This guide has been developed by the OCASI Accessibility Initiative and is funded by Immigrants, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
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About this guide
We hope this guide provides you with clear answers and relevant resources to address key aspects of your integration in Canada as an immigrant with a disability. The guide is meant to help you discover and access essential services, from disability documentation to health care, transportation, affordable and accessible housing, and food banks.
More about this guide:
- The guide was developed in collaboration with individuals with lived experience and subject matter experts to identify and address common barriers, ensuring its relevance and inclusivity.
- The national guide is a comprehensive resource for im/migrants with disabilities and those who are d/Deaf in Canada. It provides clear, reliable, and accessible information about essential settlement services such as disability documentation, healthcare, accessible housing, and transportation.
- The guide is also a valuable resource for service providers at both national and provincial/territorial levels, offering practical tools and accurate information to better respond to the unique needs of these individuals.
We encourage you to share this guide with other people who could benefit from it. And don't hesitate to provide us with any feedback you may consider relevant. We appreciate your input to help us enrich and improve this guide, so it continues to meet the expectations of im/migrants with disabilities or who are d/Deaf.
About The Accessibility Initiative
The Accessibility Initiative is a national bilingual project by the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), an umbrella organization created in 1978 to act as the collective voice for the im/migrant and refugee serving sector in Ontario.
The Initiative aims to build the sector's capacity to better serve im/migrants and refugees with disabilities and who are d/Deaf across Canada. We strive to do this by drawing increased attention to the lived experiences of immigrants and refugees with in/visible disabilities while providing the sector with more effective tools and resources to serve them.
Last updated: September 24, 2025