Canada is one of the most prosperous and developed countries in the world. Still, local citizens face various issues with human rights and suffer from discrimination and underrepresentation. The present paper summarizes the article of Rodriguez (2021) dedicated to the problems of disabled Canadians. The paper analyzes which problems are faced by this group of people and discusses what could be done to improve the present situation.
One of the biggest social problems in Canada is the discrimination of people with disabilities. Apparently, official documents present all people as equal on the national level, but, in reality, disabled people do not feel that. For instance, in the article of Rodriguez (2021), co-founder of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO), Sarah Jama, says that the country lacks universal pharmacare, accessible housings and workplaces, and decent care for disabled people who became victims of natural disasters.
The major problem is that handicapped Canadians are forced to live in long-term care homes. Overall, such policies are not bad per se because, in such facilities, a person could immediately receive a help of a caregiver. However, relocation to care homes is troublesome for most disabled people because of the high costs of such facilities. Instead of this, activists suggest allowing disabled people who can take care of themselves and do not require specialized medical equipment to receive care at home (Rodriguez, 2021). Indeed, it is much cheaper and more convenient for handicapped people to live in places where they used to live.
Another reason for concern is the absence of a system of prescription drug coverage. In the perfect scenario, it is planned to provide all citizens and permanent residents of Canada with drug coverage (Rodriguez, 2021). Still, this plan requires years to be implemented, and the government should start to test this system on people with disabilities. According to Sarah Jama, the government does take this issue seriously because the Liberals have made little progress in implementing this plan (Rodriguez, 2021). In contrast, the Conservatives are not going to implement it at all (Rodriguez, 2021). The only thing the Conservatives intend to do is to persuade pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices (Rodriguez, 2021). Still, common sense suggests that such promises are merely superficial and perfunctory.
The last but not the least essential problem discussed in the given article is the safety of the space. The vice president of DesignABLE Environments INC, Thea Kurdi, states that the space has been made accessible for people using a wheelchair, but not for deaf, blind, and autistic people (Rodriguez, 2021). The ways to improve safety include the installation of braille materials for visually-impaired people and phone or video relay services for people with hearing concerns (Rodriguez, 2021). It is necessary to introduce these changes because otherwise, people with disabilities will keep on experiencing discrimination.
To conclude, even though the language of this article is neutral, it is still immensely assertive. This assertiveness is based on the quotation of experts who provide a clear and realistic overview of issues faced by handicapped people. The most striking fact outlined in this article is that the government does not worry much about the fate of disabled Canadians and does not hurry to respond to their problems. Instead, officials limit themselves to excuses and promise no matter how hard activists try to force them to do something worthwhile.
Reference
Rodriguez, J. (2021). Canadians with disabilities say they’re missing from the election discussion. CTV News. Web.