The Law as it Affects Persons with Disabilities

From the Disabilities Consultation Paper - Backgrounder: Persons with disabilities make up a very significant proportion of the Canadian population -- 14.3 per cent, according to 2006 Statistics Canada figures -- and the number and proportion of Canadians with disabilities has been steadily increasing in recent years. There is no single definition of "disability". Individuals experience a wide range of impairments, physical, sensory and mental, and an impairment that might be disabling in some circumstances might pose no barriers in a more supportive environment. Nor is there a single simple picture of the experiences of persons with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities may be young or old, successfully employed or living in low-income, living in large cities or remote rural areas. Contrary to the assumptions that are sometimes made, they may fill any role that their non-disabled peers do, including as parents or community volunteers or athletes.