A Qualitative Look at Serious Legal Problems for People with Disabilities in Central Canada

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I. Introduction

In March 2020, the Disabled Women’s Network (DAWN) was contracted to carry out qualitative research examining the experiences of people with physical and mental disabilities with respect to legal problems. Covering the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, this study sought to engage people with disabilities who had encountered serious legal problems in the past three years. This study was a part of a larger series of qualitative studies exploring legal problems among various marginalized populations.

While the scope and overarching research questions had already been developed, DAWN Canada worked to make the process as accessible as possible to ensure the study reached the cross-disability community and that participants reflected the diversity of disability experiences. One of the ways the study sought to do this was through focus groups and by working with community partners. The emergence of COVID-19 and related shut downs and restrictions meant the research process had to be re-envisioned in ways that would allow the research team to connect with participants and stakeholders at a distance, as described in the Methodology section. This process included:

• An online qualitative survey in both English and French;
• An accessible virtual focus group (with the support of the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto);
• Telephone interviews for participants who were more comfortable this way; and
• Stakeholder interviews and Zoom calls to gather information to help contextualize this issue given the constraints to the research process caused by COVID-19. 1

While these adaptations enabled the research team to carry out this study, the backdrop of this pandemic, its specific impact on people with disabilities in these regions, and the overall stress and trauma related to the pandemic created research conditions that were not ideal and likely limited the research process in ways we may not yet fully understand. While DAWN’s past work in this area informed DAWN’s understanding of many of the legal issues facing people with disabilities (e.g. people with disabilities experience crime and victimization at disproportionately higher rates 2 ,this study provided a unique opportunity to learn more about how people with disabilities navigate the legal process starting from their initial experience, how they may seek resolution, and what impacts this process has on the individual and their supports. In addition, this study offers insights as to what may help remove barriers within this process and facilitate greater access for people with disabilities.

This research report is outlined as follows:

• Methodology and outreach;
• Research results and discussion;
• Recommendations and conclusion;
• A bibliography of literature which may be of use for future work;
• A list of community resources that were identified in the research process; and
• The interview and focus group guides used in this study.

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