that’s not been the case so far.
as a south asian woman with an acquired spinal cord injury, i need a power wheelchair, accessible house and van for my employment and daily living activities. my household includes living with parents, in addition to my husband and son. this is my cultural norm – multi-generational living — yet this norm is often a barrier for me to access disability benefits or accessibility funds as they are tied to household income.
current disability policies rooted in western definitions of family and built into welfare models force disabled canadians to live alone or forgo their safety-net if they choose to marry or share a household with other adult wage earners.
many racialized communities, including asian, black and indigenous families, frequently live in extended family structures where all adults work, very often earning lower wages. however, combined household income may disqualify the person with a disability from accessing disability benefits or accessibility funding. current eligibility criteria in most programs penalize those who choose to live with extended family and promotes social exclusion.
i know firsthand how quickly the
costs of living with disabilities add up
. cost of manual wheelchairs range from $8,000 to $10,0000, and power wheelchairs, from $32,000 to $45,000. an accessible vehicle means purchasing a van, plus $40,000 to modify it. even when, in some provinces, up to 75 per cent of purchasing mobility aids is covered, the remaining 25 per cent is a hardship for many. also, these are not one-time expenses.