e., people with disabilities). Interviews with clients and former clients indicated that their challenges are more of a personal nature as opposed to a systemic nature.¹⁷

The first part of this section discusses challenges that are common to all Promising Practices. The second part looks at challenges that pertain to PPs operating in rural or mid-range communities. The last part of this section provides an overview of the key challenges experienced by people with different types of disabilities and what approaches worked well in meeting these challenges.

3.1 Key Challenges Common to all Promising Practices

An analysis of the nine Promising Practices indicates that they face numerous challenges. The following presents some of the key challenges encountered by each of the programs and their clients, either directly or indirectly.

Many people with disabilities interviewed for this study have experienced negative societal perceptions and stereotypes that contribute to a lack of self confidence.¹⁸ A lack of self-confidence may limit a person's willingness to try activities that for them represent a risk. Therefore, one of the greatest challenges when preparing people with disabilities for employment is to ensure that the environment for training or development is supportive of the individual client and helps to build his or her self-esteem.¹⁹ Program Coordinators and PP staff stated that building clients' self-confidence requires an ability to nurture relationships that result in trust. Interviews with clients and former clients of the PP's visited for this study said that when trust had been established, their coping, social and employment readiness skills were enhanced.

In order to provide employability and employment related programs and services, Project Coordinators noted that it is essential that a PP has staff with the expertise, experience and understanding required to address the barriers and issues faced by people with various types and degrees of disability. It can be challenging to find and retain staff with these skill sets, particularly if limited funding prevents the PPs from offering a perceived competitive salary. Having the "right" people in both staff and leadership positions is essential for a Practice to succeed according to Project Coordinators and representatives from the PPs' funding agencies.

The ultimate goal of the nine Promising Practices is to help people with disabilities find and/or maintain employment. Both employers and clients pointed out that a good match between the needs of the employer and the client's skill sets and abilities is a challenge that must be met in order for the results to be successful. While this is important for the employer, it is perhaps even more important for clients as an unsuccessful match may erode confidence, preventing clients from taking on other opportunities.

Unique challenges exist to ensure that the specific needs of Aboriginal peoples with disabilities are met. It is estimated that about one in six Canadians of all ages has a disability.²⁰ Statistics reveal that as many as 30% of Aboriginal adults report a disability.²¹ Many Aboriginal peoples with disabilities lack trust in the entire system of government-sponsored support. The challenge for the PPs, according to Project Coordinators and staff, is in nurturing relationships that build trust and confidence in the program and in promoting awareness of the support that is available. Staff need to be culturally sensitive to Aboriginal peoples as well as sensitive to their unique needs.

Many employers expressed a lack of general knowledge about people with disabilities and the value they can offer as employees. Employers are often unaware of the various supports, accommodations and technologies that are available to them. PP staff indicated that educating employers is one of the most important activities they engage in. Partnerships with employers create opportunities for their clients. Yet PP Project Coordinators and staff also see it as a challenge to continually promote and create greater awareness of the opportunities that exist for employers in hiring a client. Furthermore, it is a challenge to find employers that are willing to focus on the individual's abilities as opposed to disabilities.

Project Coordinators and staff's experience has shown that it is highly beneficial to provide on-going support to both employers and the people with disabilities working for them. Yet in the working world, tasks change, circumstances change and the impact or degree of the disability may change. It is a challenge for the PPs to ensure that the on-going support is adequate to meet the needs of both, as it is often key to maintaining the employment arrangement.

PP staff have found that it is a challenge to improve access to disability supports while at the same time ensuring that costs are affordable. Some clients cannot afford the supports that can cost from $3,000 to $16,000.

A related issue is the fact that supports are frequently tied to eligibility for income support or other programs. In other words, supports provided for use at home cannot be used in school or work and likewise, accommodations in the workplace cannot be brought home. Supports are generally not portable. Statistics from the Health and Activity Limitation Survey (HALS) suggest that 33% of adults with a disability cover support costs associated with a disability and are not reimbursed by either a public or private plan.²²

One of greatest challenges for people with disabilities is finding a job that provides enough hours of work at a salary high enough to achieve economic independence. For those who find a job, education is the most important determinant of earnings. People with disabilities with higher levels of education are more likely to have work-related training and be employed in some of the more lucrative occupations.²³ Project Coordinators and staff stress that education, training and transition programs must be flexible and accessible to ensure better educational attainment and as a result, a better economic future through employment.

All PPs have some criteria for whether or not their program is suitable for clients who are either referred to the program or who approach the program themselves. It is a challenge for PPs to make sure that there is flexibility in their selection criteria while being cognizant of the fact that not all clients may be likely to benefit from their services. According to Project Coordinators and staff, this up-front screening is important to the success of the program.

Please note that this report does not make a distinction between women and men in the analysis. The reason for this is that the Promising Practices visited do not focus exclusively on either gender and few have programs that are targeted at only women or only men. The research findings therefore pertain to both women and men. However, the literature review revealed that women and men are affected in different ways and to different degrees by the same challenges. In fact, statistics show that women with disabilities have one of the lowest rates of labour force participation and one of the highest rates of poverty.²⁴ This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as double disadvantage, i.e., a person is a member of two groups that are both at a disadvantage in the labour market.

