Has Canada Done Enough to Ensure that Individuals Born with Developmental Disabilities are Able to Thrive in Society?
Growing up, many people are taught that they need to overcome two major obstacles in life: Obtaining an education and finding a job. For most, these hurdles are overcome without too much difficulty. The average citizen is easily able to progress through a school system that meets their needs, access an abundance of public resources and transition into the workforce with little difficulty. Now try to imagine accomplishing these tasks while dealing with a disability that affects one’s life in every conceivable way. The thought of needing special assistance in school, struggling to find a job and requiring extraordinary amounts of support from birth to death would be classified as a nightmare for most, but for people living with developmental disabilities, this nightmare is an everyday reality.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Community Services, a person can be described as having a developmental disability (DD) if “the person has significant limitations in cognitive and adaptive functioning that have originated before the person reached 18 years of age, are likely to be lifelong in nature and affect major life activity, such as personal care, language skills, learning abilities and the capability to live independently” (“Law Document English View”). Common examples of DDs are autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy. DDs are common in Canada and all over the world. As published by the Canadian Association for Community Living, roughly 2% of Canadians have a developmental disability (“Definitions & Terminology”). Given this statistic, Canadian societies must ask themselves: Has Canada done enough to ensure that individuals born with an intellectual disability are able to thrive?
Considering not many people truly understand what a DD is or how it affects an individual’s life, it is difficult to relate to this portion of the public in a personal way. However, I can testify that once a connection is made, it is hard to resist advocating for this truly exceptional portion of society. Grade five was the start of one of the most meaningful friendships I will ever have in my life. My new classmate, Mackenzie, had Down syndrome. Mackenzie sat beside me in class and within no time we were getting along better than Batman and Robin. Every day I would help students and teachers to understand what she was saying when she spoke, assist Mackenzie with her work and stand up for her when she was regularly teased at recess. It broke my heart to watch Mackenzie struggle and it made me wonder if other people with DDs are given the support that they need to succeed. People with DDs are in need of a voice to bring their hardships to light. In my opinion the three areas which Canada should focus on in order to ensure the success of these individuals are: Education, employment and support resources.
Although every child goes to school, it is impossible to deem every child’s school experience as the same. For children with DDs, progressing through school is not as simple and some believe that the government’s guidelines for educating these children are flawed. Many people want to know whether integrated learning truly is the best option for children with DDs. Are there enough educational assistants in public schools? Are children with DDs learning in a positive environment? Employment is also a widely talked about issue for people with DDs. It is important to determine why the unemployment rate is much higher for this portion of the public. Is there an adequate amount of job opportunities for these people? Are employers reluctant to hire a person with a DD? Lastly, it is crucial to determine what special assistance is provided to families with a member who has a DD. Are services such as physio and speech therapy easily accessible and affordable? What assistance is available to individuals with a DD to help them feel like a valuable member of society?
Hopefully the results of this research will depict whether or not Canada needs to make more of an effort to ensure that success is easily obtainable for people with developmental disabilities. By pursuing this worthy endeavour, communities can function better by including their otherwise underestimated and unnoticed members.
Growing up, many people are taught that they need to overcome two major obstacles in life: Obtaining an education and finding a job. For most, these hurdles are overcome without too much difficulty. The average citizen is easily able to progress through a school system that meets their needs, access an abundance of public resources and transition into the workforce with little difficulty. Now try to imagine accomplishing these tasks while dealing with a disability that affects one’s life in every conceivable way. The thought of needing special assistance in school, struggling to find a job and requiring extraordinary amounts of support from birth to death would be classified as a nightmare for most, but for people living with developmental disabilities, this nightmare is an everyday reality.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Community Services, a person can be described as having a developmental disability (DD) if “the person has significant limitations in cognitive and adaptive functioning that have originated before the person reached 18 years of age, are likely to be lifelong in nature and affect major life activity, such as personal care, language skills, learning abilities and the capability to live independently” (“Law Document English View”). Common examples of DDs are autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy. DDs are common in Canada and all over the world. As published by the Canadian Association for Community Living, roughly 2% of Canadians have a developmental disability (“Definitions & Terminology”). Given this statistic, Canadian societies must ask themselves: Has Canada done enough to ensure that individuals born with an intellectual disability are able to thrive?
Considering not many people truly understand what a DD is or how it affects an individual’s life, it is difficult to relate to this portion of the public in a personal way. However, I can testify that once a connection is made, it is hard to resist advocating for this truly exceptional portion of society. Grade five was the start of one of the most meaningful friendships I will ever have in my life. My new classmate, Mackenzie, had Down syndrome. Mackenzie sat beside me in class and within no time we were getting along better than Batman and Robin. Every day I would help students and teachers to understand what she was saying when she spoke, assist Mackenzie with her work and stand up for her when she was regularly teased at recess. It broke my heart to watch Mackenzie struggle and it made me wonder if other people with DDs are given the support that they need to succeed. People with DDs are in need of a voice to bring their hardships to light. In my opinion the three areas which Canada should focus on in order to ensure the success of these individuals are: Education, employment and support resources.
Although every child goes to school, it is impossible to deem every child’s school experience as the same. For children with DDs, progressing through school is not as simple and some believe that the government’s guidelines for educating these children are flawed. Many people want to know whether integrated learning truly is the best option for children with DDs. Are there enough educational assistants in public schools? Are children with DDs learning in a positive environment? Employment is also a widely talked about issue for people with DDs. It is important to determine why the unemployment rate is much higher for this portion of the public. Is there an adequate amount of job opportunities for these people? Are employers reluctant to hire a person with a DD? Lastly, it is crucial to determine what special assistance is provided to families with a member who has a DD. Are services such as physio and speech therapy easily accessible and affordable? What assistance is available to individuals with a DD to help them feel like a valuable member of society?
Hopefully the results of this research will depict whether or not Canada needs to make more of an effort to ensure that success is easily obtainable for people with developmental disabilities. By pursuing this worthy endeavour, communities can function better by including their otherwise underestimated and unnoticed members.
