New Publication – Six Key Elements for an Inclusive Labour Market
There is a growing recognition among employers, governments, and the public at large of the valuable contributions that people with disabilities bring to Canadian workplaces. At the same time, concerns about skills shortages and labour market supply issues have been a dominant theme of Canadian and international policy discussion. A recent report of the federal … Continued
IRIS’ International Work on Legal Capacity – Zambia
The following blog post was written by Doris Rajan, Director of Social Development for IRIS Institute, on her most recent return from Zambia where she and others from IRIS are involved in social policy work. The above video documents some of the highlight from the most recent trip. I was sitting in Nairobi airport last … Continued
New Report: Looking Into Poverty
Looking Into Poverty: Income Sources of Poor People with Disabilities in Canada, provides a detailed look at amounts of income that poor people with and without disabilities obtain from employment and from fourteen non-employment income sources. These include social assistance, the Canada and Quebec Pension Plan, private pensions and investments, spousal and child support and … Continued
The Right to Decide Forum – October 25, 2013
“The Right to Decide: Lived Experience of People with Disabilities, Older Persons and HIV/AIDS” is a forum to share experiences and perspectives on the right to make decisions, which will be held on Friday, October 25, 2013. People with intellectual disabilities, psychiatric consumer/survivors, older persons, and those living HIV/AIDS often have had their right to make … Continued
Government of Nova Scotia Commits to Transform Services
The Government of Nova Scotia has announced a major commitment to transforming services and supports to persons with disabilities in the province. This is the result of two major consultations in the province over the past six months. See the announcement here. IRIS has played a significant role in the steps leading up to this announcement. IRIS … Continued
IRIS Institute Partnering with Nova Scotia Community Services
IRIS is pleased to announce that the Institute has been engaged by the Government of Nova Scotia to assist in a consultation process to create a roadmap for transforming supports and services for persons with disabilities in the province. The aim is to create a system that advances community inclusion and full participation for all … Continued
Changing Attitudes towards Education at the Community Level
Doris Rajan, Director of Social Development, was in Goa, India presenting at the North South Dialogue IV – Implementing Tools of Change for Inclusion. This conference was hosted by Dr. Mithu Alur Founder of ADAPT – Able Disabled All People Together – a long time international partner of the IRIS Institute and the Canadian Association for Community … Continued
The Employment of People with Disabilities: What’s Working?
Under the Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities (LMAPDs), the federal government continues to share with the provinces the cost of programs that seek to improve the employment prospects of people with disabilities. While there have been improvements in the employment sector since the early 2000s, there is still a long way to go … Continued
No More PALS, Now What?
Statistics Canada’s Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) of 2001 and 2006 was built on the predecessor Health and Activity Limitation Survey (HALS) of 1986 and 1991. These ‘flagship’ surveys on disability established a kind of international ‘gold standard’ for gathering and reporting statistical data on disability. In 2011, the Minister of Human Resources and … Continued
Premier Alward of New Brunswick acknowledges IRIS’s ‘Policy Making for Inclusion – Leadership Development Program’
New Brunswick Premier David Alward issued a letter to all participants in the “Policy Making for Inclusion – Leadership Development Program”. The program is designed to assist policy makers in achieving the government’s platform commitment to “enable New Brunswickers with disabilities to actively participate in all aspects of society and take their rightful place as full … Continued
