People with disabilities struggle as costs of living rise

People living with disabilities often have problems making ends meet in New Brunswick and something needs to be done.

Disability Awareness Week is celebrated this year between May 29 and June 4. As a disability advocate in New Brunswick, I thought it was important that I share my perspective.

The purpose of Disability Awareness Week is to shine a light on issues people with disabilities face, such as transportation, lack of accessible affordable housing, and some of the struggles related to not having enough income to survive. Disability Awareness Week also celebrates people with disabilities’ achievements and the barriers they overcome in their everyday life. 

The cost of living has gone up drastically in the province; this includes food, shelter, electricity, and so much more. It is extremely difficult for people relying on social assistance to make ends meet. 

According to the New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice, people with disabilities in the province “receive $9,528 [a year], which is the lowest amount of income in the country.”

As the cost of inflation goes up, one would think so should social assistance payments. Unfortunately, that is not the case. This leaves many people with not enough food to eat or a shelter to sleep in. Something must be done now! 

This week, the Higgs government announced an Emergency Fuel and Food Benefit providing a one-time payment of $225 for low-income individuals and $450 for families, including seniors. The province also noted measures including a 3.8 per cent increase in social assistance rates that took effect in April. 

But those amounts aren’t nearly enough to keep pace with skyrocketing costs of living. Canada’s inflation rate reached a 31-year high of 6.8 per cent in April, driven by food prices that have reportedly spiked by 9.7 per cent and shelter costs that have increased by 7.4 per cent in the past year.

The Canadian Disability Benefit, which was present in the Liberal Party’s election platform, is needed now more than ever to assist people with their basic necessities. 

The feds have just reintroduced legislation – it previously died on the order table with the 2021 election –  to create a benefit for working-age Canadians with disabilities. But the details remain vague, notably the monetary value of the proposed benefit.

Imagine for a moment if you had to decide what meal you should skip. Not everyone has loved ones they can rely on. A Canadian disability benefit could potentially insure that people are able to afford nutritious food to eat and a safe place to sleep. I believe this benefit could also help the Canadian economy. But concerns include clawbacks in provincial benefits that people with disabilities may face as a result of the legislation.

It is very important that New Brunswick continue to work on accessibility and implement new programs to improve the lives of people with disabilities. 

One of the most important things that should be done is to advertise programs that already exist that people may not know about. If someone becomes disabled it is likely that they do not know how to navigate the system. It is our job, as disability advocates, to change that! You should not have to be a part of the disabled community to know about the programs. 

Now I would like to take the opportunity to talk about some important resources available that many people might not be aware of. 

The federal government’s Disability Tax Credit is a non-refundable tax credit that many people may qualify for. The purpose of it is to help offset taxes you may owe at the end of the year. 

People must apply in order to receive the disability tax credit and a doctor or nurse practitioner needs to fill out the paperwork. It’s a good idea to have a letter to accompany the application expressing how your disability affects your everyday life, whether you have a physical disability or a cognitive one. 

Another program I suggest is a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP). The purpose of an RDSP is to help somebody with a disability plan for retirement. I recommend using a private financial company instead of a banking institution as you may get more interest for your money.

Able-bodied folks can also make life easier for those with disabilities. 

Did you know it is possible to get an accessibility review done by Ability New Brunswick for your business? Someone from the organization will come to your business and assess it. They may also be able to tell you about accessibility grants you can apply for to make your establishment more accessible.

Kaitlyn Layden is a disability rights advocate in New Brunswick.