The 20 Year Deep: Life on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

I was in grade 11 when I turned 18 and transitioned into receiving Ontario Disability Support Program ( O.D.S.P. ). I was excited to start to manage my own money. I used to love it when my paycheck came in and I would go out and do errands, go to the bank, pay bills and sort money and so on. I am happy to have the ODSP program in principle. However, the program needs to evolve in conjunction with the soon to come Canada Disability Benefit.

I remember over 20 years going into my last two years of high school in the town of Gold Creek, Ontario, Canada. Some call Gold Creek a city but it’s a town. According to a quick online search from 2018 we have a population of just under 200,000 although I believe that number has gone down quite a bit since the pandemic of 2020. Gold Creek is a small working class community, with restaurants, hotels, Gold Mining and a growing, but 20 plus years ago struggling, artist and culture scene.

Our waitlist for social housing was 5 to 7 years for Rent Geared to Income, it’s even longer if you’re looking for accessible housing – 10, 15, in some cases 20 years.

I believe the wait has not moved, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the waitlist has gotten worse, in my case I was fortunate on some level to have somewhere to live to maintain some independence as well as have some support as my living quarters weren’t fully accessible.

My first year of being a recipient of the O.D.S. P. Program, an average individual’s maximum payment was $957.90 that was in 2004, I remember that time saying to myself this is just a stepping stone, being dependent on ODSP completely was just temporary.

I tried more than once to go to vocational services and vocational support services within existing charities and programs to, well, find work, then invariably the same type of things would happen. I would go do these little tests to find my skills, interests and basic math as well as reading and I hated this but the count changed to see how fast I can be…

I remember a cycle that seemed to be on repeat. I’d be told that due to my challenges I should go look for a volunteer position, which I would do two things. One being we have nothing that would fit your skills, I’d reply with I can answer phones to start…

The other thing I’d be told was oh, you should go look for work, I’m sure with your passion, you can get a job, I don’t see a disability, you could do a Telemarketing job or take tickets at the movie theater.

So, okay I’ll go look for work regardless of what the agency says. I’m willing to work, I mean I have goals and goals take money, I mean everything takes money.

I put together a resume and go looking for a job like most high school students in high school or college do but time and time again I’d be told Oh, we have nothing for you sorry, More annoyingly I’d feel as I hand my resume to a person and just get the feeling my resume would just end up in the trash as all they see is limits and liability, cost and lost profits especially if the job seeker has a visible disability the employer it feels they only see wheelchair, walker whatever it may be.

I remember more than once when I went to one job interview at Tell-Sell, a telemarketing place here in town, I was actually sent by a placement agency and the job location wasn’t accessible.

I went to another telemarketing interview at the company managing tech/customer calls for Johnson Networks and Entertainment’s internet, cable television and security, you know both tech support, or selling package cable, landline, cell phone plans and home and business security packages stuff like that but…

The final step to getting the job was doing a simulation, which did not go well at all, first I’m a two figured, slow typer not to mention my poor vision I couldn’t keep up my heart just sank.

I was just starting to fall behind. I was the last one in the room, I knew I didn’t make it, but I couldn’t storm off in an energy of emotion in all honesty trying not to cry in complete devastation.

I sunk into a deeper depression as no jobs were working out at all. I got one job selling pens and other small merch with your company’s name, number stuff like that, but you only got paid if you made a sale which was a bummer.

I can’t seem to get a job, so okay I’ll create my own job, I’ll focus on creating comic books, tell stories, find my voice as an artist, and sell my content.

I went downtown to the Gold Creek ODSP office, it was a rainy day down at Earl Black square, I booked an appointment with my worker at the time Tammie, as I wanted to access my employment startup to do an course that was facilitated through a program called Work Lessons to put together a business plan, I need to focus on my comic book, and other art and I want to take the course and actually open a business.

Tammie said no, stating she can’t approve of me taking the course, I asked why, she can only approve things I believe are feasible, I asked her what she’s talking about?

She replied I can only approve what I believe will actually make money or be a real opportunity, so I can’t approve of you using your employment startup sorry…

I didn’t understand at the time but this was the beginning of falling deep into the dark, I see friends, family, and my peers in a general sense start to build their lives.

The world is moving forward as it feels like I am stuck in place, with my invisible disability if I have a Global Developmental Delay Attention Deficit disorder, or now The umbrella term would be a neurodivergent brain, traditional schooling was not an option…

I hear some of you reading this and saying oh come on so what you, being me could have got support in school, it’s not that easy, being stuck with disability labels and not having a piece of paper with credits and a grade 12 paper…

Twenty years ago in the twentieth century the school system was less supportive than I hear it is now. Although I’m suspicious of the idea, I can be jaded, what with standardized test and being hidden in Special Education classes or being babysat in other classes while you other classmates are in Gym Class, Shop, but you can’t get marks for the class even when I did the work.

I did one phase of grading called technology Assisted student Learning Program, half way through that year, while thinking of my future turning twenty the first time I started to feel trapped.

I was in a situation where yes I had a home with some accessibility, a bed and some independence support with meals but there were times where I was put down, taken advantage of emotionally and financially abused, my privacy was invaded and there were times of physical abuse.

I ask you the reader how can anyone move beyond their situation to get a job, become a productive member of society or just find themselves their own sense of selves if they got lost in shadows?

A young adult on fixed income can’t completely build up credit and pay off said credit super easy on said fixed but yet you need credit to get anything and you can’t get traditional loan but yet sharks are ready to offer student credit cards.

You begin to wonder what can you do to save money okay I’ll skip some meals maybe I’ll hustle some smokes, some green whatever, this is just temporary, I just pay off my credit maybe do a rent to own a camera and computer to do one’s work, oh my twenty years gone by still trying to climb out of a twenty years deep hole.

My story is not dissimilar from the thousands of other ACORN members who receive O.D.S.P. This is why Ontario ACORN is calling on the provincial government to change the system. That means:

• Double the ODSP and OW rates and make it permanent. Tie ODSP and OW rates to inflation. 
• Raise the employment income threshold from $200 to $800 before clawbacks.
• Increase the housing allowance to match market rent (based on the city the recipient lives in).
• Stop clawbacks on spousal income and benefits.
• Stop the downloading of ODSP to the municipalities 

***********

Written By: Stephen C. Barns Copyright 2024

Disclaimer: The name and locations in this article have been changed.