People with a disability
As a person with a disability, the Charter protects you in your interactions with:
- organizations
- service providers
- government institutions
It also protects you in your private relationships, such as those with your family members.
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Charter rights
Among other things, the Charter guarantees people with a disability:
The right to equality
Your right to equality protects you from discrimination and harassment on the basis of your disability or your way of reducing its impact on your life. (a ‘means to palliate’ it). This could include a wheelchair, a guide dog, a service dog or a prosthesis.
Disability or the use of any means to palliate a disability are prohibited grounds for discrimination and harassment.
Learn more about disability as a prohibited ground
Your right to equality is what allows for you to request reasonable accommodation.
Reasonable accommodation is a way of putting an end to discrimination on the basis of disability, religion, age or any other grounds prohibited by the Charter. For example, reasonable accommodation could mean adapting a workstation for an employee who has requested this because of certain limitations.
Learn more about reasonable accommodation
The right to protection from exploitation
Exploitation means taking advantage of someone’s vulnerability or dependency to deprive them of their rights.
Fundamental rights and freedoms
Your fundamental rights and freedoms include your rights to life; personal security, inviolability and freedom; privacy; assistance; and free disposition of your property.
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Know your rights
Thematic pages
- Disability: a prohibited ground for discrimination
- Discrimination
- Harassment
- Exploitation
- Les animaux utilisés pour pallier un handicap (French only)
Leaflet
Video
Organizations and associations
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What can you do if your rights are being violated?
The Commission can help enforce your rights
We are here to help you understand and defend your Charter rights. We can assist you if:
You have experienced or witnessed exploitation
We will assess your situation quickly to determine if we are able to investigate. Depending on the outcome of our investigation, we may propose ways to resolve the situation or may refer the matter to court.
File a complaint of exploitation
You have experienced discrimination or harassment on the basis of your disability, you can:
File a complaint of discrimination
Find help
If you need services at home because you are losing your autonomy:
If your problem is related to housing:
- Contact the Tribunal administratif du logement
If you are being denied the care you are entitled to in your residential and long-term care centre (CHSLD):
- Contact the Ombudsman (Protecteur du citoyen)
- Contact the users’ committee
- Contact the Centre d’assistance et d’accompagnement aux plaintes
If you have experienced physical or sexual abuse:
- Contact your local police department or the Sûreté du Québec (911)
- Contact the Elder Mistreatment Helpline: www.aideabusaines.ca/en or 1 888-489-2287
- Contact the Tribunal administratif du logement
Universal accessibility
All public places (including businesses and institutions, like schools and libraries) should aim for universal accessibility.
This means adapting their physical environment, as well as their operations and customer relations so that everyone can access all their services.
Universal accessibility is a principle that applies to the entire population, including people with functional limitations. It is a way of guaranteeing that everyone can exercise their right to equality.
Learn more
- Accessibility of businesses and other public places (Report) (French only)
- The rights of students with special needs (Thematic page) (French only)
- Using animals to palliate a disability
- Enfants en situation de handicap en camp de jour (French only)
All our publications, training and other resources on disability as a prohibited ground for discrimination.