Yet there is a lack of information about the various dimensions of accommodation and relatively little assistance to help offset associated costs. In October 1997, the Government of Canada introduced an amendment to the Human Rights Act to include the duty to accommodate. While the VRDP program has served Canadians with disabilities well, governments recognized that fundamental changes were needed to develop a greater employability focus. The initiative responds to the need for appropriate programs and services to help people with disabilities overcome the barriers they face in the labour force. EAPD will support a broad range of programs and services, ranging from employment counselling and assessment to wage subsidies and assistive aids and devices.
Provinces have the flexibility to tailor programs to reflect local priorities and circumstances.
A periodic review of the employability-focussed programs funded under EAPD agreements will help ensure that the programs are effective. Under EAPD, the federal and provincial governments have also committed to a planning process, which will ensure a more coordinated approach to employment-related issues for people with disabilities. The views of stakeholders will be considered in the planning process. This information would be widely disseminated, as discussed in the section on Full Citizenship. At the same time, strategies directed towards employers could be undertaken.