National AccessAbility Week 2026: What Are We Measuring?

As part of National AccessAbility Week #NAAW2026, at LiveWorkPlay we’re reflecting on an important Statistics Canada | Statistique Canada report:

“Examining Work Potential and Overqualification Among Persons with Disabilities”
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/260604/dq260604a-eng.htmhttps://lnkd.in/eSPzsNpK [Released: 2026-06-04]

The report found that 42% of non-working Canadians with disabilities were identified as having “work potential.”

It also examines the relationship between employment outcomes, overqualification, and disability severity.

At LiveWorkPlay, that raises an important question:

Are we measuring people, or are we measuring barriers?

For decades, disability has often been described using labels such as “mild” and “severe.” While these classifications may serve statistical and administrative purposes, they can reinforce a medical-model view of disability that asks “What is “wrong with this person?” rather than “What barriers are preventing this person from participating fully?”

At LiveWorkPlay, we have never found these labels particularly useful for understanding a person’s potential or helping them pursue employment and other goals in life.

A person is not “mild.”

A person is not “severe.”

A person has strengths, interests, ambitions, talents, relationships, and support needs. That is true for all people.

The report’s finding that 42% of non-working Canadians with disabilities have “work potential” raises a fundamental question:

Is perceived “lack of potential” really about disability, or is it about inaccessible systems, limited accommodations, transportation challenges, and low societal expectations?

Supporting inclusive employment is not about disability labels. It is about removing barriers.

Accessibility is not about measuring people.

It’s about building communities and workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to contribute.