Overview

Abstract (English)

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, as part of its mandate to improve the well-being and quality of life of Canadians, is concerned with the ability of individuals who face disabilities to fully participate in society and to achieve independent living. Since a vast majority of activities and services are spatially dispersed and can be conducted only in person, transportation is believed to be an important aspect that affects the prospects for inclusive and independent life. There are two dimensions that influence the ability of individuals to effectively use transportation and engage in activities. At the individual level, disabling barriers may be caused by medical physical or psychological conditions, or impairments. At the societal level, inadequate responses through institutions, services, and built environment, can also make it difficult for individuals with impairments to fully exercise their human rights. In order to identify the enabling and disabling factors that may influence fuller participation in the economic, social, and cultural life of adult Canadians with disabilities, it is important to consider the individual (impairments), spatial (transportation-mediated), and societal (services and institutions) dimensions of disabilities. The present report contributes to this goal by developing a profile of disabilities and transportation in Canada. Conceptually, the social exclusion framework provides the basis to generate a new profile of transportation and disabilities. This is a theoretical construct that facilitates our understanding of the different factors that affect participation from the perspective of various population segments of special interest. In the particular case of individuals who face disabling conditions, the social exclusion perspective provides a valuable bridge between the two dominant models of disabilities. Of these, the individual model attributes disabilities to the inability of individuals to perform at “normal” levels of competency. The social model, on the other hand, considers disabilities to be a consequence of a failure of society to accommodate the special needs of individuals with impairments. From a social exclusion perspective, individual, social, and environmental factors are thought to act in combination to influence accessibility and activity participation outcomes. In this way, disabilities are not considered to be purely the result of circumstances that randomly affect some unfortunate few, but the framework also recognizes that individual conditions are essential to understand activity participation. The social exclusion framework is used in this report to identify various factors that may affect activity participation, including availability and usage of various transportation services. Statistical analysis of the 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) provides evidence of factors that influence employment status, commuting distance, and student status. The report also investigates the frequency of participation on a range of other activities, namely visiting friends, doing exercise, attending events, and visiting public spaces. These outcomes are indicative of the ability to participate in the economic life of the country. finally, desire for more leisure is also investigated as a subjective factor that indicates satisfaction with one’s own ability to recreate and enjoy non-economic activities. The results indicate that the type and severity of disabilities are significant factors that influence the outcomes investigated, but sometimes in unanticipated ways. For instance mild disabilities are associated with a lower probability of being employed, relative to moderate iii | Understanding the transportation situation of Canadian adults with disabilities and severe disabilities. In terms of transportation, usage of various modes, mode availability, and requiring assistance using various modes of transportation are revealed as significant factors affecting the various outcomes investigated. The report concludes by identifying knowledge gaps, and avenues for future research. This includes the clarification of results that may appear counter-intuitive at first glance, the examination of higher level outcomes such as satisfaction with life and social network effects, and the potential of telecommunications to improve the “extensibility” of activities, to create participation spaces that do not require physical co-location.

Abstract (French)

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