Income Security: A Roadmap for Change

The Additional Costs of Disability
The LIM is useful in measuring the prevalence of low-income, but does
not account for the added cost of living experienced by those with
disabilities. These extra costs vary depending on each person and
how disability affects their life. There is no simple and agreed-upon
methodology to assess the impact of disability given the vast degree
of variation among people’s experiences. A review of literature has
shown a range from less than 10% to over 100% 31 . For this reason,
the Roadmap has adopted 30% above the PRS LIM as a global
approximation of the additional cost of living with a disability.
There are important considerations to keep in mind when looking
at available data about poverty. The Canadian Income Survey (used
to derive the percentage of the population below the Low-Income
Measure) is not conducted in First Nations communities. In addition,
due to historic factors, Indigenous individuals living outside of First
Nations communities may not choose to self-identify as Indigenous
on federal census and survey forms. The actual poverty rate
experienced by Indigenous persons living outside of First Nations
communities is likely higher than reported.
4. More people have disabilities and are facing barriers to
employment and social inclusion and higher costs of living.
Consider this:
• Right now, almost one in seven Ontarians has a disability As the proportion
of Ontarians age 65 and older increases over the next 20 years, that number
is expected to reach one in five 32
31 Shek-Wai Hui and Ford Incremental Cost of Living as a Result of Being a
Person with a Disability in Ontario – Final Revised Report Social Research and
Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) March 2016 pg 13 (Table 1)
32 2017–2021 OPS Multi-Year Accessibility Plan: https://wwwontarioca/page/2017­
2021-ops-multi-year-accessibility-plan
42 Income Security: A Roadmap for Change