Disability Policy Highlights

This report is the text of a speech delivered to the Ontario Cluster of the Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy, which is housed at the Institute for Work and Health in Toronto.  The Centre was funded as part of a pan-Canadian research effort on work disability policy supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Because the work being undertaken for this project is national in scope, the highlights in this report focus mainly upon federal disability policy.  However, there are also selected references to Ontario as the presentation was made to the group of researchers comprising the Ontario Cluster.

This paper presents an overview of disability policy highlights from 2006 to the present.  It traces major developments in legislative, program and data/research areas, including the creation of the Registered Disability Savings Plan, Opportunities Fund, Enabling Accessibility Fund and post-secondary education grants.  It also discusses the various federal-provincial/territorial labour market agreements that help enhance the employability of Canadians with disabilities.