Minister Qualtrough celebrates National AccessAbility Week by promoting social inclusion for people with disabilities

OTTAWA, June 1, 2017 /CNW/ - Canadians with disabilities face challenges every day which prohibit them from participating fully in their communities and workplaces. The Government of Canada is committed to reducing these accessibility barriers and ensuring that everyone has equal access and opportunity.

Today, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, celebrates National AccessAbility Week by announcing approval for nine Social Development Partnership Program–Disability Component (SDPP-D) projects across the country.  

The SDPP-D funds projects that support disability organizations to bring innovative solutions to improve the participation and integration of people with disabilities in all aspects of Canadian society. Supporting innovation through these projects is one way the Government of Canada is helping to ensure our communities become more inclusive for all Canadians.

On September 22, 2016, the Government of Canada invited national, federally incorporated, not-for-profit organizations with a disability-focused mandate to apply for funding through the 2016 SDPP-D call for proposals which closed on November 3, 2016. Disability organizations have responded to the call and a total of $4.5M over two years will be awarded to develop innovative practices and tools that promote the social inclusion of people with disabilities.

Quote

"Society benefits when we foster partnerships and networks to address existing barriers. That is why we are supporting these innovative projects intended to address the social needs of people with disabilities. Through projects like these, we are helping to identify real solutions to reach a truly accessible society."
– The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities

Quick Facts

• The Social Development Partnership Program helps improve the lives of children and families, people with disabilities and other vulnerable Canadians.
• The SDPP has two funding components: Disability, and Children and Families.
• Since the inception of the Disability Component of the Social Development Partnership Program in 1998, it has provided $11 million annually in grant and contribution program funding to organizations to support projects that improve the participation and integration of people with disabilities in all aspects of Canadian society with respect to social inclusion.
• An analysis of data from the 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability found that approximately 2.1 million Canadians aged 15 years or older are at risk of facing barriers in the built environment and/or in relation to information and communications.

Associated Link

Social Development Projects for People with Disabilities

Backgrounder

The Disability Component of the Social Development Partnership Program (SDPP-D) supports projects intended to improve the participation and integration of people with disabilities in all aspects of Canadian society. More specifically, the Program supports not-for-profit organizations across Canada in tackling barriers faced by people with disabilities with respect to social inclusion.

The objectives of the SDPP-D are to:

• support the development and utilization of effective approaches to address social issues and challenges;
• develop, exchange and apply knowledge, tools and resources that address the social needs of individuals, families and communities;
• foster partnerships and networks to address existing and emerging social issues;
• recognize and support the ability of not-for-profit organizations to identify and address social development priorities; and
• recognize and promote community engagement initiatives (e.g. volunteerism, corporate social responsibility, innovation by not-for-profit organizations, partnerships, coalitions).

Projects funded under the 2016 call for proposals will fall under a theme of innovation. Funded products would develop, test and identify promising practices and tools that promote the social inclusion of people with disabilities. Projects could include, but are not limited to:

• developing new partnerships to share, transfer and disseminate knowledge;
• bringing together multiple stakeholders working towards a shared goal to improve existing or create new service delivery models for people with disabilities; or
• developing technological applications and systems that meet the needs of people with disabilities, such as web-based and/or social media innovations aimed at improving access to information, communication, and other services (including electronic services) for people with disabilities.

Nine projects will receive funding. The recipients are:

• The Neil Squire Society
• Iris the Dragon
• Meticulon Consulting
• Spinal Cord Injury Canada
• Canadian Association for Community Living
• Kids Brain Health Network
• Communication Disabilities Access Canada
• Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf
• The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

Ashley Michnowski, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, 819-934-1122 / TTY: 1-866-702-6967; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]