Canadian Survey on Disability, 2012
Dexterity disabilities among Canadians aged 15 years and older, 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability, 2012
Dexterity disabilities among Canadians aged 15 years and older, 2012

According to the 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD), 3,775,900 (13.7%) Canadians aged 15 years and older reported some type of disability, and 953,100 of these individuals (or 3.5% of all Canadian adults) were identified as having a dexterity disability that limited them in their daily activities (Table 1). The most prevalent underlying dexterity condition reported by those with dexterity disabilities was arthritis.

As with disability in general, the likelihood of having a dexterity disability increased notably with age—ranging from a prevalence rate of 0.6% for adults aged 15 to 24 to a rate of 8.8% for those aged 65 and older (Chart 1). The prevalence of a dexterity disability was somewhat higher for women than men for those aged 25 to 44 (1.5% versus 1.0%, respectively) or 65 and over (10.3% versus 6.8%, respectively).

Multiple disabilities

Dexterity disability frequently co-occurred with other types of disability: 97.2% of adults with dexterity disabilities also reported at least one other type of disability in 2012. Adults aged 25 to 64 and seniors aged 65 and older with dexterity disabilities had high rates of co-occurrence with the other physical types such as flexibility, mobility, and pain. As for the young adults aged 15 to 24 who reported dexterity disabilities and had other disabilities, learning disabilities and flexibility disabilities were the top two most common co-occurring disabilities, followed by pain-related disabilities.

Education

Educational attainment

Working-age adults (aged 15 to 64) with dexterity disabilities had overall lower levels of educational attainment than those who did not have any type of disability. For example, adults aged 15 to 64 who were not in school and who reported a dexterity disability were more likely than those without any type of disability to have not completed high school (22.9% versus 13.1%). This pattern was particularly pronounced among those aged 15 to 24: individuals with a dexterity disability were more than twice as likely to have not completed high school, compared with those without any disability (63.8% versus 25.4%).^{Note 1}

Similarly, adults aged 15 to 64 with a dexterity disability were also less likely (49.3%) than their counterparts without any disability (61.1%) to have completed postsecondary qualifications.^{Note 2}

Educational experiences

In the 2012 CSD (Canadian Survey on Disability), adults with a disability who were currently or had recently been in school were asked a series of questions about their educational experiences and how their condition or conditions may have affected these experiences.^{Note 3} Nearly two-thirds of adults with dexterity disabilities reported that their condition(s) had influenced their choice of courses or careers and resulted in them taking fewer courses (Table 2). These experiences are based on the impact of all the disabilities the individuals may have had.

Employment

Labour force status

Nearly two-thirds (62.4%) of adults aged 15 to 64 with dexterity disabilities were not in the labour force, and another 5.9%^E were unemployed.^{Note 4}

The employment rate of working-age adults, aged 15 to 64, with dexterity disabilities was 31.7%, less than half the employment rate of those aged 15 to 64 who did not have any type of disability (73.6%).

In each age group, those without any disability were roughly twice as likely to be employed as those with a dexterity disability. This pattern was more pronounced in the youngest and oldest age groups (Chart 4).

Disability in the workplace

Over a quarter (27.0%^E) of employed adults with a dexterity disability indicated that their employer was unaware of their condition(s).

Among those with a dexterity disability who were either in the labour market at the time of the survey or had been within five years prior to the survey, 62.0% reported that they believed their employer considered them disadvantaged and 57.9% reported that they felt disadvantaged in the labour market (Chart 5). With respect to more specific indicators of disadvantage in the labour market, 15.4% believed that they had been refused a job, 13.7% felt they had been refused a promotion, and 11.2% believed that they had been refused a job interview—all due to their disability or disabilities. It is important to remember that this is based on the impact of all disability types these individuals with dexterity disabilities may have had.

