This project was funded by Accessibility Standards Canada’s Advancing Accessibility Standards Research Program.

A collaborative study investigating the community supports, policies, and partnerships needed to promote meaningful employment for youth with disabilities.

Learn about the Youth Employment through Accessible and Healthy Communities in Canada (YEAH Canada!) project!

• YEAH Executive Summary: Read in English  | Lire en français
• YEAH Infographics: View here (English and French, Anglais et français)
• YEAH Final Research Report: Read in English | Lire en français
• YEAH Video: Watch here

Register for this side event at the 13th United Nations Conference of the States Parties for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) !

The side event will focus on the monitoring of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the CRPD. Come engage in the discussion on how to promote inclusive environments for the full implementation of the CRPD for children with disabilities. The event is open to all!

What is the state of affairs in Canada?
Canada has ratified two United Nations treaties with specific provisions for children with disabilities:
the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD). However, implementation and monitoring of both are limited.

We conducted a scoping review to: (1) identify strategies used to engage hard-to-reach populations in childhood disability research, and (2) synthesize information as to how strategies were evaluated. What did we find?!…The populations most often included in studies were children with disabilities and their parents. Engagement strategies were reported but rarely evaluated. Our results can guide others who wish to engage a diverse group of children with disabilities and their parents in research.

Advocacy for Canadian disabled children has often been challenged by a lack of information on how parents can make a significant impact. Not everyone has an opportunity to travel to the United Nations, let alone twice like I have. You too can help move the development of policy and help identify gaps in the support of kids like ours. We as moms and dads don’t function as the voice of our kids, but we can serve as a microphone to ensure full lives and access to their rights. They deserve a seat at this conversation. You can make an impact by engaging in the reporting and monitoring processes and finding the organizations that advocate for disability rights. You can catch local policymakers up on recent developments so they too can aid in the work. Learn about human RIGHTS and how they apply to your child, talk to them about that too so they can advocate for themselves. We are better at this work, together and informed.

– Rachel E. Martens