By Rina Gulli, Local 678Through fulsome collaboration, an important, inclusive initiative was achieved, allowing The Disabled Rights Caucus and the Indigenous Circle to learn, engage, network, and participate in the British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society (BCANDS) Indigenous Disability and Wellness Gathering.The event was held from November 19-24, 2024, in Greater Victoria, the traditional territory of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples of the Songhees Nation and Xwsepsum Nation, and WSANEC peoples.Indigenous Disability Canada (IDC) is a nationally recognized and award-winning organization which has been focusing on the unique disability and health needs of Indigenous Peoples through collaboration, consultation, and comprehensive client services. Similarly, the British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society aims to provide advocacy, awareness and services.Although this collaboration gathers in British Columbia, stories of exclusion and discrimination echo nationally and resoundingly, like the story of Jordan River Anderson of Norway Cree House in Manitoba, who suffered from a rare muscular disorder and died in hospital while the provincial and federal governments debated who would pay for his home care. From this tragedy emerged Jordan’s Principle, which guarantees a wide range of unlimited services to all of Canada’s First Nations children 0 to 19 years old with unmet health needs who live with a disability.
Many barriers for Indigenous women with a disability
A presentation by Dr. Rheanna Robinson, Associate Professor, Department of First Nations Studies, University of NBC, illustrated the stark trifecta of barriers endured by Indigenous women. Access to health care and social services denied firstly because you’re a woman, secondly because you’re an Indigenous woman, thirdly because you’re an Indigenous woman with a disabilityAlso presented was the controversial aspect of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), which, in March 2027, will provide services not only to those in an advanced state of irreversible decline (having endured intolerable physical or psychological suffering), but also to those whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental health illness.Of positive progress was the presentation by keynote speaker Maureen Haan from the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) that hiring people with disabilities is not only a matter of inclusion, but it may also offer a business advantage including higher productivity, increase revenue and a stronger bottom line. According to a new report by CCRW, businesses leading in disability inclusion reported 1.6 times more revenue and 2.6 times more net income compared with companies that are not.The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work also annually informs the Disability and Work Canada Conference in Ottawa, of which several members of the Disability Rights Caucus contribute as presenters and aim to continue on an ongoing basis.
‘Better the benefit’
The Disability Without Poverty presentation outlined the history of the Canada Disability Benefit becoming law, guaranteeing persons with disabilities $2,500 annually. Networking uncovered the founder of Disability Without Poverty, Rabia Khdar, who has launched a national campaign to “Better the Benefit” aimed at enhancing support for persons with disabilities who are often legislated into poverty.The presentations, panels and discussions were both jarring and inspiring. Incredible success stories were outlined by Charlene Barney, an integral member of the Community Living Indigenous Advisory Panel, and Alissa Assu from the Squamish Nation. Assu overcame a kidney transplant, the grave premature birth of her son, the tragic deaths of her parents, and her own mental health struggles to successfully establish West Coast Wildflowers and Bear Essential Oils, two Nationally recognized Indigenous-owned businesses that seek primarily to hire persons with disabilities.Also inspiring were the Traditional cultural dances that punctuated the forum, like the jig dances by the BC Métis Federation that got many to their feet, and the extraordinary Hoop Dance by award-winning Cree dancer Jay Genaille who utterly mesmerized the crowd with his kaleidoscope of colours and shapes that honoured his Indigenous cultural traditions.Although these notes extrapolate some of the Indigenous Disability and Wellness Gathering’s highlights, so much more was learned, engaged and elevated by so many.This event was initiated by the Disability Rights Caucus, intersected with the Indigenous Circle, supported by staff, motivated by OPSEU/SEFPO’s newly elected Equity EBM’s, and voted on by the entire Executive Board. It serves as an excellent example of how all levels of labour joined together to honour and fulfill the Convention 2023 Five Calls to Action of supporting and strengthening equity in OPSEU/SEFPO
Resources
- Jordan’s Principle Call Centre
- Registered Disability Savings Plan Indigenous RDSP Navigators
- The Disability Tax Credit
- Disability Without Poverty
- Canadian Council on Work and Rehabilitation
