Assessing the Ability of Disability Organizations: An interprovincial comparative perspective

Abstract

Despite much effort put toward Canadian social policy renewal in the past decade, innovations in programming have been stifled due in large part to a lack of funding and accountability issues. This is clearly evident in the disability policy field related to labour market programming for persons with disabilities where the packaging of programs has continually changed; however, the actual contents have largely remained the same. The focus on federal-provincial dimensions has come to marginalize the role of disability organizations in the process, yet it is these organizations that governments may enter into partnership with in new governance arrangements to foster new programming. This article reviews data from charitable tax returns for the time period 2005-2010 to assess the human, financial, and technological capacity of Canadian disability organizations in five Canadian provinces, in order to implement innovative programming. RÉSUMÉMalgré beaucoup d'efforts au renouvellement de la politique sociale canadienne dans la dernière décennie, les innovations dans la programmation ont été étouffées en grande partie à l'absence de questions de financement et de responsabilité. Cela est très évidente dans le domaine de la politique handicap lié à la programmation du marché du travail pour les personnes handicapées où l'emballage des programmes a constamment changé mais le contenu réel est restés largement pareilles. L'accent sur les dimensions provinciales fédérales est venu à marginaliser le rôle des organisations de personnes handicapées dans le processus, mais ce sont ces organismes que les gouvernements peuvent entrer en partenariat avec de nouveaux modes de gouvernance pour favoriser la nouvelle programmation. Cet article examine les données de bienfaisance des déclarations de revenus pour la période 2005-2010 pour évaluer les capacités humaines, financières et technologiques des organisations de personnes handicapées canadiennes dans cinq provinces canadiennes à mettre en oeuvre des programmes novateurs.

Searching for Persons with Disabilities in Canadian Provincial Office

“…For example, over the last three provincial elections for each province, only 25 disabled candidates of a possible 2,084 sought political office. This is a rate of 1.2% 6 which is extremely low given Canadians with disabilities make up 15-21% of the population depending on the jurisdiction in question (Levesque, 2012). Caution is urged with this interpretation though, given that persons with disabilities vying for political office have likely been underreported, as previously discussed.…”

“…What we do know is that persons with disabilities report lower education and employment rates, lower income levels, and face higher costs of living to meet their daily needs (Levesque, 2012). We also know that disability policy is not on the mainstream political agenda with only small incremental changes in Canadian disability policy occurring in the last three decades.…”

The Role of Disability Groups in the Development and Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

“…Do disability organizations have the capacity in terms of resources such as human, funding and infrastructure to be able to effectively partner with the state to carry out key policy implementation roles? As Levesque (2012) has documented in the Canadian context, disability organizations are increasingly challenged to fulfill this role, especially in economically challenged areas.…”

Canadians with Disabilities, Labour Market Challenges, and Employment Opportunities in the Social Economy

“…5 A real challenge facing disability organizations and others in the social economy and voluntary sector of Canada, however, is their capacity to deliver innovative labour market programs. As Mario Levesque (2012) shows in a study of Canadian disability organizations in five provinces between 2005-2010, these organizations often lack the human, financial, and technological resources, and, most crucially, the core operating funds to undertake innovative employment programming.…”