Advocacy groups and Ontario's election

In theory the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) should ensure accessibility remains a top priority in this province. Yet with little attention paid to disability and access issues throughout the election campaign, it appears the parties, and their leaders, are not getting the message.

The conservative party has refused to even commit to making Ontario fully accessible. They have also failed to agree not cut within those areas disabled Ontarians have made gains. Although this certainly speaks to the priorities, or lack thereof of the conservative party, these frustrating realities also speaks to how marginal the needs of disabled and poor in Ontario have become.

To be certain the focus on "working families" throughout this election campaign has all but excluded the needs of the poor and those falling through the cracks in this province. Indeed, advocacy groups have struggled to have their voices heard during this election campaign. While the above article theorizes why this may be (including political disengagement and the deficit), there is an urgent need to address these issues. Some of the efforts of advocacy groups throughout this election campaign are listed towards the end of this article. ARCH disability law Centre has also outlined some important election issues in their most recent ARCH Alert. Finally, the ODSP Coalition has compiled the following document outlining party responses to specific inquiries around issues related to poverty and ODSP. The lack of commitment from both the Liberals and Conservatives on some of the most pressing issues for ODSP recipients is discouraging.

While the election itself may have ignored these issues, what is certain is that this will not stop the work of advocates and the groups that represent them from continuing to push forward and demand a more equitable Ontario for all.