There are a great number of problems and challenges that would qualify a person for the Canadian Revenue Agency’s Disability Tax Credit (DTC) but many are unknown to the general public. One of those is a problem that many people are totally unaware that they even suffer from. It manifests …
Disability Tax Credit
Famous People with Disabilities & there Quotes
Disability is a term that is used to describe the weakness of an individual based on their physical or mental health. Disability among individuals can occur either at birth, caused by a mischance, or created after some time. Table of Contents Individuals suffering from Disabilities Top 16 …
Blindness is not a Barrier
According to the recent survey carried out by World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 285 million visually impaired people worldwide: 39 million are blind and 246 have low vision. In addition, researchers suggest that the number of blind people across the world is set to triple within …
Top 7 Technologies to help People with Disability
Technology and new ‘devices’ are all the rage in the modern world. Everyone seems to want to discuss their latest ‘toys’ they use both in the workplace and at home. Here are some new technological break-throughs designed to make life easier for people with disability. Top 7 Technologies to help …
Top 9 Mobile apps to help People with Disability
Introduction Today there are mobile apps for practically everything and everyone. New apps are being developed all the time with people who have a disability. These highly specific apps are designed to make life easier, more fulfilling beyond just financial assistance through disability tax credit, …
Aging with a Disability
ADVANCEMENTS ARE IMPROVING LIVES Due to advancements in many areas of our lives, aging with a disability may not be as difficult or challenging as it was in previous times. Science, medicine, technology, and civil rights have all combined to provide people with disabilities a more equitable place …
Part 3: Gender and Disability | Men with Disabilities
Men with disabilities have long faced a plethora of issues with respect to body image, relationships, sexuality, employment and financial stability. Even in an age when women are fully present in the workforce (although still earning less money on the dollar than men), men continue to cope with the …
Part 2: Gender and Disability | Disabled and Queer
Disabled and Queer In the second part of this series, the focus is on the intersectionality between ‘being Queer and having a disability’. The following quote is from Bob Guter, editor of Bent: A Journal of CripGay Voices. As we pursue love and work and physical autonomy while being ignored by our …
Part 1: Gender and Disability | Women and disability
As a woman with a disability I am, of course, interested in the intersection of gender, politics and disability. In this 3-part series, the following topics will be explored: Women and disability Pride and disability – The LGBTQ community of people with disabilities Men and …
Part 2: Alternative Treatments and Disability
In Part 1 of this series, we explored the concepts of alternative medicine and disability. In this part of this 3-part series, we explore alternative treatments. Some of the more well-known of these treatments include the following: Acupuncture - Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that a …
Alternative Medicine and Disability
In this 3-part series we will explore the ways in which alternative treatments and alternative medicine might be helpful for people with disabilities. The 3-part series will unfold as follows: Part 1: Alternative Medicine & Disability Part 2: Alternative Treatments & Disability Part …
Disability and Fashion: A complete look
During New York’s Fashion Week in 2015, FTL MODA had models with disabilities go down their runway. FTL MODA had partnered with Fondazione Vertical, an Italian non-profit organization that financially supports spinal cord research, and their runway consisted of models in wheelchairs, amputees and …
Navigating Through Life as a Millennial with a Disability
So, I am a Millennial living with a disability. I often think about how my life is different from a person with disabilities in my grandparents’ (Silent) and my parents’ (Baby Boomer) generations. The Silent Generation were focused on their careers due to the critical need of living through and …
Schizophrenia in Pop Culture: Phobia, Paranoia and Psychosis
Asylums, prisons and backwater towns all make great television. They show case the odd, the inhuman and the supernatural, compelling viewers to tune in week after week. Aside from plot twists and dark humour, usually one character captivates the audience and quickly gains status as the fan …
Disabled Prisoners in Canada and Fare For Their Proper Cure
One of the topics that is rarely discussed either among activists, or anyone for that matter, is that of people with disabilities who must serve time. Prison time is challenging enough without adding the pressure of having to cope with one’s disability. The individual may have relied on various …
Creating a family plan can empower dementia caretakers
