Disability stigmatization as a barrier to employment equity for legally-blind Canadians

Abstract

Canada has expressed a strong commitment to the rights of its citizens against discrimination, including those with disabilities. A question remains whether Canadians with disabilities are able to practice these rights. Our mixed-methods study sheds light on the situation of one important sub-group of people with disabilities – those who are legally blind. Our survey results show that the labour-force participation rate for this population is very low compared with those without disabilities, and also lower than the rate for persons with other disabilities. Legally-blind working-age Canadians have significantly higher rates of unemployment and underemployment, and perceive major barriers to employment. In-person interviews reveal the negative impact of one major barrier – disability stigmatization – on accessing meaningful employment and other societal assets. We discuss the implications of these findings and suggest policy directions.

Keywords:

• disability
• stigmatization
• legally-blind
• employment equity
• Canada

Notes

1. A minority of survey participants did not answer the question themselves but had their answers provided by somebody close to them (a proxy). These respondents have been excluded from the analysis.