Participation of people with disabilities in selected activities

The Health and Activity Limitation Survey (HALS) surveyed disabled Canadians. The survey measured participation in selected cultural and leisure activities, the satisfaction of disabled people with their level of participation, and barriers to participation. Of those surveyed, 98.0% reported doing one or a combination of the following: watching television; listening to radio, records or tapes; reading. Those with speaking and "other" limitations used the telephone less than those with other types of limitations; similarly, those with severe disabilities used the telephone less than those with less-severe disabilities. Participation decreased with age for activities such as doing arts or crafts, gardening, and talking on the telephone. Those aged 65 and over were more likely to be satisfied with their activity than younger people. Overall, 47.4% of those with a severe disability wanted to do more, compared to 34.0% with a moderate disability and 26.2% with a slight disability. The physical inability to do more was the most-often cited barrier to increasing activity: 53.9% of men and 55.7% of women said it was a barrier.