Consent and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (2022-2023)
Guide Dog Access Barriers in Canada (2022-2023)
Accessible and Inclusive Procurement and Supply Chain Model (2021-2024)
International levels of employment study (2018)
Educational Outcomes Survey (2019)
Guide dog advocacy priorities study (2019)
Cost of Vision Loss in Canada Update (2019)
Money habits survey (2018) (Funded by Bank of Canada)
Consent and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (2022-2023)
Project Overview
To consent or not consent is a question that has perplexed individuals with disabilities for some time. There is much information about privacy and data protection in the media. The project aims to explore the experiences of individuals with disabilities relating to consent and privacy. The goal of the project is to draft a list of best practices and recommendations to improve privacy protection and the garnering of consent for individuals with disabilities, whether it be at the grocery store or in a bank. An environmental scan of the literature in the area was completed. Co-design sessions and interviews using the Delphi method were undertaken. Recommendations were developed to help privacy professionals shape their approach to ensure privacy protection for people with disabilities is front of mind in strategic planning and policy development. The following themes were highlighted using qualitative research methods, safety, authentication and verification, accessibility, plain language and self-determination. These themes provided the impetus to craft the recommendations contained within the report. It is hoped that the recommendations will lead to a systematic change in the way privacy is considered and protected for individuals who experience sight loss and people with disabilities as a whole.
Introduction
This project began in mid-September 2022 and is set for completion at the end of March 2023. The project explores the intersectionality of privacy and consent with the IDEA principles. The practical focus is on improving the methods by which consent is obtained and privacy is protected for people with disabilities, particularly those with sight loss.
Project Overview
- Conduct a literature review around conceptualizations of consent and privacy through the lens of intersecting identities.
- Carry out a sequence of stakeholder meetings and focus groups with experts in privacy and consent who have special interests in intersectionality (a Delphi method approach).
- Carry out stakeholder consultations with other community groups or organizations that represent and/or serve people with different identities, geographies, or abilities (a co-design approach).
- Carry out focus groups of CNIB’s clients, persons who are blind or partially sighted in Canada (also a co-design approach).
- Synthesise research findings from the Delphi method, co-design sessions, and literature review.
- Create a series of recommendations for implementation and dissemination to privacy professionals and the broader community of stakeholders.
- Develop a framework of recommendations for the integration of IDEA principles within CNIB’s risk management framework. In developing this framework, the anticipated outcome is the development of best practices that can be integrated into this framework.
Guide Dog Access Barriers in Canada (2022-2023)
Between March 2022 and March 2023 the CNIB Research Team undertook a study on guide dog access barriers in Canada. This study took the form of a jurisdictional scan, co-design sessions, focus groups, the formation of a 15-member Advisory committee of guide dog handlers, as well as surveys of guide dog users and the Canadian public. During the guide dog handler’s Survey respondents were asked to record their experiences with respect to accessing 12 different public spaces. 52.9% of them said that they had experienced access issues with their guide dogs. 86.6% said that they had experienced these barriers within the last 5 years, while for 13.4% of respondents the barriers had occurred more than 5 years ago. Out of the 12 public areas where access barriers had occurred, the Top 3 most impactful locations were transportation providers at 13.4%, restaurants at 9.4%, and health care services at 9.1%
As a result of this work, 23 recommendations were formulated, targeting both the governmental and private sector levels. These included asking federal standards setting organizations to ensure that they keep their “hands off our harnesses” whenever standard-setting exercises which impact guide dogs are undertaken. They asked that federal organizations such as Accessibility Standards Canada play a leadership role in resolving guide dog barriers. They called for reduced reliance on certification and identification as a way of proving the legitimacy of a working guide dog. They also recommended that inequities be eliminated for individuals who train their own guide dogs. These recommendations challenged the Canadian Human Rights Commission to lead human rights agencies across the country in exploring ways of improving the inefficiency of the current human rights process. They requested that the Canadian Transportation Agency as well as taxi and ride-share businesses step up to improve public access for guide dogs. The recommendations asked for higher penalties and more training of local police forces, while proposing that a national public education campaign on guide dog issues be undertaken, including core curriculum at all levels of the education system from primary to post-secondary programs. Finally, they asked that Canada implement the same kind of “white cane” driving laws which exist in the United States to protect pedestrians travelling with white canes and guide dogs.
Accessible and Inclusive Procurement and Supply Chain Model (2021-2024)
Project Overview
As Diversity, Equity and Inclusion become a key priority, a foundational element of accessibility is often glossed over and essential for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in society. The products and services we purchase as an organization have a direct impact on the overall participation of the stakeholders. Considering the accessibility of new products and service and supply chain diversity, whether by the public, private, not-for-profit and small and medium enterprise, while procuring them, has the potential to drive and improve participation of persons with disabilities not only in employment and community, but also help in their economic inclusion.
Project Goals
- To understand current accessible and inclusive procurement and supply chain diversity models practiced by organizations in Canada.
- To identify gold standard practices, policies, and procedures within the Canadian public and private sectors
- To build evidence and provide recommendations for the development of standards in accessible procurement
Major Accomplishments
- Completed the Literature Review and Environmental Scan of standards, policies, and legislations on international and national level.
- CNIB and some of our collaborators conducted Key informant interviews with procurement professionals' vendors/entrepreneurs with disabilities.
- Conducted Value-stream mapping exerciseswith Federal stakeholders to build evidence and provide recommendations for the development of standards in accessible procurement
- Ran a Co-design session with vendors/entrepreneurs with disabilities.
- Developed an industry survey for different stakeholders involved in procurement process
Results
The findings from the research have enabled the CNIB research team to develop recommendations aimed at standardizing accessible procurement practices across Canada. These recommendations will support the development of robust accessibility standards that ensure inclusive procurement processes, ultimately fostering an environment where individuals with disabilities can thrive professionally.
