Kids
with Disabilities & Families Struggle
...
155,000 Canadian kids with disabilities & their families
NOT getting the help they need
Data recently released by Statistics Canada examining the lives of the estimated 155,000 Canadian children (ages 5 to 14) with some form of activity-limiting condition reveals they and their parents don’t always get the help they need.
Half of the children requiring specialized aids, such as wheelchairs, voice amplifiers, hearing aids or Sign language interpreters, do not have all the aids needed. The cost of such aids was found to be the key barrier. Children with more severe or multiple conditions tend to require more aids and services; they are also the most likely to be under-serviced. Two-thirds of children with mild to moderate disabilities have all the aids they require, but the same is true for just one-third of those with severe or very severe conditions.
Almost one-third of
parents indicated that they need help with housework, family responsibilities
and time-off for personal activities because of their children’s
condition. Obtaining such assistance was difficult, particularly for those
caring for more severely disabled children. Cost was again identified
as the main obstacle.
More than half the parents (54%) report that their child’s condition
affected their employment. Women and those with severely disabled children
reported the greatest impact. A significant number report remaining at
home to care for their child, reducing or changing their hours of work,
declining promotions or quit working.
For more info please
visit this pinpoint URL:
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/030729/d030729b.htm
Source:
Government Relations - An Information Bulletin for United Ways of Ontario;
issue dd August 12, 2003
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Page last updated August 13, 2003