Instead, the RGPD was asked to respond to a number of mainstream issues for which they had little time or resources. Without adequate financial support and no structural basis for consultation, the group has had to depend on individuals for leadership. The Chair of the RGPD and several individuals with expertise in the field of employment were delegated the tasks of dealing with such issues as labour adjustment, transition to work and national occupational and training standards.

Yet funding provided to the RGPD was only enough to support one meeting a year and to maintain minimum communication among the members. The lack of resources and inadequate support for networking has created difficulties in responding effectively to important national issues. The women's reference group, although struggling with its own budget restrictions, has been openly welcoming participation from the RGPD and has included a representative of DAWN Canada as a member of its group. In fact, there has been a great deal of communication and strategic planning done through the WRG which enables women with disabilities to have a voice they do not have through the route of the disability reference group.

To outsiders, the process looks equitable enough. But people with disabilities are additionally marginalized because no allowance has been made in funding or otherwise for "accommodation" of their needs. Fortunately Joan Westland is a vocal and well-respected advocate who brings the issues of people with disabilities to the table on a regular basis. But the experience has been one of frustration. Although the group is mentioned in positions papers, given time at Board meetings and seats on advisory bodies, equity issues are not part of the overall implementation of the Labour Force Strategy.

This is a reflection of the attitude that equity is something that comes with prosperity and that under the current economic situation we should focus on competitiveness and adjustment to address immediate concerns of existing work force partners. It is not an uncommon assumption that displaced able-bodied male workers have priority over women with disabilities who are at home trying to enter the work force. The issues of women with disabilities, particularly those without formal educational training, are not being adequately addressed because there are too many other "more important" concerns.

Solidarity in the Margins

People with disabilities have been marginalized from participation in other equity groups as well as from participation in mainstream politics. First Nations groups and visible minority groups have rarely addressed accessibility issues in their own processes and only minimally address special issues of interest to disabled members of their constituencies. As I mentioned, the situation is better within women's groups, but not by much.

Disabled women are welcomed into the women's movement under certain conditions: that they share feminist views and will support the movement, but that their participation not cost a great deal nor require major changes in process. Women with disabilities who are easily accommodated and who do not require much support are welcomed as sisters and even encouraged to participate at the leadership level. Those with more severe disabilities, those with little feminist grounding and those who require a substantial amount of financial and human resources are not as quickly included.

Granted, there are limited resources and women's groups are not able to cover all the costs associated with disability needs. But neither are disability groups. What essentially happens is the same as the labour market exclusion of the "less profitable" in favour of the "more productive." Women with disabilities who are able to "compete" become part of the process and provide input on behalf of the women with other disabilities in lieu of those other women actually being there.

There are also problems for women within disability organizations, raising questions of equality and participation. Issues such as lack of recognition of family and child care needs, sexism, homophobia and harassment exist within the disability movement as much as they do in the larger society. Often the complaint can be heard that something is a "woman's issue" and not a "disability issue" despite the fact that half the participants at the meeting are women. Feminists are a minority voice among people with disabilities and it is often difficult to get issues of importance to women with disabilities to the top of the list.