“I'm Treated like Less of a Human Being”: Poverty, Isolation, and Privatization in Ontario's Institutional Allowance System
Keywords:
Disability; poverty; institutions; social assistance; Ontario; critical discourse analysisAbstract
This study critically examined how the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) works for disabled people living in institutional settings. It involved a critical discourse analysis of policy texts and interviews with 19 participants, including institutionalized ODSP recipients (n=16) and institution staff (n=3). This article focuses on manifestations of neoliberal ableism in recipients’ experiences with ODSP's institutional allowances. The study found that recipients must use their limited personal allowances to compensate for routinely inadequate shelter and food provided by institutions. Further, the severity of poverty enforced by ODSP’s institutional allowances makes it impossible for recipients to afford other necessities like transportation or a personal phone, which contributes to their social isolation. Ultimately, this research demonstrates how ODSP plays a crucial role in extractive institutional care systems that draw on public resources in service of profitability for institution owners, at the expense of disabled people’s benefits and social inclusion.
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