Annex: Understanding disabilities

Annex: Understanding disabilities

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Introduction

The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) requires that you consult persons with disabilities in preparing your accessibility plans and progress reports. Approximately 6.2 million people in Canada have a disability. Understanding different types of disabilities and the barriers that persons with disabilities encounter is essential to planning and carrying out your consultations.

The ACA defines a disability as:

“any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment – or a functional limitation – whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.”

The ACA defines a barrier as:

“anything – including anything physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal, anything that is based on information or communications or anything that is the result of a policy or a practice – that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment or a functional limitation.”

People experience their disabilities in different ways and encounter different kinds of barriers. Everyone with a disability is unique. Even people with the same type of disability may face different barriers.

Intersecting parts of a person’s identity, such as age, gender, race, and socio-economic status, can affect the way people interact with their environments and the barriers they face. As a result, what is accessible for one person may not be accessible for all. Read more about this in the annex on intersectional and cultural considerations.

People can have more than one disability. For example, a person with a mobility disability can also have learning and vison disabilities. Some accessibility factors and tips under each category of disability may overlap and apply to more than one category.

Disabilities can be permanent or temporary. They can also be episodic, which means they fluctuate over time. Some disabilities are visible, while others are invisible or hidden. Many disabilities have symptoms that range from very mild to very severe.

Disabilities can be congenital, which means people are born with them. People can also develop disabilities due to illnesses or injuries. Most people will have a disability at some point in their lives.

Society’s understanding of disability has evolved over time. Historically, disability has been viewed as a medical problem that needs to be cured. The medical model of disability focuses on labelling and treating people’s symptoms.

The ACA takes a different approach. It reflects a social model of disability by focusing instead on removing and preventing barriers that limit people’s participation in society.

When planning and carrying out your consultations, try to focus on the barriers people may face instead of on people’s medical diagnoses. If you are not sure about a person’s accessibility needs, the best thing to do is ask them.

The 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability identified ten types of disabilities:

This annex gives an overview of these categories. It includes tips, recommendations, best practices, and links to additional resources.

Disclaimer

This annex includes links to some Government of Canada and other resources that provide useful tips and information relating to different disabilities. By providing links, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is pointing to possibly helpful information, but not endorsing it. Consult the Canada.ca terms and conditions for more about links to non-Government of Canada resources.

Remember: These categories and tips are not exhaustive. This annex is only a starting point. You should always be open to learning from people’s lived experience and feedback.

General accessibility tips

This section gives an overview of general accessibility tips that are applicable to all or many persons with disabilities and their needs.

Interacting with people

Communicating with people

Managing events

Training

Wayfinding and navigation

Support persons, attendants, or companions

Guide and service dogs

Materials, documents, and information

Emergency response plans

Additional resources

Vision or seeing disabilities

More than 1.5 million people in Canada have a vision or seeing disability.

These disabilities affect how well a person sees, or whether they see at all. Some people with vision disabilities may also have difficulty in how they see things like light, colour, distance, or texture.

Common types of seeing disabilities include:

Here are some things to consider for your accessible consultations:

Additional resources

Hearing disabilities

More than 1.3 million people in Canada have a hearing disability.

These disabilities affect how well a person hears, or whether they hear at all. Some people with hearing disabilities have difficulty hearing when there is background noise or multiple sources of sound or speech.

Common types of hearing disabilities include:

Some things to consider as you plan your accessible consultations:

Additional resources

Mobility, flexibility, and dexterity disabilities

Although people with mobility, flexibility, and dexterity disabilities may face different barriers, they can benefit from many of the same accessibility features. For example, ensuring that your meeting space has an automatic door can benefit people who:

The recommendations below reflect this overlap. Remember to always ask each person about their needs and preferences.

Nearly 2.7 million people in Canada have a mobility disability. This type of disability affects people’s ability to move around, including walking or using stairs. Some people with mobility disabilities cannot walk at all, while others can only walk certain distances. Some people need to use aids like canes, crutches, wheelchairs, or scooters.

About 2.8 million people in Canada have a flexibility disability. This type of disability can affect people’s ability to bend over and pick things up, or reach out or upwards. Some flexibility disabilities can also affect how long a person can stand for.

Nearly 1.3 million people in Canada have a dexterity disability. This type of disability can affect people’s ability to use their fingers, wrists, or other extremities, and the way they use objects like pens and keyboards. Dexterity disabilities can also affect people’s ability to turn doorknobs, push buttons, and operate devices. They can also affect people’s sensitivity to temperatures and textures.

Remember that many mobility, flexibility, or dexterity disabilities are invisible or hidden. Some people may use assistive devices or mobility aids that are not immediately visible, such as back or leg braces. Other people may not use assistive devices or mobility aids at all. In some cases, functional limitations to movement will depend on how long someone must stand or how far they must walk.

Some common types of mobility, flexibility, and dexterity disabilities include:

When planning your accessible consultations, you should consider the following:

Additional resources

Pain-related disabilities

More than 4 million people in Canada have a pain-related disability. This represents nearly two-thirds of people with disabilities in Canada.

Some people experience pain all the time. Other people’s pain is episodic, which means it fluctuates over time, sometimes unpredictably. Pain can disrupt people’s daily activities. Some people manage their pain with medication or therapy, but this does not always make their pain disappear. Not all types of pain are treatable.

Many pain-related disabilities are invisible or hidden. Common types of pain-related disabilities include:

Here are some things to consider for your accessible consultations:

Additional tips:

Additional resources

Learning disabilities

About 1.1 million people in Canada have a learning disability. Some learning disabilities make it difficult for people to learn, read, or process information. Some also involve difficulty with writing, organization and time management. Most learning disabilities are invisible or hidden.

Common types of learning disabilities include:

Here are some things to consider for your accessible consultations:

Additional tips:

Additional resources

Developmental disabilities

More than 315,000 people in Canada have a developmental disability. People with developmental disabilities may have difficulty communicating or understanding written or spoken language. Some people may have difficulties with learning, reasoning, decision-making, or problem-solving. Developmental disabilities sometimes overlap with learning disabilities. Some developmental disabilities are invisible or hidden.

Common types of developmental disabilities include:

Here are some things to consider for your accessible consultations:

Additional resources

Mental health-related disabilities

More than 2 million people in Canada have a mental health-related disability. These disabilities are sometimes called psychosocial disabilities.

People with mental health disabilities may experience and manage emotions, thoughts, and sensations in different ways. Many mental health disabilities are invisible or hidden. They can affect a person’s mood, energy levels, thinking, and physical health.

Common types of mental health-related disabilities include:

Here are some things to consider for your accessible consultations:

Additional resources

Memory disabilities

More than 1 million persons in Canada had a memory disabilities. People with memory disabilities may have difficulty processing or holding on to information. They may also have difficulty with recognizing faces, emotional responses, and bodily movements.

Common types of memory disabilities include:

Here are some things to consider for your accessible consultations:

Additional tip:

Additional resources

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