Work underway to measure the quality of life of Nova Scotians with disabilities

Andrew Lam · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 05, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 5

In Nova Scotia, wherever there's a important proportionality of radical surviving with disabilities, enactment is underway to measurement whether the state is making advancement connected improving their lives.

In January, the Quality of Life Index for Persons with Disabilities was released by an advocacy enactment called the Nova Scotia League for Equal Opportunities (NSLEO). The scale is simply a acceptable of 82 indicators measuring much than a twelve areas of well-being and accessibility.

The indicators volition beryllium utilized by the Nova Scotia government, disablement organizations and others to show the well-being of those successful the disablement assemblage and the implementation of Nova Scotia's Accessibility Act. The Act, passed successful 2017, sets a extremity of achieving an accessible state by 2030.

"We are focusing successful specifically connected the lived acquisition from …  cradle to sedate for persons with disabilities," said Sherry Costa-Lorenz, enforcement manager of NSLEO, which is starring the work.

The scale was created by and with input from radical with disabilities, who represented astir 38 per cent of Nova Scotians aged 15 and older arsenic of 2022. A 20-member advisory committee made up of antithetic assemblage organizations provided feedback. Community consultations were besides held.

Costa-Lorenz, who is besides portion of the disablement community, said there's a deficiency of knowing of what existent accessibility means, adding that the scale covers a holistic presumption of a person's well-being. 

For example, determination are indicators connected entree to recreation and carnal activity.

WATCH | Work underway to measurement the prime of beingness of Nova Scotians with disabilities:

That's thing Michelle Mahoney knows the value of. She was calved with a deficiency of musculus successful assorted joints, clubbed feet and a dislocated hep owed to arthrogryposis — a uncommon acceptable of conditions that tin origin abnormal musculus improvement and stiff joints.

As a idiosyncratic with a disability, said Mahoney, "it's truly important to enactment progressive truthful that you don't suffer your muscles."

In 2014, with the usage of a portion of adaptive instrumentality called a sit-ski, Mahoney began downhill skiing. She said the athletics has changed her life.

Her archetypal clip being capable to skis was "exhilarating," recalled Mahoney, accessibility serviceman for the University of King's College.

"The grin connected my look was conscionable unbelievably amazing."

Growing up, Mahoney didn't person overmuch accidental to enactment successful sports due to the fact that of a deficiency of adaptive equipment. 

"Now that I'm older, [I'm] … realizing that determination are things retired there," she said.

The prime of beingness scale is believed to beryllium the archetypal of its benignant successful North America, Costa-Lorenz said. The adjacent signifier of the task is to cod baseline information for the indicators, truthful advancement tin beryllium measured. 

A study with the baseline information is being targeted for completion by International Day of Persons with Disabilities connected Dec. 3.

Some of that information volition travel from an upcoming survey successful the fall.

Engage Nova Scotia is the enactment administering the survey, which aims to supply governments and different groups with insight into the well-being of each Nova Scotians. 

The survey was past conducted successful 2019 and contains implicit 200 questions connected topics similar wellness and experiences of loneliness.

This year, the caput of Engage Nova Scotia said the survey volition beryllium sent to each households successful the province. There volition besides beryllium much questions aimed astatine radical with disabilities.

"It's going to springiness america a overmuch finer look astatine the stories crossed the province, and, successful each region, astir the prevalence of and the experiences of radical crossed antithetic disabilities," said Danny Graham. 

In 2022, much than one-third of Nova Scotians had 1 oregon much disabilities, according to Statistics Canada. It's the highest complaint of disablement successful the country.

Costa-Lorenz expects accusation to not beryllium readily disposable for immoderate indicators. But she said that volition place areas wherever information postulation is needed.

Mahoney said it's important that this information is being collected.

"People with disabilities are conscionable people," she said. "We privation to … person the aforesaid things arsenic everyone else.

"We mightiness conscionable instrumentality a small longer to get determination and we mightiness request supports."