Women with Disabilities Discuss Employment and Income Priorities

Cape Breton women with disabilities will be talking about what must happen in Nova Scotia for them to become self-sufficient and to feel like equal members of their communities Friday, Nov. 3.

The Advisory Council on the Status of Women and eight other partners are hosting a round table on women with disabilities and, with input from the women, will recommend changes that could improve the lives of women in the province. They are meeting in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality Civic Centre, in Sydney. This is the second of three events to establish priorities and plan action items to improve the economic well-being of women with disabilities.

"Women with disabilities need to have equal opportunities for employment and not be disadvantaged because of their disability," said Carolyn Bolivar-Getson, Minister responsible for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

Less than half of women with disabilities in the province are in the paid labour force.

"Women with disabilities want to work, learn new skills and achieve their full potential just like everyone else," said Patricia LeBlanc, a member of the Advisory Council on the Status of Women and a Sydney resident. "This round table is going to be a great opportunity to examine the barriers and come up with some new strategies."

The 1993 Task Force on the Economic Integration of Women with Disabilities in Nova Scotia consulted with women with disabilities on their experience with education and training, employment and unemployment, as well as their income and income supports.

The advisory council is following up on the progress made on the task force's 27 recommendations to federal and provincial government departments and agencies.

"The Disabled Persons Commission was involved with the original task force in 1993," said Anne MacRae, executive director of the Disabled Persons Commission and keynote speaker at the event. "While we have made some progress over the past 13 years, it is always important to look back and reflect on where we have been in order to determine where we need to go."

Women with disabilities face greater barriers to education and employment, including accessible transportation, stereotyping and negative attitudes from employers, and balancing work and family responsibilities. Since they are more likely to live alone, being employed is crucial for them to have an income that allows them to live independently.

The Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women is working with Cape Breton County Economic Development Authority, Cape Breton Regional Municipality Human Rights Affirmative Action Committee, Community Involvement of the Disabled, EmployAbility Partnership, Inverness-Richmond Society for Persons with Disabilities, Nova Scotia Disabled Persons Commission, Nova Scotia League for Equal Opportunity, and the Society for the Improvement of Accessible Transportation.

Information gained at the forum will be compiled with information gathered at the first session in Amherst, and the third and will be presented with recommendations for government in the spring 2007.