At the heart of our work is a commitment to strengthening financial security, autonomy, and choice for people with disabilities and their families. Over the past year, our advocacy efforts have focused on several key areas where law, policy, and practice intersect.
Accessible Canada Act
Our team remains dedicated to advancing the implementation of accessibility legislation at the federal level. Specifically, we have concentrated our efforts on enhancing accessible service and program delivery, promoting legal capacity, and contributing to various accessible justice initiatives.
Canada Disability Benefit
We have been deeply involved in advocating for the implementation of the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB). Our goal has been to ensure that the benefit is sufficient, accessible, and truly reflective of the actual costs of living with a disability. A significant aspect of our advocacy has been focused on eliminating barriers within the application process. This initiative is crucial to help people avoid the need for guardianship, which can strip individuals of their legal rights, is financially burdensome, and is challenging to reverse.
Microboards
We have been advocating for the formal recognition of Microboards by Ontario Health at Home as an eligible mechanism for administering Family Managed Home Care Funding. Recognizing Microboards as eligible administrators of Family Managed Home Care Funding would promote supported decision-making, enable succession planning and mitigate personal liability.
Registered Disability Savings Plans
We continue to provide advocacy and guidance on the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), with an emphasis on reducing barriers to accessing and managing investment funds. This includes ongoing efforts to expand the qualified family member rule to encompass additional family members and trusted individuals. The objective is to ensure that people with disabilities can receive support from those they trust in managing their RDSPs, without being forced into unnecessary guardianship or substitute decision-making arrangements.
Together, these advocacy efforts reflect our ongoing commitment to systemic change—working alongside people with disabilities, families, and community organizations to build a more equitable and inclusive society.
