Laval disability groups bring election candidates face-to-face with accessibility challenges
Eight candidates running in Laval in the October 5 provincial election took part in the second edition of the Électorallye on September 17, an event organized by the Regroupement des organismes de promotion de personnes handicapées de Laval (ROPPHL).
Candidates from the Coalition avenir Québec, Quebec Liberal Party, Parti Québécois and Québec solidaire participated in the non-partisan activity at the Centre communautaire Laval-des-Rapides.
The event invited candidates to experience simulations reflecting some of the situations faced by people with disabilities in their daily lives.
Candidates take part in simulations
ROPPHL member organizations created activities related to different disabilities and accessibility barriers.
According to the organization, participants came away with observations about the additional time and energy some everyday activities can require and about accessibility measures that do not always meet people’s actual needs.
Candidates also met with community organizations to discuss accessible and affordable housing, employment and social participation.
The event coincided with the Laval launch of an election awareness campaign led by the Alliance québécoise des regroupements régionaux pour l’intégration des personnes handicapées (AQRIPH).
Three issues highlighted
The campaign focuses on discrimination, support for families and access to employment.
ROPPHL says nearly 70,000 Laval residents aged 15 and over live with a disability, not including their relatives and caregivers. The figure was also cited by the organization’s executive director, Kim Joly, following the event.
At the provincial level, the campaign points to an estimated 100,000 people aged 15 to 64 with disabilities who were not studying, were outside the labour market and were considered able to work, based on 2017 data from the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
The campaign also raises concerns about financial support available to families for respite and caregiving services. AQRIPH member organizations state that a rate of $2.75 per hour has remained unchanged for decades.
ROPPHL calls for concrete commitments
ROPPHL is asking political parties and candidates to consult people with disabilities and the organizations that work with them when developing policies.
“It is time to place the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities and their loved ones at the heart of political concerns, decisions and commitments,” Joly said in the organization’s statement.
She called for “ambitious, concrete and measurable” commitments aimed at improving living conditions for people with disabilities and their families.
The September 17 Électorallye was the second organized by the ROPPHL. Its first edition was held during Laval’s 2025 municipal election campaign.
