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Managing a Disability: Locating services, support, and resources

About 15% of the population, or 4.5 million Canadians, live with a disability. A disability may come as a result of injury or disease, or it may have been present since birth. If you’ve been living with a disability your whole life, or if a disease or injury has reduced your abilities in some way, there are likely ongoing lifestyle adjustments you need to make. Exactly what steps you should take will often depend on your needs as well as the severity and cause of your disability. Below you will find eight common challenges people with disabilities may encounter, as well as links and resources to help you overcome each challenge.

1. Coping with the ups and downs
2. Making your home work for you
3. Communicating with ease
4. Getting places and travelling
5. Finding a job and managing expenses
6. Locating custom mobility devices
7. Performing difficult tasks
8. Maintaining your sex life

1. Coping with the ups and downs

Coping with a disability can be an emotional journey, and making the necessary lifestyle modifications and facing the daily challenges can sometimes be overwhelming. Locating avenues of support is an important first step; you need to know that you can seek help when you need it. Avoiding injury and reducing stress can be as simple as asking for help. Below you will find support services for those living with disabilities.

• Your Disease Association can connect you with disease advocacy groups that provide counselling and peer support from people with an intimate knowledge of the condition. (Use the Community Support Groups search tool to find the association connected with your disease.)
• Your doctor can refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist, where you can discuss areas of concern in greater detail and in a supportive environment.

2. Making your home work for you

Your home may need renovations, or it may require the installation of certain equipment to make it more accessible to you. Adapting your home can be costly; however your provincial government (select your province, then click the ‘Assistive Technology’ and ‘Housing’ links) may provide some assistance. Federal assistance programs and services offered through charitable organizations may also be available to you:

• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) offers financial assistance programs for individuals with disabilities.
• Easter Seals may provide support for home adaptations for children with disabilities. (Visit your provincial chapter’s website to view the list of programs offered.)
• March of Dimes Alternative Home and Vehicle Modification Programs are provincial programs that may help with home and vehicle adaptations.

3. Communicating with ease

If you find speaking, seeing, or hearing difficult at times, specialized communication devices may be an option for you. Devices such as custom-made computers that provide spoken feedback can ease the process of communication. The resources below can help you access these types of specialized communication devices:

• Canadian Association of the Deaf provides an article on manual-gestural languages and sign systems. (Contact a provincial chapter for more information.)
• Canadian Hearing Society gives you more information on sign language classes.
• The Durham Region Employment Network (DREN) is a non-profit, Ontario-based organization that provides information on assistive technology for people with disabilities.

4. Getting places and travelling

Sometimes getting from one place to the next may not be as simple as you’d like to it to be. However, there are organizations that provide or facilitate accessible transportation services for people with disabilities:

• Access Guide Canada provides a database of accessible travel destinations in Canada.
• Access to Travel contains information about providers of accessible transportation across Canada.
• PWD-Online Travel and Tourism Information Finder provides a wide variety of accessible Canadian travel and tourism information.

5. Finding a job and managing expenses

Often, the accumulated expense of purchasing necessary assistive devices and making lifestyle modifications can be very costly. And finding employment that is readily accessible can often be a challenge for individuals with disabilities.

Every province offers financial assistance for disabled adults and parents of children with severe disabilities. Also, workplace benefits may include short- and long-term disability insurance. Both systems of support may prove helpful in the event that you are unable to work. To help alleviate some of your financial stress, or for help in your search for employment, take advantage of governmental and private assistance programs like the following:

• March of Dimes Employment Services offers occupational therapy services to help you determine what work you can do with your disability and offers retraining for work in your field.
• WORKink Canada is an online job search engine for Canadians with disabilities.
• Canada Revenue Agency provides information about how to fill out Line 316 (disability amount) on your federal income tax return. Line 316 is a tax credit that can reduce the amount of taxes you pay in one year. You may also be interested in learning about other benefits provided through the Agency.
• Human Resources and Skills Development Canada provides savings incentives, including a Registered Disabilities Savings Plan (RDSP), Canada Disability Savings Grant, and the Canada Disability Savings Bond.
• Human Resources and Skills Development Canada – Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities supports disabled persons if they are preparing for, obtaining, and/or maintaining employment.
• Human Resources and Skills Development Canada – Canada Student Grants Program helps students with disabilities pay for the cost of their education.
• President’s Choice Children’s Charity provides funding for families with disabled children to assist with the cost of mobility devices and other supports.
• Associations related to your particular type of disability may offer career and employment assistance programs, and may also have a list of employers who are known to be accommodating to people with your condition. (Use the Community Support Groups search tool to find the association connected with your disease.)

6. Locating custom mobility devices

If you have a disability that restricts your movement, finding custom mobility devices is critical to your continued and safe participation in the things you enjoy. It is important to note that using mobility aids that do not suit your specific needs may cause you injury or can even make simple activities unsafe. In addition to the information on assistive devices in our Provincial Guide, the resources below will also provide you with more information:

• March of Dimes Assistive Devices program can help you find the right mobility device, and offers partial financing to those who qualify.
• Easter Seals Ontario (requires Adobe Reader) provides financial assistance to help with the purchase of mobility devices for children and young adults (i.e., from birth to 19th birthday) with physical disabilities.
• Muscular Dystrophy Canada's Equipment Program helps those with neuromuscular disorders cover the costs of specialized equipment.
• Tetra Society of North America is comprised of volunteers, engineers, and technicians who create assistive devices for people whose specific needs cannot be met by commercial items. Tetra’s services are free; however, a modest donation, to help with materials and mileage expenses, is often encouraged.

7. Performing difficult tasks

Some labour-intensive tasks may be difficult to undertake depending on your disability. There are a number of places that offer to help with strenuous activities such as shovelling snow, mowing the lawn, or cleaning your house. The following resources will help you find more information on how to locate this type of assistance:

• Health Canada – Home and Continuing Care will send an official from your provincial health ministry to visit your home, assess your needs, and connect you to the appropriate caregiver.
• Local association offices connect you with volunteers or peer helpers, if there is a local office or advocacy group that applies to you. (Use the Community Support Groups search tool to find the association connected with your disease.)
• Canadian Cancer Society Community Services Locator provides a convenient search tool for community cancer support. (Search by name or by postal code.)
• Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) – Guide Dogs helps you find how you can obtain a guide dog.

8. Maintaining your sex life

Sex and intimacy may be two of your biggest concerns, but are probably talked about less often than most other disability-related issues. The good news is that sex is possible for almost all persons with disabilities. Below are a couple of helpful resources to help you maintain your sex life:

• Canadian Federation for Sexual Health provides you with information, resources, and answers to your questions about having sex with a disability.
• The Canadian Abilities Foundation provides an article that discusses what young people, including those with disabilities, need to consider when become sexually active.

Whether you were recently diagnosed with a disability, or if you have lived with it since birth, managing your disability will sometimes be a challenge. But finding the services you need might be as simple as a click of the mouse or a quick phone call. You or your health advocate shouldn’t hesitate to do the necessary research and contact the support services that are right for you.

Key Websites:

• Government of Canada: Persons with disabilities online
• Human Resources and Skills Development Canada: Registered disabilities savings plan
• March of Dimes Canada
• Service Canada: Living with a disability

Related Articles:

• I Think My Child May Have a Learning Disability: Where can I locate help?
• Disability Management: Returning to work
• Disability Insurance: Connecting the dots
• Accessible Workplaces: Finding employment to fit your needs

References