I'm going to take over now.
Good afternoon, everybody. One of the things the Council of Canadians with Disabilities is also looking at, as Bob mentioned, is what we refer to as “ableist” assumptions and the digital divide.
One of the things we're concerned about is that, while reliance on information and communication technology instead of on Canada Post delivery may be an option for some Canadians, not all Canadians can afford to have Internet service at home. Canadians with disabilities face a disproportionate level of poverty, and thus Internet service is beyond the budget of some people with disabilities, especially those reliant on social assistance, as they have very little discretionary income.
In addition, some Canadians with disabilities require adaptive technology to make information and communication technology accessible. This comes with additional costs to the person with disabilities.
According to the participation and activity limitation survey in 2006, low income is a significant issue for a large number of people with disabilities who are of working age—from 15 to 64—after which the poverty rate drops significantly among seniors but falls to a level that's similar to that for seniors without disabilities.
In 2010, according to Statistics Canada, eight out of ten Canadian households had Internet access. Access rates were higher in large cities, where about 81% of households had access. They were lower in smaller cities—about 76%—and in rural areas—approximately 71%. So there was quite a high level of access to the Internet. There was, however, a considerable income divide; wealthier households were more likely to have Internet access than were poorer households.
If Canadian households are split into four groups based on income, the richest one-quarter of households, those with annual incomes of about $87,000 or more, had almost universal access, about 97%. At the other end of the income divide, the poorest one-quarter of households, those with incomes of $30,000 or less, barely half—54%—had Internet access. Many people with disabilities fall into this lower range.
Of the 21% of Canadian households that didn't have Internet access, more than half—56%—told Statistics Canada they had no interest in it. One-fifth cited the costs of accessing the equipment, and 15% said they lacked a device such as a computer through which to be connected.
One of the things the Council of Canadians with Disabilities also wants to stress is that there is often a relationship between postal delivery service and people with disabilities, and that service is important to our population. In many ways, there's no substitute for having people interacting with people with disabilities, and mail carriers, albeit unofficially, play a vital role in looking out for vulnerable people in their communities, particularly people who have disabilities or are seniors or both.
We feel an unacceptable option is a two-track mail system, which would be problematic for people with disabilities if there were an assumption that there should be a separation between people with disabilities and seniors. One of the things we realized at the Council of Canadians with Disabilities is that many people have to legitimize being disabled in order to be eligible for the service, a process that takes time and money.
Another thing we're really concerned about is navigation of the system, which Bob already talked about, and the accessibility issue.
A third element we're quite concerned about is having a system that identifies or labels a person with a disability, which would allow others to note that somebody with a disability lives in a particular household or apartment, thereby leaving that person open to violence or abuse.
Those are some of the things. I notice my time is wrapping up so I'll leave it there.