Analyzing the Impact of Disability Legislation in Canada and the United States

Abstract

The trends and practices for persons with disabilities are influenced by the type of legislation and related policies that exist to protect their rights and ensure that they have accessibility to services, programs, public facilities, transportation, housing, and other necessities to be independent and have a quality of life. What policies are seen to work in one country may or may not work in another. Nonetheless, countries are generally watchful of those trends that become best practices, often adopting or adapting them.Like most countries, Canada and the United States observe each other and the impact of the other's policies and legislation on people and society in general. For some factors, such as attitudes and practices concerning persons with disabilities, the countries have similar public attitudes about supporting social inclusion practices and accommodating services or programs. What are the similarities and differences in the political attitudes and practices of the two countries? How have the attitudes and practices of the two countries affected the development of their policies and legislation regarding persons with disabilities?These two questions form the basis for this literature review and analysis. The purpose is to describe the similarities and differences, as well as the impact of disability legislation and policies on the trends and best practices for persons with disabilities, in Canada and the United States. The Canadian and American literature are reviewed and analyzed for trends and best practices in legislation and service provision for persons with disabilities. The intent is not to compare the findings from the two countries but rather to discuss what best practices or gaps are worth considering by either country (or others with similar issues to address).Because the topic of disabilities is immense (especially when including the services and resources needed by persons with disabilities), the present review is limited to physical disabilities and limitations, to accessibility in general, and to that related to public facilities and information, housing, and transportation in particular. These areas have been contentious within policy and legislation for many years, especially when linked with resources and other commitments that must be provided by governments and society to support the changes needed by persons with disabilities. AbstractExperiences with disability legislation are different between Canada and the United States, but both countries have experiences to share regarding trends and best practices, as well as challenges addressing the accessibility of public facilities, housing, and transportation for persons with disabilities. Based on this distinction, a literature review was conducted focusing on the similarities and differences between Canadian and American disability legislation, primarily for trends and best practices that have resulted in positive outcomes for people with disabilities. Three times as much literature exists on U.S. experiences based on disabilities le...

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