What this program offers

The Disability Benefits Navigation program seeks to fund organizations that will facilitate greater access to disability benefits for persons with disabilities and their families, including the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), as well as other federal, provincial and territorial disability benefits. Disability Benefits Navigation (DBN) targets individuals who may be eligible for disability benefits yet remain underserved, disconnected from services, or face intersecting barriers to access.The Disability Benefits Navigation Services program seeks to fund organizations that will facilitate greater access to disability benefits for persons with disabilities and their families, including the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), as well as other federal and provincial and territorial disability benefits. Disability Benefits Navigation (DBN) targets individuals who may be eligible for disability benefits yet remain underserved, disconnected from services, or face intersecting barriers to access.

On this page

• Program objective
• Funding considerations
• Glossary

Program objective

Facilitate greater access to disability benefits for persons with disabilities and their families, including the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), as well as other federal and provincial and territorial disability benefits. Disability Benefits Navigation (DBN) targets individuals who may be eligible for disability benefits yet remain underserved, disconnected from services, or face intersecting barriers to access.

Funding considerations

When assessing applications, ESDC may further consider projects:

• based on geographical distribution to have coverage across Canada
• that aim to serve individuals who require intensive, one-on-one navigation services, including those with complex needs or intersecting barriers
• that include a diversity of partnerships, including collaborating with non-disability organizations such as:
  • shelters
  • newcomer agencies
  • Indigenous organizations
  • health providers
  • community centres
• that help people access various disability services and benefits in their region. This includes understanding how federal disability benefits work with provincial or territorial benefits, and finding ways to support people living in rural, remote, and underserved communities
• that include the participation of persons with disabilities including providing:
  • input
  • oversight
  • feedback
• that offer to serve individuals in both official languages

Glossary

Here is a list of key terms used within the "Prepare to apply" section.

Accessible and inclusive services

Accessible services are effective services designed and delivered for persons with disabilities. These services identify and remove barriers so that everyone can use them. For example, offering sign language or captions for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Inclusive services make everyone feel welcome, valued, and respected no matter who they are or where they come from. For example, providing services that treat people equally and with respect.

Canada Disability Benefit (CDB)

The Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) is a monthly, tax-free payment for eligible people with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 64 who have low incomes. It provides direct financial support to help reduce poverty and improve financial security.

Capital assets

Non-consumable items that will continue to exist after the funding period ends, such as:

• equipment 
• electronics
• furniture
• appliances

A capital asset may be a single item or a group of items forming 1 functional unit. For example:

• components of a public address system for events for people with disabilities, includes:
  • an amplifier ($600)
  • 2 speakers ($150 a piece)
  • a microphone ($150)
  • a stand and cables ($100)

This equals $1,150 since they are a collection of items that are designed to function together. Capital assets have a purchase or lease value of more than $1,000 before taxes.

Complex needs

Complex needs are multiple and interacting support needs that make everyday life more challenging and require coordinated, ongoing assistance from different services to help a person live safely, participate fully, and achieve their goals.

Disability

The Accessible Canada Act defines 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".

This definition is based on the social model of disability: the idea that people are disabled by barriers in their environment, not just by a medical condition. Removing barriers such as inaccessible buildings, unclear communication, or negative attitudes, helps people with disabilities take part fully and equally in society.

Disability benefits navigation

Disability Benefits Navigation helps people with disabilities find, understand, and apply for benefits they may be eligible for. This includes the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), and disability benefits offered by provinces and territories.

These services can provide one-on-one support with applications, explain eligibility rules, and help people complete forms. The services can also raise awareness so that more people know about the benefits and supports available to them.

Disability community

The disability community is a group of people who share a common experience of living with disabilities.

Disability organization

An organization whose primary mandate promotes or contributes to the social inclusion of persons with disabilities.

Disability Tax Credit (DTC)

The Disability Tax Credit (DTC) is a non-refundable tax credit that helps persons with disabilities, or their supporting family member, reduce the amount of income tax they may have to pay. By doing so, the DTC aims to offset some of the extra costs related to the disability.