3.2 Challenges Specific to Rural and Mid-Range Communities

Canada's communities are spread across vast geographic regions. In rural areas, it is a challenge for employment and employability services organizations to cover the distances to reach the target population for the purposes of promoting awareness of available programs, supports and opportunities.

Many Aboriginal communities are dispersed geographically. According to Project Coordinators (i.e., THEO and CCI), PPs have limited resources and do not have the capacity to perform outreach in distant communities. As with any partnership, trust needs to be established before the working relationship can be effective.

Transportation is a huge challenge in rural areas and mentioned as an issue by all those interviewed who live and operate in such areas. Lack of transportation can prevent people with disabilities from accessing programs, educational institutions and employment. Other challenges associated with rural areas include limited access to housing, health and wellness facilities, and support groups.²⁵

In rural areas, lack of employment opportunities adds to the challenges faced. Rural communities often have seasonal employment opportunities rather than more stable year-round employment. Adequate training opportunities and technical support are also often lacking. It has been noted that in such areas, there may also be a lack of adequate funding to increase supported employment.²⁶

3.3 Specific Challenges for People with Different Types of Disabilities

Similar barriers and challenges to employment affect all people with disabilities. However, they are not always affected in the same way or to the same degree. The type of disability one has also appears to affect one's employment status. Figure 3.1 shows that in 1991, those with mental or psychiatric disabilities were the most likely of all people with disabilities to be unemployed. Those with agility, mobility and verbal impairments also had higher unemployment rates than persons with sight or hearing impairments.²⁷ It should be noted that the figure below does not specifically categorize people with addictions.

The PPs studied collectively serve people with all types of disabilities, although some specialize in certain disabilities. Table 3.2 below shows an overview of the key challenges for each of the disability groups and some of the programming and service solutions used by the PPs to address the specific issues. People with disabilities have an issue around self-confidence, but how this is best addressed, according to Project Coordinators, depends on the type of disability.

Table 3.2
Overview of Key Challenges and What Works Well²⁸

	Key Findings of What Works Well
Disability Type and Related Challenges	Comprehensive Assessments	Work Readiness & Skills Training	Knowledgeable Staff	Employer Education	Adaptive Technology	Job Placements	Job Coaching	Flexible Work Arrangements	On-going Support
Psychiatric Disabilities (Mental)
Low self-esteem and confidence
Lack of knowledge of personal strengths and limitations
Stigmas in the workplace
Negative side-effects of medication
Cyclical nature of the disability
Physical Disabilities (Mobility, Agility)
Physical limitations (e.g. fatigue, stamina)
Lack of access to adaptive technology and accommodations
Low self-esteem and confidence
Negative attitudes and perceptions
Learning Disabilities
Significant learning curve
Lack of confidence and self-esteem
General lack of awareness about the disability
Sensory Disabilities (Seeing, Hearing, Speaking)
Lack of knowledge of and access to accommodations and adaptive technology
Negative attitudes and perceptions
Lack of confidence and self-esteem
Developmental or Intellectual Disabilities
Lack of confidence and self-esteem
Incorrect perceptions and myths about developmental disabilities
Addictions
Lack of self-confidence
Complex personal issues
Lack of basic living skills and routine
Other Non-Visible Disabilities (Environmental Sensitivities, Depression)
Lack of understanding about the disability
Lack of support groups
Lack of confidence and self-esteem

Footnotes

17	Systemic issues refer to policies and practices of an organization, which directly or indirectly operate to sustain the disadvantage of people with disabilities. They also refer to value systems that are imbedded in society, which support and allow discriminatory actions based on perceptions.
18	Self-confidence refers to feeling self-reliant and believing in one's abilities.
19	Self-esteem refers to having a good opinion of oneself.
20	HRDC, In Unison 2000: Persons with Disabilities in Canada. 2000.
21	HRDC, Future Directions, To Address Disability Issues for the Government of Canada: Working Together for Full Citizenship, 1999, pg. 10.
22	http://www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/hrib/sdd-dds/odi/documents/taskForce/english/report/index.html#toc
23	Gail Fawcett, Living with Disabilities in Canada: An economic portrait, HRDC, Office for Disability Issues, 1996.
24	This is based on the 1996 Census. Poverty is measured using the Statistics Canada Low Income Cut-offs (LICO). The Low Income cut-offs are based on family income and adjusted according to family size and the community in which they live. Persons with family incomes that are below the cut-off are defined as living in "straitened circumstances".
25	Research and Training Center (RTC), Developing Innovative Solutions for Rural Americans with Disabilities, http://ruralinstitute.umt.edu/rtcrural/
26	Research and Training Center (RTC), Developing Innovative Solutions for Rural Americans with Disabilities, http://ruralinstitute.umt.edu/rtcrural/
27	The most recent data from HALS is 1991. However, the 2001 Census collected information about people who have activity limitations at home, school, work or in other aspects of their lives, such as travel or recreation. As in both the 1986 and 1991 Censuses, information gathered in 2001 will be used to identify respondents for a post-censal survey. The survey has been replaced by the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS). Information from the survey will not be available until around 2003. http://www.statcan.ca/english/census96/2001/population/content.htm
28	The information presented in this table includes only the findings from the site visits to the nine EAPD Promising Practices.