July 2025

Access to Justice Position Statement Webinar

Did you know that people with an intellectual disability face significant barriers when interacting with the justice system?

Join us on Thursday, July 31, from 3-4 PM EST for a webinar to review our priorities, calls to action and vision for an inclusive justice system. Learn from self-advocates, family members, and legal professionals, and prepare to be part of the solution.

Live French interpretation and ASL/LSQ will be available during the webinar.

View Inclusion Canada's Access to Justice position statement ahead of the webinar here: https://bit.ly/3GBl6TO

Panelists include:

• Kory Earle-Morrow: Kory is the Provincial/Territorial Coordinator at People First of Canada. Kory has been a huge advocate for people labelled with an intellectual or developmental disability. He lives with his husband, mother-in-law and 4 cats in Carleton Place. Kory will moderate the webinar. 

• Bluesette Campbell: Bluesette is the President of Inclusion Saskatchewan and a member of the Inclusion Canada board of directors. Bluesette chaired the Access to Justice Position Statement Committee. She will provide an overview of the position and commentary as a parent. 

• Elsie Tellier Caballero: Elsie is a Staff Lawyer at ARCH Disability Law Center. Elsie co-coordinated the Canada Civil Society Parallel Report Group. Elsie will comment on the significance of Inclusion Canada’s position, including as it relates to the rights claiming process. 

Canada Disability Benefit Applications now open!

It's finally here!

You can now apply for the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB).

The CDB is a new monthly payment from the Government of Canada. It is meant to help reduce poverty for working-aged people with disabilities who have low incomes.

We have created a short info sheet detailing how you can apply. You can view the sheet by scanning the QR code above or clicking here.

We will continue working to get the government to raise the benefit to an adequate amount. In the meantime, if you are eligible, we encourage you to apply.

Click here to view the info sheet. >

La version française. >

Partnering with Allstate Foundation of Canada

We want to thank Allstate Foundation of Canada for their continued partnership and support, and for their contribution to our My Home My Community initiative.

Allstate has been championing inclusive and accessible housing since 2023, in the hopes of helping to lay the foundation for a better life, improved financial stability, physical and mental health, and social inclusion for those who experience barriers to financial independence. As a result, they have partnered with various nonprofit organizations in this space, including us!

The video above demonstrates the impacts of Allstate's donation to Inclusion Canada on the lives of families across the country. With their support, we will enhance financial literacy and housing stability for people with an intellectual disability and families. Because when everyone has the chance to live fully in community, inclusion isn’t just possible… it’s powerful. 

Thank you, Danny and Daniel, for sharing your story.

Click here to read more about Allstate's commitment to inclusive and accessible housing. >

Save the Date for the 16th Annual Policy Forum!

We will be hosting our 16th Annual Policy Forum in November, and this year's topic is inclusive education. More details and registration links to come, but we wanted you to save the dates in your calendar!

• November 5, 7PM-8:30PM ET - Part-time school has a full-time impact: The realities of partial day schooling
• November 12, 7PM-8:30PM ET - Behind closed doors: A call to end seclusion & restraint in schools
• November 19, 7PM-8:30PM ET - The ripple effect: How inclusive education changes lives and communities

Our Federation - Provincial/Territorial Member Updates

Did you know Inclusion Canada has a federation of 13 provincial/territorial and over 300 local member associations across Canada? In this section, you'll learn more about their work to advance inclusion across the country!

• Community Living Ontario released a new report, Still Tangled in Red Tape, one year after their previous report demonstrating how Ontario's Employment Services Transformation has had a disastrous impact on disability employment service providers. Read the report here.
• Inclusion Alberta issued a public statement against the Government of Alberta’s decision to increase rent by 63% for Community Housing tenants who receive AISH. This increase comes soon after the Alberta government's announcement that they will clawback the Canada Disability Benefit. Read more here.
• Inclusion BC opened registration for their Family Leadership Series in Campbell River! Families can register for free, and will gather for two days of learning ways to strengthen their advocacy and access resources to help build a better life for their loved ones. More information and registration can be found here.