IRIS releases a new Policy Primer on the federal government’s plan to introduce the ‘Canadian Disability Benefit’
IRIS is excited to launch a new policy primer for disability communities and the general public about the federal government’s plan to introduce a national disability income benefit. In her blog post (below), author Sherri Torjman introduces the primer, and points to some of the reasons why we need to start conversations in our communities today about this major addition to federal income security programs. As Torjman says in the primer “Community voices must … Continued
New Survey: measuring progress on the transition from sheltered work to inclusive employment
IRIS is pleased to be working with People First of Canada and Chronicle Analytics to launch an important and timely survey. The survey’s aim is to gain insights about the transition from sheltered work to inclusive employment in communities across Canada. Background to this Survey: People with a developmental disability have among the lowest employment rates of any population group in Canada – only 30% of working-age adults … Continued
Where to now? Re-imagining community and inclusion for a post-pandemic world
How might the community living sector might build on the radical changes implemented to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic – for example, closing day programs, looking for individualized options, etc. – to advance the inclusion agenda? Might this be an opportunity to achieve the kinds of ‘transformation’ in supports and services so often imagined, but … Continued
National AccessAbility Week Video
For National AccessAbility week, IRIS Director of Social Development, Doris Rajan, partnered with the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto, to ask disability and Indigenous community allies what accessibility means to them.
Policy Brief: The Equal Right to Decide in Canada – Closing the Gap
May 2020 Over 50,000 Canadians are currently under guardianship – a system that takes away their power, choice, and control over their own lives. Many more Canadians who rely on decision-making supports and accommodations are vulnerable to losing their equal right to decide because assisted approaches are not supported in law and public policy. This policy brief outlines findings … Continued
Publication: Women with Disabilities and Housing Brief
Doris Rajan, Director of Social Development at IRIS, has written a brief titled, Women with Disabilities and Housing for the Learning Network at the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children at the University of Western Ontario. Funded by the Government of Ontario and commissioned by DAWN-RAFH Canada, this brief explores the … Continued
No Woman’s Land Premiere Scheduled for March 2019
IRIS has partnered with Jaberi Dance Theatre and Dr. Shahrzad Mojab on the company’s upcoming production No Woman’s Land, an evocative new work that explores real stories of women in refugee camps. Conceived and directed by Roshanak Jaberi and created with a powerhouse artistic team and an ensemble of seven performers, this interdisciplinary production integrates dance, theatre and multi-media … Continued
Solidarity is the Basis of Social Change: Highlights from our Solidarity Symposium
Reflections on a Gathering of Indigenous, Refugee and People with Disabilities in Ottawa to End Violence and Poverty It occurred to us, as we put together our Solidarity Symposium bringing together activists and advocates working with diverse marginalized populations, that solidarity will require breaking silos and borders of exclusion, oppression and exploitation. However, the Symposium held … Continued
Solidarity Symposium: Understanding Oppressions, Imagining a New World
You’re invited! Join IRIS and its partners for Solidarity Symposium: Understanding Oppressions, Imagining a New World. This free one-day Solidarity Symposium will take place on Monday, December 4, 2017 in Ottawa at the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health (299 Montreal Road). The event will bring together Indigenous, migrant peoples and people with disabilities to unite … Continued
Concerns with Expanding Access to Medical Assistance in Dying: A Review of Evidence
IRIS has issued a review titled, “Concerns with Expanding Access to Medical Assistance in Dying: A Review of Evidence”. This review of evidence examines a wide range of evidence that points to substantial legal, ethical and social concerns with expanding access to medical assistance in dying for mature minors, through advance directives, and based solely on … Continued
