Empower the right department to manage disability supports

Jennifer Zwicker and Stephanie Dunn, Institute for Research on Public Policy, September 4, 2018
Breaking Down Barriers is the title and galvanizing theme of a June 2018 report from the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. It recommends urgently needed measures to improve access to underutilized federal disability supports: the disability tax credit (DTC) and the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP). The recommendations are broad in scope. They include streamlining the DTC and RDSP application processes and making eligibility criteria simpler and more appropriate. The report also recommends ensuring that relevant agencies are collecting data to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the DTC and the RDSP, as well as undertaking effective outreach to improve uptake. It does not make sense that staff at the Canada Revenue Agency determine eligibility for complex programs that support Canadians with disabilities.