1. Poverty and Disability:
Looking inside a tie that really binds
Cameron Crawford
(Director of Research, IRIS)

2. Who are we talking about?
• People who say they have any difficulty hearing,
seeing, communicating, walking, climbing stairs,
bending, learning or doing any similar activities,
and/or
• People who say they have a physical condition,
mental condition or health problem that reduces
the amount or kind of activity they can do in any
of the following:
– At home
– At school or work
– In other activities (e.g., transportation, leisure)
2

3. Who are we talking about?
• People who said yes to any of those questions
on Statistics Canada’s Participation and
Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) of 2001 or
2006 are flagged as having a ‘disability’
– Includes people with an intellectual disability and
general learning difficulties (will show some
breakout data)
• Others are flagged as not having a disability
3

4. Who are we talking about?
• Working-age people (15 to 64 years)
– 2.4 million working-age people with
disabilities
– 18.7 million working-age people without
disabilities
• People whose household incomes fall
below the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO)
4

5. What’s the LICO?
• Basically, it’s where a household spends 20%
or more of its income than the average for
similar households for food, shelter and
clothing
• There is a before-tax and after-tax LICO
• I’m using the after-tax LICO because it takes
into account tax credits that can leave a little
more cash in people’s pockets
 People living on incomes below the LICO are
sometimes said to be living below the “poverty
line”
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6. Why only working-age people?
• The low income rates for seniors with and
without disabilities are very similar and are
generally lower than for working-age people
• There are large numbers of seniors with
disabilities
• To have included seniors would have
‘understated’ the extent of low income among
people with disabilities
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7. Why only working-age people?
After tax low income status of people with and without disabilities,
by 5-year age groups (S ource: PALS 2006)
Percent below the
25.0
after tax LICO
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
+
9
4
9
4
9
4
9
4
9
4
9
4
9
4
l
85
ta
-1
-2
-2
-3
-3
-4
-4
-5
-5
-6
-6
-7
-7
-8
To
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
Age group
No disab. W/ disab.
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8. Why only working-age?
Percent with and without disabilities liv ing below the "pov erty
line", including and not including seniors
2 5 .0%
2 0.5 %
2 0 .0%
1 4 .4 %
1 5 .0 %
9 .7 % 1 0.2 %
1 0.0 %
5 .0%
0 .0%
No disa b. W /disa b. No disa b. W /disa b.
In clu din g sen ior s Not in clu din g sen ior s
8

9. What’s the employment situation –
employment rates?
• Low levels of Em ploy m ent rates by disability
status, 2001 and 2006
employment for
people with an In t ell. 2 5 .5 %
Disability status
intellectual disability disa b. 2 7 .3 %
4 6 .5 %
A n y disa b.
4 3 .5 %
7 5 .5 %
No disa b.
7 3 .7 %
0 .0 % 2 0 .0 % 4 0 .0 % 6 0 .0 % 8 0 . 0%
% em ploy ed
2 001 2 006
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10. What’s the employment situation –
worked all year?
• Much lower Worked 49 – 52 weeks in 2005, by
disability status
likelihood of full-
time or part-time In t ell.
work for 49 to 52 1 3 .0 % 5 .0 %
Disability status
disa b.
weeks of the year A n y disa b. 2 8 .0 % 5 .9 %
for people with an
intellectual disability No disa b. 4 6 .0 % 6 .2 %
(18% vs. 33.9% and 0 .0 % 2 0 .0 % 4 0 .0 % 6 0 .0 %
% em ploy ed
52.2%)
W or ked fu ll-t im e W or ked pa r t -t im e
10

11. What’s the employment situation –
accommodations?
Need and unm et need for one or
• Quite widespread m ore job accom m odations, 2006
need and unmet
need for job
Disability status
In t ell. 2 0 .8 %
accommodations disa b. 3 1 .5 %
among people with
an intellectual A n y disa b.
1 3 .5 %
2 7 .1 %
disability
0 .0% 2 0 .0 % 4 0 .0%
Need job a ccom . Un m et n eed
11

12. What’s the employment situation –
earnings?
• Where working: Av erage and m edian
(m iddle v alue) earnings,
– People with any by disability status (2005)*
disability draw about In t ell. $1 3 ,6 9 3
70% of the earnings
Disability status
disa b. $1 8 ,0 4 7
of people without A n y disa b.
$1 8 ,5 2 1
$2 6 ,6 2 2
disabilities No disa b.
$2 7 ,4 9 6
$3 7 ,3 8 4
– People with an $0 $2 0,0 0 0 $4 0 ,0 0 0
intellectual disability * For people 15 years and older
draw about 50% A v er a g e Media n
12

