The statistics tell a disturbing story. Only 49 percent of Canadians with a disability have a job, compared to 79 percent of Canadians without a disability. And even for disabled Canadians who are lucky enough to find work, they earn 44 percent less than Canadians without a disability, forcing many into poverty. This is unacceptable.

The challenges faced by people with disabilities from the moment they get up in the morning to the moment they go to sleep at night is daunting to say the least. Physically getting to a job is only half the battle. While some provinces are moving forward with legislation to address accessibility issues, up until this year there has been nothing at the federal level. If this legislation before Parliament is passed, this will change.

The federal government has introduced the new Accessible Canada Act: Bill C-81, An Act to Ensure a Barrier-Free Canada. Over the last 3 years, our government spent time listening to Canadians who have both visible and invisible disabilities. We held the largest consultation on this topic in the history of Canada, meeting with more than 6,000 people and over 90 organizations. As a result, we learned about the real issues surrounding accessibility in our country, which guided the preparations of Bill C-81.

Once passed, Bill C-81 will apply to organizations under federal jurisdiction, and one of the priority areas of the bill is the development and implementation of new accessibility standards. One way the bill proposes to do this is to create the Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization. Not only is this innovative organization the first of its kind, but its board of directors would be made up of a majority of people with disabilities. This underscores the importance of the disability community and persons with disabilities needing to be involved in the creation and implementation of the policies and programs that affect their lives. In other words, “nothing about us without us.”

Up until this point, it has been the responsibility of persons with disabilities to take the initiative and file complaints with authorities about barriers to accessibility, with the hope that it would lead to results. This is now changing with this bill; organizations under federal jurisdiction will now be responsible for the implementation and equality of accessible practices. It will no longer be up to Canadians with disabilities to fix the system. We want to ensure that barriers are eliminated before they become problems.

This is certainly a step in the right direction. In addition to Bill C-81, there needs to be a change in the culture which surrounds persons with disabilities. In other words, there needs to be an increased social awareness of their needs and the barriers which they face. Too often, the social attitudes towards disabilities, in and of themselves, add to the already existing barriers that persons with disabilities face. In fact, organizations under federal jurisdiction represent a large portion of public space in the country and employ nearly a million Canadians. This being the case, these organizations can have a major impact on the culture change that is needed.

At the local level, municipalities play an integral role in providing equal treatment to persons with disabilities when developing policies. From information supports, to building codes and the design of public spaces, municipalities of the future must be accessible for all. But you can’t do it alone. It’s imperative that all three levels of government work together to make Canada more accessible.

A disability, whether visible or invisible, can be hindering if not appropriately addressed in any area of life. There is still much left to be done to create a Canada that is truly accessible and inclusive. Yet, by making accessibility a priority, we will produce results that are practical and possible for everyone. Together, we will propel our country forward to becoming truly inclusive of all Canadians.