Inclusion for People with Disabilities

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Publications

  • Is Everybody Here? 
  • Living in Ottawa with a Disability PDF Word
  • Ottawa Francophones with a Disability PDF
  • Inclusion by Design: Meaningful Indicators of Inclusion and Accessibility in Local Communities for People with Disabilities PDF
  • Fact Sheets

Completed Projects

People with disABILITIES: A Community Coalition

In 2006 and 2007, we were pleased to host and co-chair "People with DisABILITIES: A Community Coalition". The Community Coalition is made up of organizations, groups of persons with disabilities, and groups for persons with disabilities that have an interest in improving the quality of life for persons with disabilities. Community Coalition members share a common goal, which is to build a community in which persons with disabilities have equal access to the same opportunities as every other citizen of the City of Ottawa. The Coalition's mandate was to:

  • Develop and support partnerships formed to better provide service and maximize opportunities for persons living with disabilities;
  • Create opportunities to build networks to increase the community's capacity to define and respond to unmet needs and barriers faced by persons living with disabilities;
  • Communicate & promote the interests of persons with disabilities living in our community;
  • Identify and oversee relevant research initiatives and action projects designed to address the service needs of persons living with disabilities;
  • Develop annual action plans and project proposals thereby ensuring ongoing support for the work of the Coalition.

 The Coalition is not currently meeting on a regular basis.

 Improving Access to Transportation

In early 2006, the Transportation Sub-Committee of the Coalition, with leadership from the Canadian Mental Health Association Ottawa Chapter, was successful in creating a pilot project to provide a reduced fare bus pass for people with disabilities living on low incomes. The program was used by over 3,500 people per month. The SPC played a key role in an evaluation of the pilot project, which demonstrated that the reduced fare bus pass had significantly reduced isolation and improved quality of life particularly for people with psychiatric and developmental disabilities. The reduced fare bus pass is part of the regular fee structure of OC Transpo as of 2007.