International levels of employment study (2018)
Our goal was to understand the nature of employment of persons with sight loss, as well as barriers and reasons for not participating in the labour force.
The international levels of employment study closed Canada-wide on May 7, 2018, with 1,205 survey responses (825 online, 370 by phone).
Findings from Canadian data
Employment rate: Two in five people with sight loss surveyed are employed; 3 in 10 are employed full-time. Younger people are more likely to be employed than older people and people with mild/moderate sight loss are more likely to be employed than those with severe/total sight loss. Use of braille and screen-reader usage is not associated with success in employment.
Self-employment: Older persons with sight loss are more likely to be self-employed. There is a significant segment of the population interested in self-employment as a potential career route.
Barriers to employment: Attitudes and transportation are significant barriers to being hired and promoted in the workplace for persons with sight loss.
Unemployment rate and reasons for not looking for work: The unemployment rate for persons with sight loss is 14.5% – triple the Canadian general unemployment rate. Older persons with sight loss are more likely to be out of the labour force.
Educational Outcomes Survey (2019)
Our goal was to understand the educational experiences of 18-21 year olds who experience sight loss.
High School Graduation Rates
The overall HS graduation rate of youth blind or partially sighted, 18-21 years of age, is 75%.
For youth who experience blindness or partial sight only (64% of the survey respondent population), the HS graduation rate is 88%.
For youth who experience blindness or partial sight in addition to other disabilities (36% of the survey respondent population), the HS graduation rate is 58%.
Of all high school graduates, 87.5% graduated with a high school diploma; 12.5% graduated with a certificate of completion or a GED.
76% of high school graduates reported completing high school at 18 years of age or younger; 24% reported finishing high school older than 19 years of age.
Planned Postsecondary Education
79% of respondents indicated that they planned to proceed to postsecondary education.
Of this cohort, 49% planned to attend university, 38% community college, 7% trade school and 6% private career college.
Only 62% of high school graduates were already enrolled in postsecondary education, representing 37% of those with postsecondary enrolment plans.
An addition 44% of those with plans to attend postsecondary would enroll in the next two academic years (2019 or 2020 entry); the remaining 19% of individuals planned to attend in the next 3-5 years.
Braille Use
26% of respondents indicated they used Braille.
Of those who used Braille, 34% read for pleasure, 24% used for labeling, 21% read for school/work, 10% for note taking, and 10% did not use Braille in any of these contexts.
Only 15% of students reported receiving assistance for educational specialists for Braille instruction, and 14% for Braille transcription.
Guide dog advocacy priorities study (2019)
In collaboration with CNIB Guide Dogs, the department conducted a series of focus groups to understand the advocacy challenges, barriers and opportunities that guide dog teams graduating from the program will face in the Canadian landscape.
Key Findings
- 45.3% respondents were guide dog handlers for less than 10 years and 54.7% were for ten or more years.
- Most respondents (33.3%) are between ages 51 – 63.
- Technology such as apps was used frequently by guide dog users – 96% of respondents used smartphones.
- Guide dog handlers frequently found access issues in shopping centre and avoided them.
- Guide dog handers avoided going to hotels and found that this impacted on daily life.
- Most guide dog handlers have been employed in their lifetime.
- Guide dog handlers had a current employment rate of 55% compared to white cane users who had a current employment rate of 36%.
Cost of Vision Loss in Canada Update (2019)
This is an updated study that was based on the original Cost of Vision Loss 2008 study conducted by Deloitte Access Economics, commissioned by CNIB and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society.
The total financial cost of vision loss in 2017 was $23.5 billion, consisting of a total of $10.8 billion direct costs and $12.7 billion indirect costs. The financial cost of vision loss is variable by province. The provinces that had the highest direct costs were Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia.
Money habits survey (2018) (Funded by Bank of Canada)
This study examined the use of bank note readers, shopping habits, financial literacy and attitudes toward money of blind and partially sighted Canadians.
The money habits study closed in April 2018, with 188 responses collected over the phone in French and English.
Denomination methods
- 83% of the sample use the large numeral feature, denomination (colour), and the tactile feature as their primary method determining the face value of bank notes.
- Only 14% of smartphone users have installed an app to determine the value of currency. The main ones are Seeing AI and TapTapSee.
Bank note reader
- One in five own a bank-note reader.
- 44% of bank note reader owners were 65-plus.
- Of these owners, 9 in 10 use their reader only sparingly and mainly at home.
- Owners of bank-note readers use tactile feature, the bank note reader and third-party verification as the main ways of determining face value.
Smartphones
- Almost 3 in 4 own a smartphone.
- Those under 55 are much more likely to have a smartphone or tablet than those 55 and older.
Financial activity and literacy
- Two-thirds of households have a budget, and 9 in 10 say they have a reliable and regular income.
- The median household income was $50,000. The Canadian median household income is $70,366.
- About one in four have experienced income shortfalls in the past 12 months. While four in 10 claim they can cover living expenses for 12 months, three in 10 could only cover three months or less.
- Most have a careful and conservative approach to finances.
- Half achieved “financially literate” and half achieved “moderately literate” on the financial literacy test.
Shopping behavior and payment method
- In the past 12 months, 40% of shopping payments were made in cash, in comparison to 33% in the Canadian population. Most of the sample used cash, credit and debit as the main ways to pay.
- Most withdraw cash once a month, or more often.
- Most shop at brick-and-mortar stores. Online shopping accounts for 16% of past 12-month shopping
- Smartphone users also shop online (20% of their shopping volume is done online), more than those who do not own a smartphone (7% of their shopping volume is done online).