Five years ago, I was unexpectedly thrown into the role of part-time caretaker when my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It was a daily anguish that was very difficult to come to terms with and is, of course, still a struggle. Loving a parent with dementia has been an adjustment, to say the …
Living with an Invisible Disability
Dr. Ralph Jones, a Chilliwack-based doctor has penned an important article on living life with an invisible disability. Living life with a disability can often be a challenge, but a person whose disabilities are not necessarily obvious face additional barriers; the fact that people do not …
Accessible Home: Creating a Home for Barrier Free Living
Purchasing, building, or renovating your home to fit your needs and eliminate barriers can be a big investment. The Canadian Government has implemented many programs and services that will assist in the process of buying; renovating or adapting your home to best fit your needs. Creating a house that …
Abuse of People with Disabilities
One of the enduring challenges faced by people with disabilities is that of abuse. Many people with disabilities face the specter of several forms of abuse: Physical - abuse that can range from hitting and pinching to forcing someone to eat faster than they are able. Sexual - abuse such as …
A Reliable Guide to Plan Vacation with Accessible Transit
With the winter weather right around the corner many people want to plan a trip to somewhere warm and sunny. Everyone has a bucket list of places they would like to visit in their lifetime. Planning a vacation can be difficult and time consuming for abled-bodied individuals but it takes a bit more …
Healthcare Accessibility for People with a Disability
Canadians take it for granted that we have a system of universal health care. Even though the system has become somewhat eroded in recent years, for the most part, Canadians have access to world class medical care. For the most part. People with disabilities experience a different world of health …
Ableism: Will it ever go away?
Ableism is one of the most persistent aspects of modern society, irrespective of progressive laws such as the ADA in the U.S., the Equality Act in the U.K., and the AODA in Ontario, Canada, and in many other countries. “Ableism” is a belief system, analogous to racism, sexism, or ageism, that sees …
Cut and Loss: When Disability Strikes
Amputation does not judge based on age, health or the circumstances of one’s birth. It could happen to anyone with incredible swiftness and devastation. From thighs to knuckle bones, amputation is disabling and all-encompassing, inflicting physical trauma, psychological stress and social …
Alternative Therapies or Medicines Options Worth Thinking About
Over the past several years, research has shown that more and more Canadians with disabilities are using alternative medicines or therapies to treat or manage illnesses and to promote healthy living. There are many different therapies and health care approaches that fall under the category of …
Accessible Transit – A Daily Struggle with Accessibility Issues on the TTC.
Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, I was involved with an outspoken group of social activists advocating for an overhaul of our transportation system. The TTC I know today, and the system that existed then are entirely different. Today, there are low floor buses, elevators in subways, brailled …
The challenges and successes of media representation of Disability
Media representations of disability have been fought with challenges and successes. For years, we were the token cripple, the person to be pitied, or a deformed person to be fearful of, or even a secondary character who was somehow to be viewed as comic relief. In more recent times, there have been …
Marvel Comics and Disability
Doctor Strange tops the Box Office charts for its second week of release making a gross of $153 million dollars so far. This may not be a surprise to many. It is the most recent film in the highly successful Marvel Comics film franchise and has a cast that includes several A-list celebrities, such …
Disability and Sexuality: Finally Talking about Sex
As any person who has ever browsed in the magazine section of a store knows, there is a proliferation of publications devoted to enticing people with respect to attracting a partner, looking fabulous, and feeling sexy. However, I doubt even one of these magazines features a cover, or even …
Accessible Transits Making Disable People More Independent
Millions of Canadians rely on public transportation everyday. Governments are actively promoting using public transit as one of the ways Canadians can do to reduce our carbon footprint. The lack of accessible transit creates barriers for people with disabilities who rely on public transit to get to …
Canadians are struggling to access medical marijuana
Medical marijuana patient registrations keep climbing, but under the new Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR), the plant-based medicine remains all too inaccessible. There are compounding reasons for patient’s difficulty accessing the medicinal herb. Despite the increasing …
Does Canada Need a Canadians with Disabilities Act?
