Introduction

The 2010 Federal Disability Report explores the key dimensions of the lives of people with disabilities, following a needs-based approach. The report begins by examining fundamental needs such as housing, income and health care, and progresses to exploring personal fulfillment through learning, working and community participation.

Canadians with disabilities have the same fundamental needs as Canadians without disabilities. All people living in Canada have requirements for adequate standards of living, for access to health services and supports, for lifelong learning opportunities, for jobs and gainful employment in adulthood, and for community participation.

In addition to these needs, people with disabilities also have disability-related requirements to enable full social participation. Disability-specific and disability-related barriers should be eliminated, and proper supports for accessibility should be put in place across all segments of Canadian life.

This year’s report explores the interactions between accessibility and the above-mentioned elements of everyday life, using data from surveys conducted by Statistics Canada. ^{Footnote 1}

Age clusters

This report frequently groups people with disabilities into the following key age clusters:

• Children: ages 14 and under
• Younger children: ages 0 to 4
• Older children: ages 5 to 14
• Adults: ages 15 and over
• Working-age adults: ages 15 to 64
• Youth / young adults: ages 15 to 24
• Younger working-age adults: ages 25 to 54
• Older working-age adults: ages 55 to 64
• Seniors: ages 65 and over

Other age groupings are highlighted when interesting trends have been identified.