Questions For Your Mla

What should I ask my MLA about disability issues in Nova Scotia?

Election time is looming. Now is the time to talk to politicians about the issues that will affect you in the years to come. One in five Nova Scotians lives with a disability. According to government figures, there are about 152,000 people aged 15+ who live with a disability in our province. Our votes could make all the difference in the coming election. What will your MLA do to improve the lives of people who have disabilities in your area? We hope that this guide will help you to ask important questions of the people who want your vote.

1

Having a voice People who have disabilities have the same rights as other citizens. This includes the right to vote, and take part in forums, debates and the right to communicate with candidates. The United Nations Convention on the Rights and Dignities of Persons with Disabilities says that people with disabilities have the right to support when making decisions. Canada has signed this convention. What plans does your party have to create laws that will enable people with disabilities to make supported decisions? What part does Disability play in your party’s platform?

2

Where we live Why does Nova Scotia put more people in institutions than any other province in Canada? The UN Convention on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (Chapter 19) has recommended that all citizens have the right to be enabled to make choices about where, and with whom, they live. How will your MLA address this? What will you do to get rid of the long waiting lists within the Services for Persons with Disabilities Program? See also www.institutionwatch.ca and www.freedomtour.ca

3

Contributing to the economy 60% of people who have disabilities are of working age but only 37% of people with disabilities are active members of Nova Scotia’s labour market. How will your MLA work with the business community to address this? For many years people have been working in dead-end jobs in sheltered workshops with pay a fraction of the minimum wage. How will your party help people get real jobs? Often parents are forced to put their careers on hold when they find they have a child who has a disability. Lack of accessible after-school activities, summer programs, or appropriate supports for dependent adults, can mean that these active contributors are not able to return to the workplace. How will your MLA address this?

4

Access to our communities Many shops, parks, pre-schools, businesses, restaurants, and other small or medium sized enterprises are not accessible to people with disabilities. Sometimes this is because of their physical layout, sometimes their service delivery. Often barriers to access could be easily solved with a small amount of training or physical changes but small businesses may not have the resources to implement these. How will your MLA address this? Often people who have disabilities are not able to access the activities and social spaces that others take for granted. This means that friendships and emotional supports are very hard to create and maintain. What will your MLA do to address this? What will your party do to ensure that accessible transport is introduced and/or maintained throughout Nova Scotia?

5

Poverty You are twice as likely to be living in poverty if you are living with a disability than if you are non-disabled. What will your MLA do to address this? Newfoundland & Labrador and Quebec have adopted Poverty Reduction Strategies that have had some effect in those provinces. The Nova Scotia Poverty Reduction Working Group has produced a poverty reduction strategy. What will your party do to put this strategy in place? See also www.gov.ns.ca and search ‘Poverty Reduction Strategy’.

6

Our Rights Will your government recommend to the Federal government that the UN Convention on the Rights and Dignities of Persons with Disabilities is ratified and formally adopted by the Canadian government? Will your party re-introduce discussions with the Federal government to create a National Disability Supports Strategy for persons with disabilities? See also www.un.org/disabilities

No more reports… now is the time for action Produced by the Nova Scotia Disability Rights Coalition. March 2009. For more information please email: [email protected] For information about group readings of this document, please contact Lois Miller, Executive Director, Independent Living Nova Scotia: telephone 902-453-0004, or email [email protected] 7