Canada likes to think of itself as being on the forefront of social issues. It was the country that pioneered multiculturalism as a policy in the 1970s, the late Lester B. Pearson was a formidable figure in the develop of the U.N., and Canada passed a same-sex marriage law with the enactment of …
Defining Infertility and Singlehood as a Disability
What do you see when you think of the word “disability”? Many people think of the International Symbol of Access - a white stick figure sitting in a wheelchair on a blue background. The International Symbol of Access can be found on many spaces and services for people living with disabilities. For …
The misrepresentation of people with disabilities by the media
“Stanger Things”, the Netflix-original science fiction thriller, captivated audiences throughout the summer. Dubbed as one of the hottest shows of 2016, the supernatural plot, heavy dialogue and lovable cast quickly garnered an impressive international fandom. Such sudden and unprecedented exposure …
Disability and Poverty in Canada: A Persistent Challenge
According to a Statistics Canada report in 2012, there are 3.8 million people with a disability in Canada, or 13.7% of the national population. “The data also shows that chronic poverty is an everyday reality for people on disabilities and highlights the need for more attention to poverty reduction …
The Side of Sensory Disabilities Most People Are Not Aware of.
Some of the most known sensory disabilities, such as blindness and deafness*, are the result of sensory impairments. But not all of them. There is a growing awareness of sensory disabilities in the other direction: hypersensitivity. People with these disabilities experience sensory overload which …
Canadian migraineurs not collecting Disability Tax Credit they are eligible for.
There are over four million people suffering from migraines in Canada — and roughly half of them don’t seek treatment from their doctor. Since the only way to apply for the Disability Tax Credit is to have a Disability Tax Credit Certificate completed by your doctor, there’s no way these two million …
Disability and Unemployment-The Viscous Cycle Must be Broken.
A few months ago I attended a job workshop at a highly regarded career centre. Their reputation for easing unemployment amongst their clients was impressive to say the least. They had it all: up-to-date resources, access to technology, business networks and a dedicated team. The program leader …
Does being labeled ‘Disabled’ accurately reflect the person’s reality?
Since I was first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and first heard myself referred to as “disabled”, I have never liked the word. That is not to say that I am ashamed of my chronic pain disorder, not in the least, or that I am ashamed to be considered a member of this group of individuals. I simply feel …
Path to Higher Education For People With Learning Disabilities
People diagnosed with invisible disability such as ADHD, dyslexia, and any other type of learning disability are finding it difficult to pass through the education system like the general population. This is mainly due to the high cost as well as the lack of preparation going into college and …
Is miscarriage considered a disability?
The province of Ontario usually has very strict rules when determining if you can be considered as disabled or not (Please read our guide on disability tax credit in Ontario). One question that was up for debate for a really long period of time is whether a miscarriage in women considered as a …
Why disabled Canadian’s find it hard to get employed
Many disabled Canadian’s today are finding it hard to get employment. This is despite the fact that many have good qualifications and are perfectly capable of doing the job. It makes it harder for disabled Canadian’s to pursue a career of their choice and mostly have to settle for jobs that they …
How people suffering from Invisible Disability are subject to wrong judgment and discrimination
When people hear the word ‘disability’, they typically create the image of a person in a wheelchair in their mind. However, what many people are unaware of is the fact that disability doesn’t have to visible. There are millions of disabled people around the world who show no signs of disability on …
People With Disabilities in Routine Are More Than Just Disable
The most common mistake we all commit when we meet a person with a disability is making the assumption that their life revolves around having a disability and all other activities have to adjust accordingly. We often end up asking ‘so how do you this and that?’, ‘how’s it like moving around with …
Ontario Cares: Assistance Beyond the Ontario Disability Tax Credit
There are many ways for people with disabilities to receive assistance from the provincial or national government, including the Disability Tax Credit (DTC). Some of these, (like the DTC), are well known and subscribed to while others passed into law without much fanfare and have remained relatively …
Disability Tax Credit Versus CPP Disability Benefits
It’s not uncommon for people exploring disability benefits to confuse the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) disability benefits plan with the federal Disability Tax Credit (DTC) but they are two entirely separate entities. The question we always find ourselves asking or being asked is, "Which one should I …
Compound of CPP Disability and Long Term Disability Benefits
The Canada Pension Plan or CPP long term disability benefits program is Canada’s biggest long-term disability insurance program. It’s intended to provide financial assistance to those who have contributed to the CPP fund during their working lives but are now unable to work due to severe and …
Common Questions About Disability Tax Credit for Spinal Stenosis
