I am one of many disabled individuals in Canada who had no choice but to create my own employment. Traditional workplaces have never accommodated my access needs, communication style, or neurodivergence. I am self-employed not because it was easy, but because it was the only sustainable and accessible option available to me.

And I know I am not alone.

The 2024 Annual Report from the Office of the Chief Accessibility Officer, titled "A Roadmap to Inclusion: The Employment of Persons with Disabilities in Canada", offers important data and insights. However, it fails to meaningfully address the realities of disabled entrepreneurs, artists, freelancers, and small business owners. You can read the full report here:
https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/office-chief-accessibility-officer/reports/annual-2024.html

Once again, government strategies remain focused on traditional employment models, ignoring those of us who work for ourselves out of necessity and survival. This omission reinforces the harmful idea that only certain types of work are valid, while marginalizing our contributions and lived experiences.

Many disabled Canadians actively want to pursue self-employment or entrepreneurship. It is a meaningful and often more accessible path to work, but it continues to be excluded from most employment strategies. Even when self-employment is acknowledged, the supports offered are insufficient. For example, the Community Futures Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program (EDP) provides Zoom-based cohorts and pre-recorded learning, but offers no actual grants or financial support. These types of programs may appear helpful on the surface, but without tangible funding or individualized support, they do not meet the real needs of disabled entrepreneurs.

At the same time, government funding tends to go to established businesses and organizations that already have capital or infrastructure. Disabled individuals — especially those receiving Persons with Disabilities (PWD) benefits — are routinely offered loans rather than grants. This is not a solution. Taking on debt can put vital income and supports at risk, making it inaccessible and unsafe for many of us.

It is time for this to change. We are calling on the Government of Canada to update the mandate, protocols, and program guidelines related to disability employment to fully and explicitly include self-employment and entrepreneurship.

We ask that the government:

Recognize self-employment as a legitimate form of employment within all disability-related strategies and frameworks
Develop dedicated grant and funding programs for disabled entrepreneurs
Provide access to business development supports that do not rely on loans or credit
Offer meaningful mentorship and training that is financially supported and tailored to lived experience
Directly consult with self-employed disabled people in the creation of policies and programs
Canada has the opportunity to lead by example and build truly inclusive systems. That includes recognizing the ways in which disabled people already work — and the barriers we face when we are excluded from official structures.

Self-employment is valid work. It is not a last resort. For many of us, it is the most empowering, flexible, and sustainable path available.

Please sign and share this petition to demand that disabled entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals are fully included in all government employment mandates and initiatives moving forward.