Engaging in Disability Policy Development and Advocacy with the Canadian State Michael J. Prince Canadian Disability Policy Alliance Meeting of CURA Partners University of Regina April 28, 2010

2 Questions  What is involved in being a disability activist, advocate or ally for the needs, rights and inclusion of people with disabilities?  What are the points of contact and the relationships in policy engagement?  Is engagement always a good thing to pursue?

3 Objectives  To distinguish citizen and community engagement  To survey several organizational sites for policy engagement and other methods of mobilization  To identify benefits and risks to disability groups of engaging with the Canadian state

4 Types of civic engagement  Citizen-oriented: Participation of individuals as particular persons or family members Two-way dialogues between the state and non-aligned persons, “ordinary citizens” via deliberative processes  Community-based: Participation of organizations for individuals, families, groups and networks Forging structural linkages within the movement and with various state locations and policy processes

5 Benefits of policy engagement  For governments: Acquire information Dispel myths Enhance credibility of policy or service Strengthen public trust in state structures and actors Leverage resources Be seen listening  For community: Expand inclusion Generate experiences Transform stereotypes of people with disabilities Advance reform agenda ideas Build civic capacity Foster sense of citizenship

6 Models of policy engagement between the disability community and Canadian state 1. Intra-community engagement 2. Cross-sector linkages 3. Political executive contacts 4. Legislative connections 5. Judiciary interactions 6. Public service relations 7. Intergovernmental opportunities

7 Intra-community engagement  Disability-related agencies and groups working within the disability community  Forming partnerships and networks  Sharing information and other resources  Developing positions and visions  Applying jointly for funding  Considering costs and benefits

8 Cross-sector linkages  Disability groups working with agencies or associations in other parts of the voluntary or the private sectors  Forming coalitions: Ad hoc Virtual (and now with “social media”) Permanent

9 Political executive contacts  Disability groups working with cabinet ministers, city councillors/mayors, and their staffs  Access points: Episodic events Policy cycles Temporary committees Permanent structures

10 Legislative connections  Disability groups connecting with parliamentary, legislative or council committees and individual members  Full citizenship as a political but not a partisan issue  E-consultations as online engagement

11 Judiciary interactions  Disability activists, parents, and groups interacting with courts, human rights commissions and other tribunals  Mainly individual advocacy before tribunals, with many people unrepresented by legal counsel  Recent loss of Court Challenges Program at the national level reduces space for systemic advocacy for constitutional rights

12 Public service relations  Interactions between disability representatives and public servants  Sites include: senior officials policy analysts disability issues office program managers advisory committees and workshops

13 Intergovernmental opportunities  Participation by disability group representatives in federal-provincial- territorial (FPT) or (PT) structures and processes  Four levels: First Ministers Ministerial Deputy ministers Working groups of officials

14 Risks of engagement  Cooptation/incorporation by the state  Fragmentation of the disability movement  Displacement of other important activities or issues for a group or sub-sector of the disability community  Legitimating individualistic or bio-medical notions of disablement  Being labelled as “special interests”

15 Challenges in facing the state  Service contract agencies  Fiscal constraints of governments  Weak memories and policy capacities in public services as well as the community  Inaccessible policy systems  Unrepresentative organizations in staff  Belated and scripted consultations

16 The Importance of Being Engaged  Enacting our raison d’être as representatives  Building momentum and solidarity within the disability community  Forging alliances with other social movements and collectivities with shared values and goals  Drawing notice, in public spaces, to inequalities, obstacles and unmet basic needs  Advancing policy and program claims for inclusion and full citizenship

17 Thank you Michael J. Prince Lansdowne Professor of Social Policy Faculty of Human and Social Development University of Victoria Disabling Poverty and Enabling Citizenship CURA