Yes, and I think there are a lot of benefits on the tax side, in terms of the disability tax credit, the disability support deduction, and medical expenses. Students can, for example, claim a lot of their expenses related to their disability that are not supported by a grant, for example, through a tax credit. But that doesn't help.
I have students who contact me who are not able to pay for their education with sufficient loans and grants and the answer would be that they can get a disability tax credit for a lot of their expenses. Well, that doesn't help somebody pay for it up at the beginning. That doesn't help them get in the door if they can't pay for it to begin with.
It's an issue of tax credits and those are really great. They should continue. But as I mentioned before, we also have an issue with the attachment of disability supports and funding and social assistance and employment. So if somebody is receiving disability supports or disability benefits, which are partly funded by the federal government through the Canada health and social transfer, then they may not be able to work while they're in school. After they graduate, a lot of graduates with disabilities who are highly educated have a really serious decision to make, particularly if they have a serious disability that requires attendant care and all sorts of medical expenses.
Do they take a job that may pay them very little when they leave and lose their benefits or have their benefits clawed back?