July 2021
a young man with a disability and his younger sister smiling and laughing with each other. to the left text reads "Inclusion Matterse - news from Inclusion Canada"
A piggy bank with coins spilling out from it. A hand it putting a coin into the bank.
Financial Security and Income Support Position Statement For Individuals now Available

73% of working age adults with an intellectual disability living independently live in poverty. Inclusion Canada is committed to addressing this income disparity to ensure people with an intellectual disability and their families have the resources they need to fully participate in society in a meaningful way with a standard of life comparable to Canadians without disabilities. Recently, we have developed a new position statement on financial security and income support for individuals.

Inclusion Canada and our Income Security Committee is working on a further position statement specifically for the families of people with an intellectual disability. This will be made available in the coming months.

A mother and her son laughing and smiling. The son has a disability. Text reads "canada disability benefit - design recommendations"
Inclusion Canada provides recommendations for Canada Disability Benefit

The government of Canada is seeking feedback from disability organizations about how to design the newly announced Canada Disability Benefit. Inclusion Canada has developed a two pager and larger policy paper which outlines our ideas on what we would like to see in the design including how much monthly level of funding the benefit should consist of. You can use these documents to get informed and also to speak to your Member of Parliament or federal political party candidate today and help influence the design of this new benefit.

You can find the one-pager here and the policy paper here. >
A young woman sitting at a table smiling at the camera.
Legal Capacity: Tools for you, your family, and your community

Think about the last time you visited the bank. did the banker let you withdraw the money you wanted?

For many people with an intellectual disability, day-to-day decisions may not be up to them. Many are not allowed to make decisions of their own due to guardianship and other legal statuses that remove their power and put it in the hands of someone else.

Since 2019, we've been working with communities across the country to better understand what tools are needed to ensure everyone has the right to decide how to live life on their own terms. Watch for more in the coming months as we begin to release these tool kits.
Inclusion Canada in Action
  • On July 21st, Inclusion Canada joined People First of Canada and Federation member Community Living Ontario in hosting a webinar about our new virtual curriculum, Truths of Institutionalization: Past and Present. A recorded version of the webinar will be made available later in the summer. The project addresses the need for collaboration by offering a starting place for conversations through lived examples and personal testimony about institutionalization and ending the practice in Canada. The important conversations it will generate will help advance the change we so desperately need. Stay tuned for more exciting information on this new powerful tool in the coming months.

  • Inclusion Canada Executive Vice President, Krista Carr and several other disability organizations participated in a call with Minister of Employment, Workforce Development, and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough in July to discuss the Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP). DIAP aims to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Canada by reducing poverty, increasing access to jobs, and make it easier to access federal programs and services. You can help too as we all try to influence the federal government's design of this new national plan. Please take a few minutes and have your say and fill out the federal government's survey. Click on the link to the survey and tell them what's important to you.

  • On July 14th, Inclusion Canada Executive Vice President Krista Carr participated in a call with Minister of Labour, Filomena Tassi and several disability allies to discuss the Pay Equity Act and its potential impact on people with a disability.
A woman with her hand outstretched offering the viewer a key.
What is Housing Inclusivity?

Home is a universal and basic human need. While types of housing vary across the world, the meaning of home is constant. Inclusive housing is about where we live, in what kind of housing, and how this contributes to home and community.

Inclusion Canada has been working over the past few years on housing policy advocacy and designing tools to enable inclusive housing. While the work is not yet complete, we have designed a short info sheet that describes what inclusive housing is and why it is important for people with intellectual disabilities.

Branded inclusion canada promotional items.
Congratulations to Survey Winner Alana Francis!

Congratulations to Alana Francis of Chatham, Ontario who won the Inclusion Canada prize package after completing our recent feedback survey!

Thank you to all who took time to participate - your valuable insights will help to improve the way we work.
Inclusion Canada in the News

Upcoming Dates & Events
August 2 - Civic Holiday (Inclusion Canada Offices Closed)

Our work to strengthen families, defend rights, and transform communities would not be possible without your financial support. If these stories resonate with you, please consider making a donation. Thank you.