It's time: Kids and young adults with disabilities raise their voices to challenge disability stigma

‘Dear Everybody’ is the start of a national movement launched by Holland Bloorview focused on ending the cycle of disability stigma and breaking down barriers and bias.

TORONTO, Ontario – Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital (Holland Bloorview) today launched a national public awareness movement and campaign called ‘Dear Everybody’ focused on challenging and breaking down disability stigma and stereotypes. It will focus on major issues such as employment, bullying, friendship, education, and health care providing tools that will educate the public about the role they play in building an inclusive and equitable society that includes young Canadians with disabilities.

While kids and young adults with disabilities have the same basic human needs as other kids and young adults – such as fairness, inclusion, and economic security – statistics show that barriers caused by stigma prevent those needs from being met.

"As a kids’ hospital, we feel strongly that you can’t care for a child’s health without thinking about their future," says Julia Hanigsberg, president and CEO of Holland Bloorview. "We have an important role to change minds about disability. We see the strengths that come from a more inclusive and accessible society. We believe in a world of no boundaries, and it’s time to build it together as allies."

In Canada, there are at least 400,000 children and youth (ages 0 to 24) with a disability, including physical, intellectual, cognitive, and many others. Many forms of disability are invisible but equally stigmatized. Many people with disabilities routinely experience staring, whispers, name-calling, social exclusion, bullying, and outright discrimination – otherwise known as stigma.

The impact of stigma is sobering:

• 53 per cent of kids with a disability have zero or only one close friend. They also have lower participation rates in camps, volunteer work, recreational activities, and part-time/summer jobs.
• Kids with disabilities are two to three times more likely to be bullied than kids without disabilities.
• Only 49 per cent of Canadians with disabilities aged 25 to 64 are employed compared to 79 per cent for Canadians without a disability.
• One-third of people with disabilities say they have been denied a job because of their disability. Likewise, 24 per cent say they have been denied a job interview.
• 25 per cent of kids with disabilities under 15 in Canada have unmet educational needs.
• 24 per cent of kids with disabilities live in poverty compared to 15 per cent without disabilities.

"Attitudes and stigma create actions that shape our world – it’s time to break the cycle and enable everyone to exercise the rights and opportunities they deserve," says Hanigsberg.

Dear Everybody targets disability and stigma by putting the voices of kids and young adults with disabilities front and centre.

The advertising campaign, created in partnership with KBS Toronto, includes TV, radio, online and out of home advertising across Ontario (and Canada for TV and radio), all of which drives to DearEverybody.ca. The advertising campaign features an open letter written by kids and young adults with disabilities that answers questions that aren’t being asked and brings individuals face to face with their own biases. The website will be a source of information and resources, including a position paper with recommendations for teachers, employers, health-care providers, allies, and others that can be shared, start conversations, and end stigma.

The launch of Dear Everybody also includes an oversized installation in the Cadillac Fairview Toronto Eaton Centre from August 28 to September 2 where the public will be able to read messages directly from kids and youth with a disability. (Location: Level 1 of the Eaton Centre, in the open area near The Gap, in the space between the escalators to Level 2, and the escalators down to the Food Court.)

"What I hope for is a world without stigma, without inequality, and with an increased understanding about disability," says 17-year old Maddy Hearne, who has sustained six brain injuries and faced stigma from her peers. "I support the movement and want everyone – kids and young adults like me – to have unlimited opportunities in every part of their life. Dear Everybody is important because for the first time, our voices are front and centre and answering questions that break down stigma. Everyone can, and should be, treated equally regardless of their disability."

The Dear Everybody campaign is the beginning of a five-year effort to change attitudes and behaviours in support of kids and young adults with disabilities.

For more info about the campaign, visit DearEverybody.ca

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Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital is Canada’s largest children’s rehabilitation hospital and cares for kids with disabilities and medical complexity, and provides rehabilitation after illness or trauma. Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Holland Bloorview serves nearly 7,500 children and youth annually accounting for over 1,000 unique diagnoses. Holland Bloorview is a global leader in disability research, teaching, and client- and family-centered care. Holland Bloorview pioneers treatments, technologies, therapies and real-world programs that give kids with disabilities the tools to participate fully in life.

For more information, please visit www.hollandbloorview.ca.

Media contact:
Michelle Stegnar
Manager, Research Communications and Media Relations mstegnar@hollandbloorview.ca
416-425-6220 x.3497