August 2021
Black and white photo of a hand putting a ballot into a ballot box.
Federal Election Called for September 20

On Sunday, August 15, Justin Trudeau visited Rideau Hall to ask for the dissolution of Parliament. Voters will head to the polls on September 20 for a federal election.

Inclusion Canada has developed a number of resources to help you make an informed choice this election. We created a Federal Election guide about priorities for people with an intellectual disability and their families. Divided into 3 sections (End Poverty, Making Community Living Real, and Achieving Human Rights) we encourage everyone to use this guide as a starting point to ask your local candidates how they plan to support people with a disability if they are elected.

Pathways to Homeownership: New Resources Preview 

In Canada, many adults with a developmental disability live with their parents due to a lack of inclusive affordable housing in the community. Inclusion Canada believes that people with intellectual disabilities have a right to the same range of housing options as everyone else and to fully participate in their community.

My Home My Community (MHMC) has been working on the Pathways to Homeownership project to help people with disabilities and their families navigate the process of buying their own home. The Pathways to Homeownership outlines an inclusive model of homeownership and provides solutions to the problems faced by people with intellectual disabilities when buying their own house as well as resources to navigate the process.

Inclusion Canada in Action
  • Ready, Willing and Able (RWA) continues to successfully facilitate employment outcomes for people with an intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with 122 new outcomes achieved between April-June 2021.

  • RWA has posted a new series of success stories, profiling inclusive hires from Charlottetown, Regina, Winnipeg, Yellowknife and beyond. Read about how employers across Canada are making inclusive hiring a critical part of their economic recovery and growth.
Dewlyn and Anna Lobo smiling at the camera.
COVID-19 death rate more than double for Ontarians with intellectual, developmental disabilities, study finds

According to a recent study by disability researcher and advocate Yona Lunsky, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are more than twice as likely to be hospitalized and die from COVID-19 compared to other adults.

Inclusion Canada echoes the disability community in calling for more supports and protections for people with an intellectual disability who are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. From getting COVID tests to receiving doses of the vaccine, accommodations in our healthcare system must be made for vulnerable populations.

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 that explain our recommendations for the benefit design, including the monthly benefit amount. You can use these documents to get informed and influence the design of the benefit by starting a conversation with your local candidates for the federal election.

You can find the one-pager here and the policy paper here. >
Inclusion Canada in the News

Upcoming Dates & Events
September 6 - Labour Day (Inclusion Canada Offices Closed)
September 20 - Federal Election Day

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