Initiatives

Persons with disabilities and their caregivers know the challenges and frustrations associated with obtaining the disability supports they need. In fact, many thousands get no support at all. You know this, but the Canadian public more broadly does not, and therefore we need your story.

The goal of our ‘Stories Project’ is to establish the undeniable need for, and illustrate the inadequacy of the current disability support system in Canada. You can submit your story of living with a disability in Canada.

Why stories? To increase this awareness and understanding among Canadians, Every Canadian Counts wants stories of lived experiences that illustrate and highlight the weaknesses and failures of the current disability support and services system across the country.

With these stories in hand, we will work towards showing, using supplementary data, that this is not a minor problem but affects hundreds of thousands of Canadians.

The goal of our ‘Stories Project’ then, will be to illustrate the inadequacy of the current disability support system in Canada and establish the undeniable need for a new approach – a comprehensive approach only offered through the creation of a National Disability Insurance Plan.

In telling your story you may consider (but not be limited to) the following:

- What services and/or supports are needed that are not being met or addressed?
- What was your experience in trying to get needed services and supports?
- Are you on a waiting list or simply have not bothered to apply because you think it is too
onerous or futile?
- Do the services provided not meet need, but this is all you could get?
- Are service levels provided inconsistently: do you have to constantly re-apply, or would lose
services should you move?
- If you are a person with a disability and not earning income, would you be able to earn
income if you had needed supports?
- If you are a caregiver, to what degree are you prevented from working?
- What percentage of the day is spent looking after the essential needs of the person with the
disability?
- As a caregiver or family member, if there was sufficient funding, would you continue to be
the 'paid' caregiver if that was an option?
- Finally, and importantly, we would like the stories to suggest how your life would change if
there were sufficient and appropriate supports available.

You can find our privacy policy here.

For questions or general information about the Stories Project you can reach us by email: stories@everycanadiancounts.com

Every Canadian Counts partnered with Taking it Global, to provide youth (Aged 15-30) with disabilities on how they could receive grants to run events in their community.