Diverse organizations

These include:

• multiple disability organizations, including small to medium-sized disability organizations
• organizations supporting different types of disabilities
• organizations supporting persons at the intersection of disability and other identities. This can include:
  • Official Language Minority Communities (OLMC’s) (for example, Francophones living outside the province of Quebec and Anglophones living in the province of Quebec)
  • 2SLGBTQIA+ persons/groups
  • Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit)
  • Visible minority communities including Black and other racialized groups

Identified gap

An identified gap is something that is missing or not working well enough to meet people's needs. The gap should be supported by evidence, such as data, research, community feedback, waitlists, service demand, or demographic information.

Intersecting barriers

More than one challenge that affects a person at the same time. A person may face barriers related to their disability, as well as challenges such as transportation issues, language barriers, low income, or complex application processes. When these challenges overlap, they can make accessing services much more difficult.

Intersectional identities

There are multiple and diverse intersecting identity factors that shape our perspectives and experiences. Examples of intersecting identity factors include but are not limited to:

• gender identity
• sexual orientation
• living with or have lived with a disability
• racial or ethnic background

Meaningful access

Meaningful access means that a person with a disability can access, participate, and benefit from an opportunity, service, or environment, and achieve desired outcomes on an equitable basis as others.

Under this program, this means making it easier for people with disabilities and their families to learn about, apply for, and receive disability benefits and services. This can be done by removing barriers, sharing clear information about available supports, expanding services to reach more people and communities, and offering personalized help to guide people through the application process.

For example: Opening services in a new area or hiring more staff to help people find and access the benefits they need.

Outcomes

Outcomes are the changes that are expected to occur as a result of activities and outputs. Outcomes answer the question, "how do the project activities make things better for clients?"

Outputs

Outputs are direct products, services, or partnerships that may be created to generate the desired outcomes. Several activities can contribute to one output. Outputs answer the question, "what will the funding produce?"

Partnership

A relationship between the applicant and another organization who are engaging and collaborating in this project. Partnerships are defined as relationships with recognized organizations that are willing to support the project. This can include providing expertise and organizational capacity to contribute, either in-kind or financially, to the project. This can involve:

• linking or sharing information
• resources (such as staff members; computers; etc.)
• activities
• capabilities by different organizations to achieve joint outcome(s)

Relevant evidence

Information that clearly shows there is a real problem, need, or gap that the project is trying to address. It should come from reliable sources, such as:

• data
• research or studies
• surveys
• community feedback
• waitlists
• service statistics
• demographic information
• consultations with people affected by the issue

Stigma

Stigma is when people have negative attitudes, beliefs, and/or behaviours about a group of people because of their life situation (for example, personal appearance, characteristics, identity, or disability). Stigma can lead to social exclusion and discrimination, making people feel alone or left out.

Sub-contract

An agreement between the initial recipient of funds and another organization (referred to as a "sub-contract holder"), in which the recipient redistributes program funding to the sub-contract holder and delegates responsibility for the delivery of all or some of the activities to the sub-contract holder. Since these sub-contracts are intended to enable the delivery of project activities and support the achievement of the project objectives, they should be guided by, and reflect, the contribution agreement between the Department and the recipient.

Sub-contract holder

In the context of this initiative, a "sub-contract holder" is an organization with which the recipient has signed a contract ("sub-contract"), where the recipient redistributes funds and delegates responsibility for all or some project activities to the sub-contract holder. This funding relationship is strictly between the recipient and the sub-contract holder; the Department is not a party to contracts with sub-contract holders.

Underrepresented communities

Include, but are not limited to:

• 2SLGBTQIA+ persons/groups
• Official Language Minority Communities (OLMC)
• persons residing in rural and remote areas
• Indigenous communities (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit)
• minority communities including Black and other racialized groups, etc.

Unmet need

A problem or service gap that has been shown to exist through evidence, rather than assumptions. Applicants should explain what the need is and provide information that demonstrates why the project is required.

The evidence can come from sources such as data, research, waitlists, community consultations, service usage trends, demographic information, surveys, or feedback from the people the project is meant to serve.

2SLGBTQIA+

Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex. The symbol "+" represents the wide spectrum of gender identities, sexual orientations and romantic orientations not explicitly named.

The choice of letters or symbols and the order in which they are presented could differ depending on the context and the audience. Some examples of abbreviations include:

• LGBT
• LGBTI
• LGBTQ
• LGBTQ2
• LGBTQ2S
• LGBTQ2IA
• LGBTQ2IA+
• 2SLGBTQIA+
• 2SLGBTQQIA

When there are 2 "Q"s in the abbreviation, the second "Q" stands for "questioning."