13. What’s the total income situation?
• People with an Av erage and m edian
intellectual disability (m iddle v alue) total incom e,
by disability status (2005)*
have a total income from
all sources of about 40% In t ell. $1 0 ,4 1 5
Disability status
disa b. $1 5 ,2 4 7
of the total income of $1 9 ,1 9 9
A n y disa b.
people without $2 8 ,5 0 3
disabilities No disa b.
$2 7 ,4 9 6
$3 7 ,3 0 9
– About 40.9% of the average $0 $2 0 ,0 0 0 $4 0 ,0 0 0
and 37.9% of the median * For people 15 years and older
(middle value) A v er a g e Media n
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14. What about social assistance?
• People with an Received social assist ance, 2005
intellectual disability are
quite likely to be
In t ell.
attached to provincial
Disability status
4 5 .5 %
disa b.
social assistance systems
(45.5% vs. 17% of people A n y disa b. 1 7 .0 %
with any disability) 0 .0 % 2 0 .0 % 4 0 .0 % 6 0 .0 %
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15. How suitable is the housing?
• People with any form of Housing in need of m ajor repairs
learning difficulty are
more likely to be living in Any
places that require major 1 3 .2 %
Disability status
lea r n in g
repairs (e.g., structural, A n y disa b. 1 2 .1 %
wiring, plumbing) No disa b. 6 .6 %
0 .0 % 1 0 .0 % 2 0 .0 %
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16. What’s the poverty situation –in
general?
Pov erty rates by disability status,
• People with disabilities 2006
are twice as likely to be
living below the poverty In t ell.
line (20.5% vs. 10.2%) 2 6 .8 %
Disability status
disa b.
– 500,000 working-age A n y disa b. 2 0 .5 %
people with disabilities
are in low income No disa b. 1 0 .2 %
situations
0 .0 % 2 0 .0 % 4 0 .0 %
• People with an intellectual % below a ft er -t a x LICO
disability are almost three
times more likely (26.8%) In g en er a l
16

17. What’s the poverty situation –by
living arrangements?
• People with Pov erty rates by disability status and
disabilities living selected liv ing arrangem ents, 2006
alone or with 6 0.0 %
unrelated others are In t ell. disa b. 5 2 .7 %
7 3 .2 %
Disability status
most likely to be A n y disa b.
5 5 .0 %
6 1 .2 %
living below the 2 7 .4 %
5 3 .5 %
poverty line No disa b.
2 3 .3 %
3 6 .9 %
• People with an 0.0% 2 0 .0 % 4 0 .0 % 6 0 .0% 8 0 .0%
intellectual disability % below a ft er -t a x LICO
are particularly so A lon e
A lon e or w ith u n r ela ted
W ith on e or m or e u n r ela t ed
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18. What’s the poverty situation –by
housing tenure?
• People with Disability and low incom e by
housing tenure
disabilities living Ow n ed by
in rental housing
1 2 .6 %
som eon e in
1 0 .1 %
Housing tenure
the
5 .5 %
are much more
h ou seh old
5 1 .9 %
likely to be living Ren t ed
2 4 .7 %
4 4 .0 %
in poverty (44%) 0 .0 % 2 0 .0 % 4 0 .0 % 6 0 .0 %
% bel ow a ft er -t a x LICO
No disa b. A n y disa b. Lea r n in g diffic.
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19. What do we know more generally
about poverty and disability?

