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Devices Election 2004 Action
Backgrounder
on Assistive Devices Program
Briefing Note
What are Assistive
Devices?
An assistive device
is any tool that enables persons with low vision to carry on day-to-day
activities independently. Common examples are a white cane one would
use to travel independently to work or a magnifying glass that would
enable a senior to independently read prescription instructions on
a pill bottle
In general assistive
devices are prescribed to individuals as a result of a professional
assessment by a health care or rehabilitation professional. Assistive
devices are generally available through specialized retail outlets.
Statement of the Problem
Canada has no consistent policy on assistive devices for individuals
with disabilities, or on the provision of financial assistance for
the acquisition of such devices. The federal government and the provincial
governments need to agree on a nationwide vision for the provision
of assistive devices for all blind and vision impaired persons living
in Canada. In that way, our clients and others can participate fully
in society on an equitable basis throughout Canada and thus increase
their health and overall well being. Canada urgently needs an assistive
devices program that is: nationwide, sustainable, mobile, and open
to all age groups.
1.
Nationwide:
As Canadians, it is an affront to our sense of fairness that some
people are denied the right to these devices based solely on their
province of residence. The absence of a consistent nationwide assistive
devices program amounts to “discrimination by postal code”.
Every individual in Canada deserves access to the same rights and
opportunities. There are assistive devices programs in British Columbia,
Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. In other provinces there is limited
funding for employment related assistive devices. To become consistent
and nationwide an assistive devices program must be specifically
tied to transfer payments.
2.
Sustainable:
Consistent financing is a major barrier to the development of a
nation wide assistive devices program. This barrier has resulted
in a lack of uniform funding schemes for the provision of assistive
devices in Canada. Existing funding is uneven, eligibility criteria
can be complicated and confusing, and at times only limited monies
is made available for short-term (or pilot) projects. Without secure,
consistent and sustainable funding, services will remain scattered
and uneven at best. Sufficient funds must be provided to maintain
the program as a basic service. Canadians who are blind and visually
impaired need a system they can access in the same way that all
Canadians can now access our health care system. They need a system
that they know will be there when they need it. They require a system
with funding that is understood as essential to ensure full citizenship
for Canadians with vision loss. A sustainable program would remove
much of the causes of present-day marginalization and reliance on
income support systems that plague persons with severe vision loss.
Assistive devices are the tools of independence and participation
in Canadian society.
3.
Mobile:
The current system is complicated and fragmented. Currently Saskatchewan,
Ontario and Quebec and Alberta are the only provinces that offer
comprehensive l programs to facilitate access to low and high-tech
aids for people with disabilities. What about the needs Canadians
in other parts of Canada who are blind and visually impaired? Canadians
are very mobile and their assistive devices program needs to be
equally portable and mobile. The program we envisage would not end
at provincial borders. It would be equally valid in all parts of
Canada. Mobility would help ensure that the program is non-discriminatory
and open to all Canadians. A nationwide program that is fully mobile
would eliminate regional disparities and ensure that no one is treated
like a second-class citizen.
4.
Open to all ages:
Many accessibility devices programs in Canada assist only working-age
adults. The time has come to make disability supports available
to Canadians of all ages. Even though the human rights code in all
Canadian jurisdictions prohibits discrimination on the basis of
age, many children and seniors not being given the chance to learn
vital skills or even maximize their visual potential because of
inadequate funding, or a lack of accessibility supports. Canadians
must challenge public officials to remove barriers that prevent
persons with disabilities, both young and old, from receiving the
full benefit of recent advances in affordable technology. To limit
access to only working age Canadians represents a denial of basic
Canadian rights and freedoms.
Recommendations
The Canadian National
Institute for the Blind supports government adoption of a definition
of assistive devices appropriate to the Canadian context and the development
of consistent policies regarding financial support for Canadians of
all ages who may benefit from their use. What Canada needs is a program
that is: nationwide, sustainable, mobile, and open to all ages.
The Canadian National
Institute for the Blind recommends that positive gains might be achieved
through an orientation where assistive devices are seen as supporting
the goal of maximizing function and independence.
Prepared by the
CNIB National (Ottawa) November 5, 2002
More information available from the
CNIB Department of Consumer and Government Relations
130 – 1101 Prince of Wales Drive,
Ottawa, Ontario, K2C 3W7
Telephone: (613) 563-0000 ext. 155 Fax: (613) 232-9070
Email: bernard.nunan@cnib.ca
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