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April 21, 2025
With our NEW Member Services group (Keeping Up with Current Affairs) starting last week, we thought we’d share some basic information about disability in Canada.
We’ll start with the overall disability rate – did you know that đ27% of Canadiansđ have at least one disability, many more than one? This number is up 5% from 2017!
Another interesting disability fact is that 30% of Canadian women and 24% of Canadian men have at least one disability. This is up 6% for women and 4% for men since 2017!
The age group with the fastest growing rate of disability in Canada is youth, from 15 to 24, with 20% having at least one disability. 24% of adults aged 25 to 64 have a disability as do 40% of seniors (65+). Again, all of these numbers have increased since 2017, with youth jumping a whopping 7%!
Of the 27% of Canadians that have disabilities, 29% have one disability. A massive 71% have two or more disabilities! It’s estimated that 70-80% of disabilities are non-apparent (invisible/hidden disabilities).
People with disabilities face barriers every day. And some are obvious, but many aren’t. Of the 27 total types of barriers researched, the accessibility of public spaces is the biggest barrier at 56% of those surveyed. Communication barriers come in at 48%. Behavioural barriers such as misconceptions or assumptions sit at 37% while online barriers are 17%. Overall, 72% of disabled Canadians faced one or more barriers to their disability within the previous year.
With numbers like these, it’s obvious that a lot more people live with disabilities than would ever be apparent just by looking. Meaning that it’s even more important for Canadians to do what we do best – be kind!â¤ď¸
April 16, 2025
EmpowerNL’s Member Services is having a Trivia Night fundraiser!
- Date: April 25th
- Location: Westside Charlies Village Mall
- Time: 7pm registration, 7:30pm trivia begins
- Cost: $40 per team (max 4 people per team)
- Registration email: Sherri@EmpowerNL.ca
- Prizes: First prize – $100 cash, Second Prize – 25$ Westside Charlies gift card, Third Prize – swag bag
The funds raised during this event will go directly back to our Member Services activities. At Empower we offer fully inclusive and accessible learning opportunities for independent living skills, creativity, and current affairs. We coordinate social and recreational programs and activities for members both at our center and in our community including dinner clubs, games nights, book clubs, gardening, summer barbecues and more. It is also important to us that members can support one another through our peer support groups and programs.
Most activities at Empower are offered at no cost to members, with snacks and supplies provided by the center. Funds raised will also help pay for other supports such as Sign Language interpreters, fidget toys, and even braille!
Donât miss it!
April 14, 2025
Are you under 29 and like to attend (or work at) festivals and other public events?
Independent Living Canada needs you!
They are looking for input on employment and the accessibility of outdoor, indoor, and virtual festivals and events in Canada. They will use your input to create Canadian festival and event accessibility recommendations to be used by future Canadian festivals and events and to inform future standards for Accessibility Standards Canada.
This survey takes two to three minutes to fill out, and you will be anonymous. You can fill it out online at Youth with Disabilities Festival Accessibility Survey
For questions, contact Lisa, the Research Study Coordinator: Send Email
For alternate formats of this survey: Festival Accessibility Survey Alternate Formats
This project is funded by Accessibility Standards Canada, and the Government of Canada. Independent Living Canada is a national non-profit association of community-based Independent Living Centres. They are run by, and for, people with disabilities.
April 9, 2025
EmpowerNL’s Member Services is having a Trivia Night fundraiser!
- Date: April 25th
- Location: Westside Charlies Village Mall
- Time: 7pm registration, 7:30pm trivia begins
- Cost: $40 per team (max 4 people per team)
- Registration: email Sherri@EmpowerNL.ca
- Prizes: First prize – $100 cash, Second Prize – 25$ Westside Charlies gift card, Third Prize – swag bag
The funds raised during this event will go directly back to our Member Services activities. At Empower we offer fully inclusive and accessible learning opportunities for independent living skills, creativity, and current affairs. We coordinate social and recreational programs and activities for members both at our center and in our community including dinner clubs, games nights, book clubs, gardening, summer barbecues and more. It is also important to us that members can support one another through our peer support groups and programs.
