Reducing poverty and promoting social participation? : Benefits and limitations of measures for the activation of employment and occupational integration services for people with disabilities in Québec

Of outmost importance to partners involved in the alliance were issues regarding the application of article 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom and the impact of social security programmes, from both public and private sources, on the reduction of poverty and the emporwerment of disabled people. [...] The main tools used by the À l’emploi! program to promote the occupational integration of their clients are the CIT, positions in adapted businesses, the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities, the Emploi-Québec wage subsidy and the PDEIPH. [...] The respondents who were interviewed about the impact of the National Strategy for Labour Market Integration and the Maintenance of Handicapped Persons underline that there is now more of a budget available for the CIT and for renewals. [...] When we address the issues relating to the loss of the claim booklet for ex-beneficiaries of income security, we think not only of the costs incurred in the purchase of medicines, but also those associated with dental care, eye examinations and services linked to the condition. [...] The introduction of a new form of governance through the reform of the 1990s provides a place for the third sector, not only with regard to the implementation of policies, but also in terms of its orientation and definition (Larose et al., 2005).