7. Canadian Indicators for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) - article 24: education
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7.1 Attendance at educational institutions
Figure 7.1 - Text description
| Gender | Persons with disabilities | Persons without disabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 52% | 53% |
| Women | 52% | 56% |
- Notes: The statistics above are for persons who attended any accredited educational institution between September 2015 and May 2016.
- Educational institutions include school, college, CEGEP or university.
- Differences between persons with disabilities and persons without disabilities are statistically significant only for women (p<0.05).
- Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 (Social Research Division calculations).
Among persons aged 15 to 29 years, women with disabilities were less likely to be attending educational institutions than women without disabilities (52% versus 56%).
In contrast, for men, the proportion attending educational institutions was similar for those with disabilities (52%) and for those without disabilities (53%).
7.2 Educational attainment
Figure 7.2 - Text description
| Highest educational attainment | Persons with disabilities | Persons without disabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Less than high school | 18% | 10% |
| High school | 26% | 23% |
| College, trade, or certificate | 36% | 36% |
| Bachelor or above | 20% | 31% |
- Note: Differences between persons with disabilities and persons without disabilities are statistically significant for "Less than high school", "High school" and "Bachelor or above" (p<0.05).
- Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 (Social Research Division calculations).
Persons with disabilities had lower levels of educational attainment than persons without disabilities.
Among persons aged 25 to 64 years, a smaller proportion of those with disabilities than those without disabilities reported "bachelor or above" as their highest level of education (20% versus 31%).
The proportion with "less than high school" education was close to 2 times higher for persons with disabilities than those without disabilities (18% versus 10%).
7.3 Discontinuing education
Figure 7.3 - Text description
| Reason | Milder disabilities | More severe disabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Due to condition | 21% | 40% |
| Due to lack of assistive devices or support services | 6% | 18% |
- Notes: Respondents with disabilities were asked whether they ever discontinued their formal education or training "because of their condition" or "due to lack of assistive devices or support services".
- The statistics above are for persons with disabilities either currently enrolled in school, college, CEGEP or university or last enrolled in school between 2016 and 2017 and who had a disability at the time.
- "Milder" disability is composed of those with "Mild" or "Moderate" disabilities, while "More Severe" disability combines those with "Severe" and "Very Severe" disabilities.
- Differences between persons with milder disabilities and persons with more severe disabilities are statistically significant for all the above categories (p<0.05).
- Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 (Social Research Division calculations).
Students with more severe disabilities were 3 times more likely to have ever discontinued their education due to a lack of assistive devices or support services than those with milder disabilities (18% versus 6%). They were also nearly 2 times more likely to have ever discontinued their education due to their condition (40% versus 21%).
7.4 School accommodations
Figure 7.4 - Text description
| Required school accommodation | Milder disabilities | More severe disabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Assistive devices/support services | 39% | 69% |
| Specialized transportation | 2%* | 14% |
| Adapted/modified building features | 5%* | 16% |
- * = Use with caution.
- Notes: The statistics above are for persons with disabilities either currently enrolled in school, college, CEGEP or university, or last enrolled in school between 2016 and 2017 and who had a disability at the time.
- Assistive devices refer to devices or tools designed or adapted to help a person with disability to perform a particular task or activity. Support services include modification to curricula or additional time for testing or courses.
- "Milder" disability is composed of those with "Mild" or "Moderate" disabilities. "More Severe" disability combines those with "Severe" and "Very Severe" disabilities.
- Differences between persons with milder disabilities and more severe disabilities are statistically significant for all the above categories (p<0.05).
- E = Use with caution
- Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 (Social Research Division calculations).
Students with more severe disabilities were more likely to require school accommodations than those with milder disabilities. For example, 69% of students with more severe disabilities required assistive devices and support services. This compares with 39% of those with milder disabilities.
7.5 Requirements and educational needs met
| Type of school accommodation | Required | Needs met |
|---|---|---|
| Extended time to take tests and exams | 84% | 89% |
| Individualized Education Plan (IEP) | 51% | 84% |
| Computer, laptop or tablet with specialized software/adaptations | 45% | 70% |
| Teacher's aide or tutor | 42% | 68% |
| Modified or adapted course curriculum | 41% | 80% |
- Notes: The statistics above are for persons with disabilities either currently enrolled in school, college, CEGEP or university or last enrolled in school between 2016 and 2017 and who had a disability at the time.
- Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 (Social Research Division calculations).
Among students with disabilities aged 15 to 29 years, the most frequently required school accommodation was extended time to take tests and exams (84%). The need for this accommodation was met for 89% of those who required it.
The second most frequently required school accommodation among persons with disabilities was an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) (51%). The need for this accommodation was met for 84% of those who required it.
7.6 Experiences of students with disabilities at school
Figure 7.5 - Text description
| Negative school experience | Milder disabilities | More severe disabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Experienced bullying | 33% | 58% |
| Feel left out of things | 40% | 69% |
| Being avoided at school | 23% | 56% |
- Notes: The statistics above are for persons with disabilities either currently enrolled in school, college, CEGEP or university or last enrolled in school between 2016 and 2017 and who had a disability at the time.
- "Milder" disability is composed of those with "Mild" or "Moderate" disabilities. "More Severe" disability combines those with "Severe" and "Very Severe" disabilities.
- Differences between persons with milder disabilities and persons with more severe disabilities are statistically significant for all the above categories (p<0.05).
- Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 (Social Research Division calculations).
Students with more severe disabilities were more likely to report negative school experiences than those with milder disabilities. For example, 69% of students with more severe disabilities reported feeling left out of things and 58% experienced bullying. For students with milder disabilities, 40% felt left out of things and 33% of them experienced bullying.