my days. Subsidized apartments which now have huge waiting lists like 8 years or more, you just cannot do very many things when you're on disability pension I want to support myself, I want to be … financially independent. I don't want to be depending on other people to support me. That being said, a lot of the supports I rely on are covered through government efforts that are taxpayer supported.” of disabled a growing culture of protest in Canada “A new breed person:” In the early 1970s, representatives of the federal Department of Health and Welfare pondered in a government is it so difficult for the disabled to The article answered that periodical, “Why organize?” disabled people lacked a clear constituency in which to organize and asserted that individuals with disabilities were preoccupied with their own experiences and challenges dealing with the many obstacles to social and economic participation. It was asserted that was a time when the traditional “the ‘60s minority groups organized to fight for peace, civil rights, and an end to poverty, but disabled people (physically handicapped in particular) were the last group to be activated by this kind of While activism.” local groups of disability rights activists across the country worked toward similar goals around accessibility and inclusion, the federal government believed these activists were largely disconnected from one another and did not represent a genuine social movement compared to other civil rights movements of the time. Nonetheless, the authors acknowledged a breed of handicapped “new person,” characterized by acquired physical disabilities, middle or working-class status, youthful, while fully expecting to to their former jobs, schooling, and after a period of therapy and training.23 “return pursuits” Awareness of this of disabled people reflected social and political developments “new breed” during the 1970s that quickly transformed the discourse around disability issues. As in the United States, a new kind of disability rights activism emerged during this time that differed from previous forms of disability advocacy. Disability rights groups were animated by identity politics and engaged in direct and indirect strategies to promote practical changes in the way disabled people lived and worked.24 New political organizations in Canada led by disabled people were rooted in a youth-based culture of protest and identity politics that focused on dismantling physical and attitudinal barriers to greater economic participation.25
my days. Subsidized apartments which now have huge waiting lists like 8 years or more, you just cannot do very many things when you're on disability pension … I want to support myself, I want to be financially independent. I don't want to be depending on other people to support me. That being said, a lot of the supports I rely on are covered through government efforts that are taxpayer supported.” “A new breed of disabled person:” a growing culture of protest in Canada In the early 1970s, representatives of the federal Department of Health and Welfare pondered in a government periodical, “Why is it so difficult for the disabled to organize?” The article answered that disabled people lacked a clear constituency in which to organize and asserted that individuals with disabilities were preoccupied with their own experiences and challenges dealing with the many obstacles to social and economic participation. It was asserted that “the ‘60s was a time when the traditional minority groups organized to fight for peace, civil rights, and an end to poverty, but disabled people (physically handicapped in particular) were the last group to be activated by this kind of activism.” While local groups of disability rights activists across the country worked toward similar goals around accessibility and inclusion, the federal government believed these activists were largely disconnected from one another and did not represent a genuine social movement compared to other civil rights movements of the time. Nonetheless, the authors acknowledged a “new breed of handicapped person,” characterized by acquired physical disabilities, middle or working-class status, youthful, while fully expecting to “return to their former jobs, schooling, and pursuits” after a period of therapy and training.23 Awareness of this “new breed” of disabled people reflected social and political developments during the 1970s that quickly transformed the discourse around disability issues. As in the United States, a new kind of disability rights activism emerged during this time that differed from previous forms of disability advocacy. Disability rights groups were animated by identity politics and engaged in direct and indirect strategies to promote practical changes in the way disabled people lived and worked.24 New political organizations in Canada led by disabled people were rooted in a youth-based culture of protest and identity politics that focused on dismantling physical and attitudinal barriers to greater economic participation.25