Unpacking the topic of Canadian unemployment rates for people with diff-abilities is one that often leads to shocked exclamations. Canadians have a reputation as world leaders when it comes to human rights so surely accessibility and equal opportunity come under that heading. Obviously our fundamental values leave little tolerance for discrimination, right?
That’s what i assumed too.
But since beginning my work in para-sport i began to hear first-hand the personal stories of diff-abled Canadians trying to get hired. Even now my face goes red with embarrassment. It’s not just that it’s hard to get a job, it’s that it is actually more unlikely that an applicant, especially if theirs is a visible disability, will succeed at all.
Here’s a true story about someone i know, a typ-abled guy, who lost his job in late 2019. He started looking for a new job and got one at the start of 2020. Then COVID hit and he was laid off. It took longer but he was employed again within 2 months. Yes, this is just one case. Yes, he might say the job he ended up with is not his ideal – he had to settle. But the simple fact is that he knew he would likely find another job and, case in point, he did. For someone with a diff-ability getting just ONE job, their first job ever, is a major hurdle. The odds are very clearly against them.
Doing the research to find some facts did not help me feel any better. Studies and stats show that at best, less than half of adult Canadians with disabilities are employed. Less than half! And “employed” doesn’t mean working full-time. Think about that for a few seconds. That means part of that half who ARE employed may be working just a handful of hours per week. Consider hourly wage rates. Consider the cost of living.
That’s a long way to go before being able to afford to live in this great country of mine.
What about government support?
Go ahead and try googling that one and enjoy the trip down the rabbit hole. In an effort to give a snapshot here are some simple numbers to give you an idea. The MOST a “person with a disability” (PWD) designated as “single” (as opposed to a parent or part of a couple where both are PWDs) receives through disability assistance in the province of British Columbia is $1183.42. That works out to about $14,200 annually.
Calculators please!
Let’s break this down.
The most a PWD can earn through working in addition to receiving disability assistance is $12,000 annually – after this they will lose dollar for dollar on everything above that $12,000 (ie if they earn $12,001 their disability assistance payment is reduced by $1).
This means the MOST a Person with a Disability is allowed to live on without losing any benefits is $26,200. That’s less than $2200 per month. HOW MUCH IS YOUR RENT??!
- So, if our PWD wants to earn an income of $26,200 they need a job that earns exactly $12,000.
- If they want to earn MORE than $26,200 a year, they need a job that earns over $26,200.
- Earning anything between $12,000 and $26,200 keeps them in the same place.
Are you following?
Ok, now let’s say that PWD lives with a significant other who does NOT have a disability. Well, their total annual allowable earnings are capped at $14,400 before the PWD has their benefit reduced. Ouch! So now, for 2 people we are looking at a monthly income of $2400, annually $28,600.
Now imagine being the typ-abled half of this couple and learning that if you earn more than $14,400 on your own your partner will start losing their disability assistance AND if you earn more than $28,600 your partner will lose their disability assistance entirely.
Sink or swim – now in a relationship, as a couple, if you earn anything between $14,400 and $28,600 your joint income stays the same. Whoa!
In either scenario, and these are rather simplified and generous examples, it seems pretty obvious that this approach is not exactly encouraging independence or empowerment.
So back to the job hunt
No surprise that a lot of diff-abled Canadians would much rather skip disability assistance and just get a job and earn an income that they can survive on.
It is not uncommon to find a diff-abled person with an extensive education, multiple qualifications in various sectors and hundreds of volunteer hours. They often look great on paper and frequently get shortlisted based on their resumes. But everything changes as soon as they are identified as “disabled”. Enter the question: if they are not visibly/obviously diff-abled, should they disclose the information. If so, when is the best time?
The accounts of the many ways employers dodge and weave, panic and shut down, do any and every thing to avoid hiring someone with a diff-ability is appalling.
“That shouldn’t be allowed!”, many would say,
“Aren’t there laws against that?”
What should happen vs. what does happen are two very different things. Laws have to be enforced and it is very difficult to prove that the reason someone wasn’t hired was because of their diff-ability. The avenues available to report and fight such a situation are few, take a very long time, and are often totally ineffective.
Where do we draw the line?
Sadly, the sum of this has resulted in many diff-abled Canadians being left to choose, if they even have a choice, between living in poverty or remaining reliant on family members. Again the stats show that people with diff-abilities are disproportionately more likely to be living below the poverty line.
What an inefficient system!
Ethics aside it is costing us dearly, in socio-economic terms, to maintain this limiting, discriminating approach. People with diff-abilities are pointedly prevented from contributing to society. Canadians are missing out on a wealth of productive input from a significant portion of their population. We are stressing the system by increasing the numbers living with low-incomes and in poverty.
I hope this has shed some light for those who did not realise this was the status quo.
It’s not pleasant stuff but something that gives me hope is learning about how other countries have found ways to improve the stats and increase the standard of living for their diff-abled citizens. It certainly isn’t perfect but at least we don’t have to reinvent the wheel here.
We just need to decide we want Better and start doing things consciously in our own little universes, to start making it the “Better” we’ve identified. Perception shifts and intentional acts are the ripples that can change the big picture.
So tap in to that feeling, that awkward uncomfortable feeling, and ask yourself “has this article changed the way you view the system and the person?”
If you’re up for a multi-perspective viewpoint,
check out the series Employable Me on AMI – each episode explores the journeys of two diff-abled people trying to find employment in Canada.
If you want to dig deeper into the data, Statistics Canada and BC on disability assistance are a good place to start.