The spinal column is used for more than just keeping the body upright. All neurological activity from the brain to the body below the head is carried through the spinal cord within the spinal canal. Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal which results in a pinching of the spinal cord. …
Disability Tax Credit for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a condition that may end up severely affecting one's way of life, ability to perform daily tasks and maintain gainful employment, especially one that may be physically demanding. This post is designed to help explain how a Disability Tax Credit for Rheumatoid Arthritis can …
Disability Tax Credit for Prolonged Pain That Affects Work
Chronic pain affects millions of Canadians and costs the national economy billions of dollars a year. Contrary to popular belief, chronic pain is not something you can simply ignore until it passes. Nor is it something that will be alleviated by “being a man” or “toughing it out.” It’s a …
Disability Tax Credit: Affecting Lives of Ulcerative Colitis Diagnosed
Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a debilitating chronic autoimmune disease. With UC, the lining of the large intestine becomes inflamed when a person’s immune system mistakenly identifies materials normally found there as being foreign bodies and attacks. Over time the walls of the intestine succumb to …
Living ASD With Help From the Disability Tax Credit
About half of the people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are diagnosed before they reach 5 years old. Some 20% are diagnosed before they reach the age of 2. Of the remaining 50% most are diagnosed before they reach the age of 10. So it’s rare for an adult to receive a diagnosis of ASD. But it …
MS Patients Need More Associates Like Disability Tax Credit
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a devastating condition wherein a person’s own immune system turns on them and begins attacking the protective coating around their nerves. This breakdown in the nerve’s protective system coupled with the subsequent development of scar tissue around the nerve leads to …
Disability Tax Credit for People Fighting ADHD Stigma
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a baffling developmental disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. If there can be such a thing as a “controversial” health condition, this is it, although the controversy comes almost exclusively from people who spend their time denying …
Disability Tax Credit a Relief for People With ADHD and Autism
Autism and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) have long been considered separate conditions because the former primarily affects the way children develop socially while the latter primarily affects the way children develop mentally. Recent studies, however, have cast a cloud of doubt …
Proper Diagnosis and The Disability Tax Credit: Key Weapons in the Fight Against Adult ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a vexing, often misunderstood and apparently (according to recent studies) far more common condition than anyone imagined just a few years ago. In recognition of Mental Illness Awareness Week huffingtonpost.com has posted an article by psychiatrist …
Protected: Case Profile Summary
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Disability Tax Credit-Support People With Mental Health Problems
Mental health issues in the workplace are a serious and vexing problem. No one wants to deny someone the ability to make a living and have some purpose to their life. At the same time employers have a right to expect the best from their employees, and workers afflicted with mental health issues are …
Disability Tax Credit an ideal Fiscal shield for MS Patients
A new Belgian study is raising hopes that there may finally be a way to offset some of the worst effects of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) by introducing sufferers early on to an intense cardio exercise regime. The findings, while preliminary, nonetheless represent one of the most promising therapeutic …
Down Syndrome and the Disability Tax Credit
October was Down Syndrome Awareness Month and in recognition of all the amazing human beings with Down syndrome huffingtonpost.com has an article composed of photos sent in by parents of their kids with the disorder. It’s a touching, eye-opening expose that demystifies Down syndrome and seeks to …
Disability Tax Credit Bridges the Financial Gap Caused by Depression
A new article on the examiner.com website casts a light on a growing problem: depression in the workplace. More than half of workers with depression do not recognized [sic] that they need treatment, say researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada. They say …
Disability Tax Credit Fills Vital Need for Those With ASD
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been baffling parents and researchers the world over for decades. No one is yet sure exactly what causes autism although it is believed to result from either genetic or environmental factors, or perhaps some combination of both. Regardless of the cause, one of …
Disability Tax Credit an Asset for Families of Disabled Students
The first days of university life are some of the most exciting and stressful any young person will endure. Many are away from home for the first time in their lives, surrounded by strangers and faced with the stress of having to perform academically as well. It’s confusing, exhausting and …
Disability Tax Credit for Kids Poorly Served by Special Education
In spite of the fact that our society has made incredible leaps and bounds in our technological knowhow and that decades of research have opened up the once hidden corners of the brain we still often seem stymied when it comes to teaching kids with learning disabilities. Why haven’t advances in …
Disability Tax Credit Helping People Battling Depression
