In Nueva Scotia, where there is a significant proportion of people living with disabilities, work is being done to measure if the province is progressing to improve their lives.
In January, the Quality of life for people with disabilities It was launched by a defense organization called New Scotland League due to equal opportunities (NSEO). The index is a set of 82 indicators that measure more than a dozen welfare and accessibility areas.
The indicators will be used by the New Scotland government, disability organizations and others to monitor the well -being of those in the disability community and the implementation of Nueva Scotia. Accessibility act. The law, approved in 2017, establishes the objective of achieving an accessible province for 2030.
“We are focusing specifically on the lived experience of … Cradle to Serious for people with disabilities,” said Sherry Costa-Lorenz, executive director of NSEO, who leads work.
The index was created by and with contributions from people with disabilities, who represented almost 38 percent of 1522 -year -old NOVA and NOVA scot. An advisory committee of 20 members composed of different community organizations provided comments. Community consultations were also carried out.
Costa-Lorenz, who is also part of the disability community, said there is a lack of understanding of what true accessibility means, adding that the index covers a holistic vision of a person’s well-being.
For example, there are indicators about access to recreation and physical activity.
That is something that Michelle Mahoney knows the importance. She was born with a lack of muscle in several joints, club feet and a hip dislocated due to Arthogrisposis – A rare set of conditions that can cause abnormal muscle development and rigid joints.
As a person with disabilities, Mahoney said, “it is really important to stay active so that you do not lose your muscles.”
In 2014, with the use of an adaptive team called Sit-Ski, Mahoney began skiing downhill. She said sport has changed her life.
The first time he could ski was “stimulating,” Mahoney recalled, an accessibility officer at King’s College University.
“The smile on my face was incredibly amazing.”
When growing, Mahoney did not have many opportunities to participate in sports due to the lack of adaptive teams.
“Now that I’m older, [I’m] … realizing that there are things out there, “he said.
It is believed that the quality of life index is the first of its kind in North America, said Costa-Lorenz. The next phase of the project is to collect reference data for the indicators, so progress can be measured.
On December 3 is the objective of the reference data with the baseline data on International Day of People with Disabilities on December 3.
Some of those data will come from an upcoming survey in the fall.
NOVA SCOTIA ENGINE is the organization that manages the survey, which goals Provide governments with other groups an idea of the well -being of all the shortages of the rookies.
The survey was made for the last time in 2019 and contains more than 200 questions about issues such as health and experiences of Soledad.
This year, the head of engage, new Scotland, said that the survey will be sent to all homes in the province. There will also be more questions aimed at people with disabilities.
“It will give us a much thinner look at stories throughout the province and, in each region, about the prevalence and experiences of people in different disabilities,” said Danny Graham.
In 2022, more than a third Of the new Scotland they had one or more disabilities, according to Statistics Canada. It is the highest disability rate in the country.
Costa-Lorenz expects information not available for some indicators. But she said that will identify areas where data collection is needed.
Mahoney said it is important that this data be collected.
“People with disabilities are just people,” he said. “We want … have the same things as everyone else.
“We could take a little longer to get there and we could need supports.”