Job modifications

Overall, 55.5% of adults with a dexterity disability who were or had been recently employed^{Note 5} stated that they needed at least one type of job accommodation such as modified work hours (39.1%), modified duties (23.3%), special back supports (19.0%), a modified work station (16.0%), and other job accommodations. Of those requiring modifications, 41.2% reported that all of their needs had been met, while 29.8% indicated having had some needs met. Another 29.0% reported having had none of their needs met. Given the high rate of co-occurrence with other types of disabilities, some of these accommodations may have been for disabilities other than dexterity disabilities.

Hours worked

Employed working-age adults, aged 15 to 64, with dexterity disabilities worked an average of 31 hours per week,^{Note 6} which is less than the average number for those without any reported disability (37 hours).^{Note 7}

Not in the labour force

Among adults with a dexterity disability, aged 15 to 64, who were not in the labour force, the majority (85.8%) reported that their condition(s) prevented them from working. Of these individuals, 13.6%^E indicated that some type of accommodation would allow them to work. As well, 22.5% indicated that they would look for work in the next 12 months.^{Note 8} Respondents who planned to look for work were asked why they intended to do so:

• 33.6%^E expected their condition to improve,
• 13.9%^E planned to take training, and
• 11.7%^E expected workplace changes/improvements.

Many of those who were not in the labour force encountered barriers that discouraged them from looking for work. Some of the most commonly reported job search barriers for those with dexterity disabilities were the lack of available local jobs (22.3%), unsuccessful past attempts (22.1%), inadequate training or experience (17.9%), and a fear of losing additional supports (16.6%) (Chart 6).

Supports

Nine in ten adults (88.9%) with dexterity disabilities indicated requiring help with some type of everyday activity, and 69.7% of them reported having some level of unmet need for at least one of these support requirements.

While 82.6% of all adults with dexterity disabilities reported receiving help with at least one type of everyday activity, there was unmet need for various specific types of supports, as summarized in Chart 7. For example, 42.7% of all adults with dexterity disabilities had an unmet need for help with heavy household chores, while 9.1% had an unmet need for help with moving around.

Help with everyday activities was most likely to have come from family members, particularly those in the same household. For example, among those receiving assistance with such activities, two-thirds (66.7%) of those with dexterity disabilities received some help from family members living with them and 45.1% received some help from family members who were not living with them. Help with everyday activities came from other sources as well. For example, among those who received some assistance, 30.2% of adults with dexterity disabilities also indicated receiving help from a friend or neighbour, 20.7% paid an individual or organization for help, and 16.0% reported receiving help from an organization free of charge.

Income

Personal income for working-age adults

The median personal income (before taxes) of working-age adults (aged 15 to 64) with a dexterity disability was $15,500—less than half that of those without disabilities ($31,200).^{Note 9} Males with dexterity disabilities had a statistically significantly higher personal income than their female counterparts ($20,300 versus $13,100).

Those with dexterity disabilities were also more likely to be reliant on government transfers^{Note 10} as their major source of income compared with those without disabilities; 63.2% of working-age adults with dexterity disabilities relied on government transfers as their major source of income compared with 18.7% of those without disabilities. Women with dexterity disabilities were more likely than their male counterparts to have government transfers as their main source of income (67.6% versus 58.2%). Furthermore, it was found that employed adults aged 15 to 64 with a dexterity disability had a lower median employment income than those without any reported type of disability ($26,800 compared with $34,100).^{Note 11} As well, among those with dexterity disabilities, men had a significantly higher median employment income than women ($38,600 versus $20,700).

Conclusion

Adults with a dexterity disability face many challenges. Co-occurrence with other disability types was very high. In particular, the majority of individuals with a dexterity disability also had a mobility disability, a flexibility disability, and/or a pain-related disability. However, among the youngest adults, dexterity disabilities were most likely to be combined with learning disabilities. At the same time, educational attainment and employment levels among those with a dexterity disability were lower than for those who did not report any disability. Even when employed, those with a dexterity disability had lower levels of employment income. Consequently, it is not surprising that working-age adults with a dexterity disability were also more likely than those without any disability to rely on government transfers as their major source of income. Nearly 9 in 10 adults with a dexterity disability required some type of help with everyday activities (in particular, the more physically demanding activities such as heavy household chores and housework), and about two-thirds of them had some level of unmet need.

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