Figures for the year 2012 indicate that mental illness is costing the Canadian economy more than $12 billion a year in lost workforce participation. Among active members of the workforce the story is not much more encouraging. One in six of them have reported being diagnosed with …
Disability Tax Credit Helping Lives of Women With ADHD
In a recent article on windsorstar.com Professor Sharon Burey of the University of Windsor shares the results of a Danish study on mortality rates for people with ADHD. Her purpose is to draw attention to the danger posed to the 50 - 75 percent of girls with the disorder she believes are going …
Disability Tax Credit Versus Other Government Programs
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has posted a call to arms of sorts on its website exhorting Canadians to back an increase in funding for mental health programs Over the last several years, governments at different levels across the country have made investments in mental health and …
Progress of Disability Tax Credit For Anxiety Disorders
Dealing with serious mental health issues today can be a daunting proposition, but in the not too distant past, things were even harder. Many suffered silently from depression or other forms of anxiety disorder either because they lacked adequate information about what might be going on with them or …
Disability Tax Credit Calms the Threat of Long Term Medical Costs
In this life challenges come in all shapes and sizes. From facing a make-or-break point in one’s career to figuring out how to pay for med school for your son or daughter to finding that extra, previously unknown bit of inner strength that gets you across the finish line of your first marathon. For …
Disability Tax Credit Ease the Financial Strain of Epileptic
It has long been known among epilepsy researchers that the condition can cause cognitive impairment in the afflicted. Up to this point there has been precious little by way of treatments that would work effectively to counteract such negative effects but a recent study by the University of Toronto …
Disability Tax Credit: Relief For People With ASD and Parkinsons
Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a baffling, increasingly common condition that affects a person’s ability to effectively interact with the world around them. It is usually diagnosed early in life. Parkinson’s disease is a debilitating, degenerative disease that affects the central …
Disability Tax Credit Helps People With ADHD to Lead Normal Lives
ADHD research is a hot topic of discussion in medical circles these days with the number of purported cases exploding and medical science at a loss to explain why. Any time the hard science in a particular field seems incomplete or inconclusive you can be sure there will be plenty of snake oil …
Disability Tax Credit Helping For Costly Treat of Depression
In spite of the progress we’ve made in recent decades breaking down gender myths and stereotypes, some persist. Take for instance the myth that men shouldn’t show their feelings or be willing to discuss things that are bothering them. Even an endless number of movies and TV shows depicting men …
Advances in Robotics and the Disability Tax Credit Provide Hope to Amputees
The loss of a limb is an event that fundamentally changes a person’s relationship with the world. It’s emotionally traumatic, physically challenging and often drastically curtails a person’s earning ability while simultaneously increasing their medical bills by many times. In recent years …
New Parkinsons Therapy Affirm The Need of Disability Tax Credit
Parkinson’s disease affects nearly 70,000 Canadians. It is one of the most debilitating of the various neurological diseases and second only to Alzheimer’s in prevalence. There is no cure for Parkinson’s and often the afflicted must endure many years, sometimes decades, of increasingly severe …
Disability Tax Credit: Relief for Persons With Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is the name given to a group of motion disorders that appear in the early years of a person’s life. These motion disorders include difficulty walking, problems with manual tasks like writing and to a lesser degree the possibility of associated disorders like seizures. There is …
The Disability Tax Credit: Needed Relief for Adults With ADHD
A new study suggests it may be possible to accurately diagnose children with ADHD before they reach the age of six. An article on cnn.com discusses the study, its parameters and methodology at length and starts by addressing the tricky issue of possible misdiagnosis. Since many of the hallmark …
Disability Tax Credit: A Good News for Disabled and Their Kids
In recent years the number of young people attending university who have serious mental health issues has increased dramatically. A 2010 survey of counseling centers at American universities showed a nearly 3 fold increase since the early 1990s and the situation is thought to be similar in Canada. …
Disability Tax Credit: Extending Fairness to the Disabled
An article on the website of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities points to the need to extend the scope of the landmark Disability Tax Credit by making it refundable. A refundable DTC would help offset additional costs for persons living with significant disabilities, regardless of the …
Disability Tax Credit Serving to prevent the Caregiver Crisis
A recent article in the Globe and Mail raises a troubling issue. According to the article... Statistics Canada shows that 8.1 million Canadians are caregivers, and of those, 6.1 million are in the work force. Most of the caregivers are aged 45 to 64, a group that also comprises the most experienced …
Disability Tax Credit: Helping Disabled to Develop Themselves
The Ontario Provincial website is featuring an article on a new initiative designed to help citizens with developmental disabilities achieve a greater level of independence (Read more about Disability Tax Credit in Ontario). According to the article: Lanark County Support Services will partner with …