20. Low income, disability and visible
minority status
• Visible minority Low incom e, disability and v isible
m inority status
status rather than
disability seems to No disa bilit y 1 0 .2 %
Disability status
be key to whether No disa bilit y , v isible
m in or it y
2 2 .3 %
people live in A n y disa bilit y 2 0 .5 %
poverty A n y disa bilit y , v isible
m in or it y
2 1 .8 %
0 .0 % 1 0 .0 % 2 0 .0 % 3 0 .0 %
% below a ft er -t a x LICO
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21. Low income, disability and
Aboriginal person status
• Aboriginal persons Low incom e, disability and
with disabilities are Aboriginal Person status
quite likely to have
No dis a bility 1 0.2 %
low incomes (38.1%)
Disability status
No dis a bility, Abo rigina l pe rs o n 1 9 .5 %
Any dis a bility 2 0 .5 %
Any dis a bility, Abo rigina l pe rs o n 3 8 .1 %
0 .0 % 2 0 .0 % 4 0 .0 %
% below a ft er -t a x LICO
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22. Low income, disability and gender
• Disability rather Low incom e, disability and gender
than gender seems
to be a stronger No disa bilit y , m en 9 .3 %
Disability status
predictor of low No disa bilit y , w om en 1 1 .1 %
income A n y disa bilit y , m en 1 9 .6 %
A n y disa bilit y , w om en 2 1 .3 %
0 .0 % 2 0 .0 % 4 0 .0 %
% below a ft er -t a x LICO
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23. Low income, disability and level of
education
• Level of education is a Low income, disability and level of
education
strong predictor of low
income 0.0%
% below after-tax LICO
1 0.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0%
• As education level 14.2%
Less than high school 28.7%
increases, the likelihood 31.0%
of living in poverty High school
11.1%
20.2%
29.0%
decreases Trades certificate or diploma
9.2%
17.8%
25.5%
 However, this is less 8.3%
College 17.0%
clearly the case 27.8%
where people have University
8.2%
12.4%
19.9%
learning difficulties No disab. Any disab. Any learning diffic.
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24. Low income and degree of disability
• As the severity of Percet below the after-tax LICO,
by degree of disability
disability increases,
so does the V er y sev er e 3 0 .7 %
likelihood of living
Degree of disability
Sev er e 2 5 .5 %
in poverty
Moder a te 1 8 .3 %
Mild 1 4 .5 %
0.0% 1 0.0% 2 0 .0 % 3 0.0% 4 0 .0 %
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25. Low income and general health
Disability and low incom e by
• Generally, as their general health
level of general
health gets poorer, Fa ir or poor 2 7 .8 %
there is increased
General health
Good 1 2 .2 %
likelihood that
people with Ex cellen t or
v er y g ood
1 3 .3 %
disabilities will live
0 .0 % 1 0 .0 % 2 0 .0 % 3 0 .0 %
in poverty % bel ow t h e a ft er -t a x LICO
25

26. Low income and help needed with
everyday activities
• The likelihood of Low income and help needed with
living in poverty everyday activities
increases as the gap 0.0%
% below after-tax LICO
20.0% 40.0%
widens between help Neither receive nor need
needed and help help
1 6.8%
received with Receive all the help needed 1 8.5%
everyday activities Receive only some of the
24.8%
help needed
Receive none of the help
35.8%
needed
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27. Low income and type of community
• People with and Low income, disability and type of
community
without disabilities
are more likely to be 0.0%
% below after-tax LICO
10.0% 20.0% 30.0%
living in poverty if in
urban communities Rural
5.6%
1 1 .4%
(cities, towns) than
rural (e.g., farming) 1 1 .3%
Urban
communities 22.9%
No disab. Any disab.
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28. Low income and all-year
employment
• People with and Low income, disability and all-year
employment
without disabilities
are less likely to be 0.0%
% below after-tax LICO
5.0% 1 0.0% 1 5.0% 20.0% 25.0%
living in poverty if 4 .0 %
employed all year 49-52 weeks FT
5 .8 %
9 .4 %
49-52 weeks PT
1 5 .8 %
1 0 .2 %
Total
2 0.5 %
No disab. Any disab.
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29. How many people with disabilities are at
heightened risk of living in poverty?
• Have less than high • Say they are in fair to
school graduation, or poor health, or
• Need more help than • Are not working, or
they receive, or • Last worked more
• Have a severe to very than a year ago or
severe level of never worked, or
disability, or • Live alone or with
unrelated others
• Most working-age people with disabilities (82.7%
or 2 million) meet at least one of these criteria
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30. How many people with disabilities are at
REALLY heightened risk of living in
poverty?
• Have less than high • Say they are in fair to
school graduation, poor health) and
and • (Are not working, or
• Need more help than • Last worked more
they receive, and than a year ago or
• (Have a severe to very never worked) and
severe level of • Live alone or with
disability or unrelated others
• 45,ooo people with disabilities (1.8%) meet all
of these criteria and so are at very high risk
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31. Heightened and very high risks of
poverty
• Poverty rate among • Poverty rate among
heightened risk very high risk group
group with with disabilities:
disabilities:
• 23.9% vs. 20.5% • 89.1% vs. 20.5%
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32. Finding a sizeable middle ground
• How many people with disabilities fall
somewhere between these extremes?
• Who are these people?
• Where would it be best to target policy and
program efforts to ensure good returns for the
public investment to help people with
disabilities avoid and get out of poverty?
• Stay tuned for more!
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33. IRIS – Institute for Research &
Development on Inclusion & Society
• Began in 1969 – as National Institute on Mental
Retardation – human resources training, service
development and program evaluation based on
‘Principles of Normalization’
• 1986 – The Roeher Institute – Policy research,
information & training – cross-disability
• 2008 – IRIS – focus on research and social
development to advance inclusion – links
between disability, gender, ethno-racial-cultural
status
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