Community-based Mapping: Improving Self-Employment Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

Nelson, British Columbia

June 29, 2005

Presentation Organization…

1. Introductions;2. Defining Disability Issues;3. Introduction to Community-based Mapping;4. Community-based Mapping as a Tool Useful

in Improving Self-employment Opportunities for the Differently-abled;

5. How community-based mapping can be used to map ‘for’ clients?;

6. How community-based mapping can be used to make maps ‘with’ clients?

Defining “Disability”

World Health Organization

“The relationship between body structures and functions, daily activities and social participation, while recognizing the role of environmental factors.”

Defining “Disability”…

Statistics Canada

“Those who reported difficulties with daily living activities, or those who indicated that a physical, mental condition or health problem reduced the kind or amount of activities they could do.”

12.4% of Canadians Live with One or More Disabilities…

Canadians withDisabilities

Canadians Withoutdisabilities

3,601,270Canadians

14% 0f British Columbians Live with One or More Disabilities

BritishColumbianswithDisabilities

BritishColumbianswithoutDisabilities

530,130 British Columbians

Prevalence of Disabilities in Canada

Type of Disability Number of Adults Percentage of Adults

Hearing 1,038,140 4.4

Seeing 594,350 2.5

Speech 362,720 1.5

Mobility 2,451,570 10.5

Agility 2,276,980 9.7

Pain 2,376,730 10.1

Learning 451,420 1.9

Memory 420,750 1.8

Developmental 120,140 0.5

Psychological 522,950 2.2

Unknown 96,180 0.4

The Second Part of the Equation… Employment

Adults aged 15 to 64 with disabilities have an average annual income of $23,578

Average annual income for men = $28,141 Average annual income for women = $19,415

Disabled Canadians have lower levels of education 37% have less than a High School education, 11% of Canadians have University degrees;

Employment rate of disabled Canadians = 45% for men and 39% for women

Self-employment is a Growing Option in the Canadian Economy

The number of self-employed Canadians increased from 1.2 million in 1976 to 2.4 million in 2004;

Nearly 1 in 6 working Canadians are self-employed.

The Attraction of Self-employment for Persons with Disabilities

Can work in familiar home environment;Can maintain access to medications and other support;Can work at own pace;Daily commute not required;Movement in crowded, inaccessible, or dangerous urban environments not required;

Can utilize computers, internet and cell phones to maintain communications;Does not require expense of vehicle ownership;Growing service economy has created many new employment categories that do not require taxing movement or exertion.

The Challenge!

1. To clearly identify that self-employment represents a major potential avenue of quality of life improvement for the differently-abled.

2. To devise and implement public- and corporate-policy that supports a practical range of education, training, technical support, loan-support and related approaches to self-employment for the disabled.

3. To create mechanisms that enable disabled clients of self-employment support services to guide the manner in which programs are designed, operated and funded.

What is Community-based Mapping?

Maps made in the community, by the community;Representation of a mix of ‘technical’ and ‘local’ knowledge;Images that include spatial and descriptive information…maps that tell stories;Living documents that can be changed and adapted as knowledge changes;A tool of institutional change and individual empowerment.

Community-based Mapping Is…

Large format images that can be made with scissors and glue…or digitally with GIS;

‘Maps with teeth’ that help focus discussion, policy-making processes, or political action;

A process that produces useful maps and individual and community empowerment.

Where is Community-based Mapping being used?

Community associations;Aboriginal/indigenous communities;Urban and rural youth groups;Community and regional planning schools;NGOs working in Canada and overseas;Environmental groups;Etc…

How Might Community-based Mapping Improve Self-employment

Opportunities for the Disabled?

Adds important new tool to communicate issues important to disability community…a ‘visual’ language;Government agencies will not make the type of maps that represent your world or your issues;Can help to identify bottlenecks in current networks and systems;Can assist in identifying possible organizational and financial efficiencies;Builds links between service providers, service consumers, and wider community.

Two Proposed Approaches to Self-Employment Opportunity Mapping

1. Maps made internally to assist in the development of planning, policy making, or service delivery strategies;

2. Maps made with the differently-abled that assist in healing, better understanding of client needs, or as a means of building trusting relationships.

Mapping Approach #1: Making Maps for Internally for Planning, Policy Making, Outreach, etc.

Demographics;Dedicated ServicesAncillary Service Providers;Transportation Networks;HousingService Effectiveness TrackingEtc…

Sample Map #1: Demographics

Municipal boundaries;City Hall locations;Population trends; Low, middle, high income areas;Age/sex distribution graphs;Income, education, employment level graphs;Numbers and geographic distribution of persons with disabilities.

Sample Map #2: Dedicated Service Delivery Sites for the Disabled

Locate key dedicated care delivery sites: Multi-service agencies, Satellite clinics, Etc.;

Service area boundaries;Staffing levels, budgets, case loads, in-out-patient ratios, waiting lists, etc. for each site;Key issues of challenge and opportunity;Etc…

Sample Map #3: Ancillary Support Service Providers

Medical professionals;NGO-based services;Assisted living facilities;Youth services;Elders services;Women’s services;Mobility services;Pain management services;

Educational services;Business development services;Aboriginal services;Summary descriptions of each ancillary support category: Trends in client load; Years in service; Etc…

Sample Map #4: Housing

SRO hotels;

Rooming houses;

Group supported-living homes;

Areas of client concentration (confidentiality protected!);

Trends in housing and rental prices;

Trends in housing support programs;

Etc…

Sample Map #5: Transportation Network

Bus stations;

Bus routes;

Transit bus routes;

Transit bus stops;

Taxi stands;

Taxi phones;

Rapid transit stations;

Handy-Dart service area;

Distance matrix;

Fee matrix;

Frequently called numbers;

Photos of busses, etc.;

Service hours matrix;

Etc…

Sample Map #6: Service Delivery Trend Tracking

Locate key service delivery sites;Link text box to each site that compares past and current levels of: Employment, Budget, Case load to staff ratio, Case load to budget ratio, Etc…

Mapping Approach #2: Making Maps ‘With’ Clients

Special place mapping;Community living infrastructure mapping;Personal activity pattern mapping (daily, weekly, seasonal);“Like” and ‘Dislike” mapping;Support service inventory mapping;Etc…

Other Maps That Could be Made…

Safe and unsafe areas;

Areas inaccessible to wheelchairs;

Recreation services;

?????

What’s Next?

Let’s make some maps!!