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Bringing Down the Barriers:
The Labour Market and Women with Disabilities in Ontario

by Gail Fawcett

     

Acknowledgements

Project Staff

• Gail Fawcett, Author and Senior Research Associate
• Angela Gibson-Kierstead, Research Associate
• Holly Nason, Research Assistant
• Valerie du Plessis, Research Assistant
• Ellen Adelberg, Senior Editor
• Delaney Turner, Copy Editor
• Nancy Colborne Perkins, Production Coordinator
• Christiane Ryan, Translator
• Arlette Sinquin, Reviser
• Rachel Green, Administration Support

 

Acknowledgements

This report was made possible by a grant from the Trillium Foundation. In addition, we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the members of our Steering Committee: Francine Arsenault, Jennifer Evans, Pat Israel, Collinda Joseph, Marie Lemieux, Pauline Lynch, Sherroll Peacock, Nicole Soucy and Deb Ullman. These individuals helped shape the direction of this report and provided their support, expertise, advice and limitless energy to the project. Members of the Steering Committee all had close links to the disability community and represented a range of perspectives, disability types, age groups and experiences. What they also had in common was a deep commitment to the goal of full citizenship for persons with disabilities. They gave freely of their time, energy, and talents.

While the Steering Committee members had concerns about a wide range of issues facing persons with disabilities, they decided to use this project as an opportunity to produce a research report that might have a positive impact on the labour force opportunities facing women with disabilities. They viewed this as an opportunity to provide decision-makers and the general public with a view into the complex barriers that prevent women with disabilities from achieving their potential in the labour market. And while we have all heard about many of the obvious, individual barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from participating fully in the workplace, much less has been reported about the complex interplay of factors that create hidden barriers. Committee members felt that a report which brought these factors to life – using both quantitative and qualitative research – could have a positive impact on the decisions being made as we enter an era of social and economic change.

We would also like to extend our thanks to the following: Ottawa-Carleton Independent Living Centre, Kingston Independent Living and Resource Centre, DAWN Ontario (Sudbury and Thunder Bay locations), Doris Rajan-Eastcott, Opale of le Phenix (an organization for Franco-Ontarian women with disabilities), and ERDCO (Ethno-Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario). These people and organizations played an important role in the focus group research that appears throughout this report. They were responsible for selecting participants, scheduling, providing the required disability-related supports and services for participants, and providing facilitators from the community who were heavily involved in disability issues. As well, we would also like to thank all the focus group participants across Ontario who gave us their time, energy, and honesty in order to help us better understand the reality of their lives.

The enormous contribution of CCSD Associate Director Susan Carter to this project must also be mentioned. Her ongoing support, input, advice, and energy were critical to its success.

Finally, we would like to dedicate this report to Pauline Lynch, one of the Steering Committee members, who died in September 1999. At the time of her death, Pauline was the 2^nd Vice-President of People First of Canada. From 1994 to 1998, she served as the first female President of People First of Ontario. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Women’s Leadership Committee of People First of Canada. With extensive involvement in disability-related issues, as well as issues involving the leadership development of women, Pauline was an excellent addition to the Steering Committee. Her commitment, her enthusiasm and her ability to get to the heart of an issue using plain language were invaluable. Pauline was an extraordinary role model for all of us. It is very fitting that this report on women with disabilities in the labour market be dedicated to her memory.

Copyright © 2000 by the Canadian Council on Social Development. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or by any information retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The analysis, views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position or policies of the Trillium Foundation. Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Fawcett, Gail Bringing down the barriers: The labour market and women with disabilities in Ontario Also issued in French under title: Vaincre les obstacles : les femmes handicapées et le marché du travail en Ontario. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-88810-470-7 Handicapped women–Employment–Ontario. Handicapped women–Ontario–Economic conditions. Poverty–Ontario. Handicapped–Employment–Ontario. Handicapped women–Employment–Ontario–Statistics. Handicapped women–Ontario–Statistics. Canadian Council on Social Development Title. Title: The labour market and women with disabilities in Ontario.

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