Disability Rights: An Introduction to Forced Volunteerism

Written By: Summer Stevenson

Introduction

At its core, volunteering is a source of joy and pride for many. It can provide a deeper connection to one’s community and encourage new, unique experiences. However, when one’s choice is removed, the experience becomes one of forced labour. While forced volunteerism may sound like an oxymoron, the practice has been around for centuries and remains a staple in Canadian society. This post aims to shed light on the topic of unpaid labour conducted by disabled Canadians and the effect this practice has on their economic and equal rights.

A Division of Labour

As disabled people are at a greater risk of exploitative practices, the Canadian government has taken legislative steps to preserve the rights and liberties of this group. Such steps include signing and ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as well as specifying mental and physical disabilities as an enumerated characteristic within section 15 of the Canadian Charter. However, despite these steps, disabled people continue to face employment discrimination.

The provincial and federal governments have set policies to curb work-based discrimination; however, their scope is limited to the paid labour market, leaving behind the unpaid sector. Despite volunteer labour contributing significantly to the economy. Statistics Canada estimated that volunteer labour brought in an equivalent of 14 billion dollars a year.¹ Further, it is estimated that volunteer labour makes up a full-time job for approximately 2,622,296 people a year.² Yet still, many disabled people are living in poverty, are not compensated for their work, and are often targets of forced volunteerism through “Life Skills” programming. This practice has been used historically and continues to carry itself into the modern era.

The Institutionalization of Forced Volunteerism

A prominent Australian example comes from Kew Cottage, derogatorily known as the Kew Idiot Asylum. This was a state-run institution that housed children with behavioural and learning difficulties. The children were tasked with working in the kitchens, caring as nurses for other patients, and labouring in the gardens.³ Despite numerous patients working within the facility, only 14 out of an estimated 700 received any form of financial compensation for their work.⁴ The question of whether this labour was forced or volunteer-led was addressed with the institution’s medical overseer claiming that the children of the cottage only worked voluntarily.⁵ Of course, he ignored the fact that all patients of Kew Cottage were committed to the institutions by law and could not freely leave. It can be assumed that volunteering one’s labour would have benefits such as increased socialization. Some patients cited a reason to pass the time as the main reason for contributing to unpaid work. However, with some patients receiving compensation for their work, whereas others did not, an unequal and discriminatory system was put into place.

In Canada, the ‘Toronto Hospital for the Insane’ boasted the same practices as Kew; the only difference was the additional publication on labour being used as a tool for therapy.⁶ Although it is evident that some labour was beneficial for patients, Reaume notes that those who were provided pay were often discouraged from labouring as their families feared social hierarchy would form within the hospitals. Today, institutionalized labour is viewed as an unjust, exploitative use of disabled people. Yet still this same system has been reshaped to exploit disabled people in the 21st century.

Modern Practices

Today, most schools offer what is known as ‘life skills’ programming (LSP), where disabled youth can spend part of their day learning and preparing for an independent adulthood. However, where LSP is flawed is the nature of the labour being practised. One former nurse who assisted a student with LSP explained that some aspects of the programming involved delivering mail for the town’s local newspaper, cleaning out the school recycling bins, or even working with a local tea shop to serve customers. This was done during school hours and without pay._⁷ Of course, one could see the advantage to working in a tea shop, or even getting exercise by delivering mail; however, this does not mitigate the harm of students being taken out of the classroom, where they work jobs that non-disabled youth are paid for. This practice also extends into adulthood.

In their essay, Alternative Spaces of ‘Work’ and Inclusion for Disabled People, Hall and Wilton found that outside of the paid labour market, disabled adults in Canada often engage in ‘skill qualification’ courses, or day programs with local non-profit and community organizations.⁸ The parallels between ‘skill qualifications’ and high school LSPs are never-ending. The primary goal behind both systems is to prepare, educate and train; however, these organizations fail to provide evidence of increased independence or employment. Instead, their focus is on “volunteer work for skills development.”

One Winnipeg-based organization promotes “disability advocacy and guided employment”. However, what is meant by “guided employment” is unclear, as payment is not specified. “[They] connect [clients] with opportunities for recreation, volunteer work and skills development.”⁹ Of initial concern is the lack of differentiation between skills development and volunteer work, as previously examined, high school programming seemed to view cleaning garbage cans and cafeterias as life skills, but selling and aiding a business with tea sales was also a part of the life skills program. The reality here is that both jobs are unpaid, laborious tasks that uphold a precedent that disabled people do not need to be paid for the work they do.

Conclusion

One of the main reasons that forced volunteer programs, and “Life Skills” is an accepted aspect of our society is the legality through the employment legislation,¹⁰ as well as the societal mentality that something is better than nothing when it comes to disabled people. It has been established that disabled people are often the victims of exploitation within the unpaid labour market, but now it is necessary to look towards a solution.

At the start of 2019, six adults with developmental disabilities were offered permanent paid positions with the company North York Firms.¹¹ The group received provincial minimum wage, and they worked a set schedule. This group of young adults is an example of what should be the standard for everyone Nationwide. One reason behind this group’s success is Bill 148. A provincial law which passed in 2017. This Bill put an end to paying below minimum wage in sheltered workplaces, such as “work skills” programs for adults. While this Bill did not cover the exploitative nature of the schooling system, it is a start to ensuring that Canadians are provided with a fair and dignified wage.

¹ Wisener, R. (2009, February 18). Attaching Economic Value to Volunteer Contribution. Volunteer Canada
Interim Report
² Statistics Canada, General Social Survey, Giving, Volunteering, and Participating, 2018.
³ Monk, L.-A. (2010). Exploiting patient labour at Kew Cottages, Australia, 1887–1950. British Journal of
Learning Disabilities, 38: 86-94. https://doi-org.uwinnipeg.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/j.1468-3156.2010.00634.x
⁴Ibid.
⁵Ibid.
⁶ Reaume, G. (2000). Remembrance of Patients Past: Life at the Toronto Hospital for the Insane, 1870-1940.Toronto: University of Toronto Press. https://doiorg.uwinnipeg.idm.oclc.org/10.3138/9781442628069 ⁷ L.Groot, personal communication, March 21st, 2023
⁸ Hall, E., & Wilton, R. (2011) Alternative spaces of ‘work’ and inclusion for disabled people. Disability &
Society, 26(7), 867-880. https://doi-org.uwinnipeg.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/09687599.2011.618742
⁹ Trailblazers Life Choices, SAGE (Supported Advocacy Guidance and Employment)
https://tlcwpg.ca/sage-supported-advocacy-guidance-and-employment/ ¹⁰ The Government of Manitoba’s Employment Standards Code states that volunteers who are given
training or work experience for a limited period of time through a program implemented or approved by
either a school board or provincial or federal government are exempt from the provisions within the
code.
¹¹Yuen, K. (2019, February 19). Adults with disabilities need to earn minimum wage for sense of ‘belonging,’
parents say. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/adults-with-disabilities-need-to-earnminimum-wage-for-sense-of-belonging-parents-say-1.5022319