Most activities at Empower are offered at no cost to members, with snacks and supplies provided by the center. Funds raised will also help pay for other supports such as Sign Language interpreters, fidget toys, and even braille!
Donât miss it!
April 7, 2025
Members are invited to come together to learn more about current affairs or events that impact our world and our closer community.
Our first group will be held on Monday, April 14 from 1:30 â 3:00pm at 4 Escasoni Place
During this session we will explain and discuss 2 topics:
- A basic understanding of federal (Canadian) and provincial (Newfoundland and Labrador) political systems, and a basic introduction of party leaders.
- Taxes and Tariffs – What are they really? How are they good and how are they bad?
April 4, 2025
Empower’s Member Services is having a Trivia Night fundraiser!
- Date: April 25th
- Location: Westside Charlies Village Mall
- Time: 7pm registration, 7:30pm trivia begins
- Cost: $40 per team (max 4 people per team)
Stay tuned here or on our social media for further information, coming soon!
April 1, 2025
Are you under 29 and like to attend (or work at) festivals and other public events?
Independent Living Canada needs you!
They are looking for input on employment and the accessibility of outdoor, indoor, and virtual festivals and events in Canada. They will use your input to create Canadian festival and event accessibility recommendations to be used by future Canadian festivals and events and to inform future standards for Accessibility Standards Canada.
This survey takes two to three minutes to fill out, and you will be anonymous. You can fill it out online at IL Canada Festival Accessibility Survey
For questions, contact Lisa, the Research Study Coordinator: Send Email
For alternate formats of this survey: Alternate Formats for IL Canada Survey
This project is funded by Accessibility Standards Canada, and the Government of Canada. Independent Living Canada is a national non-profit association of community-based Independent Living Centres. They are run by, and for, people with disabilities.
March 24, 2025
You might have been hearing a lot about DEI lately – but what is DEI anyway?
Firstly, let’s break down what the acronym stands for:
- D = diversity
- E = equity
- I = inclusion
Diversity means having a mix of people (in this case in the workplace) with a variety of characteristics, including differences in things like gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, age, culture, social class, veteran status, or religion.
Equity essentially means fairness and justice and it is different from equality.
While equality is about giving everyone the same thing, equity recognizes that not everyone starts from the same point and that we need to address and fix these imbalances. On an individual level, it’s taking one person’s unique circumstances into account and adjusting treatment accordingly to get an equal end result. On a systemic level, it’s granting resources and decision-making power to groups that have been treated unfairly in the past, so that they can achieve equally to majority groups.
And finally, inclusion is the practice or policy of making sure everyone has the same access to opportunities and resources, especially for people who might usually be left out or treated unfairly, like those with disabilities or members of minority groups.
So, what is DEI anyway? It is systems within organizations/companies that aim to ensure everyone is treated fairly and can fully participate, especially groups that have been left out or faced discrimination because of their identity or disability.
March 21, 2025
Empower Technology Services invite you to an exciting online session on March 31st from 1:30 PM â 3:00 PM (via Zoom) to discover how AI can help with your job applications, resumes, cover letters, and interviews!
Whether you’re actively job hunting or just want to sharpen your skills, this session will give you practical tips and tools to make AI work for you.
Canât attend live? No problem! Sign up anywayâyouâll get access to the session recording and a helpful toolkit to support your job search.
Register today and take your job search to the next level!
Registration Link: How to Use AI for Your Pre-Employment Skills
March 14, 2025
For folks that wanted to attend our Advocacy Services Accessible Public Transit Town Hall but were unable to be there or didn’t feel comfortable speaking during the event – it’s not too late! You can still have your voice heard!
The Town Hall sessions were held to gather information to create a What We Heard document to advocate for improved accessible public transit for people with disabilities in Newfoundland and Labrador.
If you would like to give feedback, please complete the survey here: Accessible Public Transit Survey
The deadline is this Thursday, March 20th for the survey to be filled out.
If anyone needs assistance with the survey, please email advocacysupport@empowernl.ca or call 709-722-4031.