The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) are at odds often, so before I started school, I did my research. I made sure to report everything accurately so there wouldn’t be any overlap in my funding. There would be no out-of-the-blue penalizations from either program based on my funding from the other.

Except that didn’t pan out.

I’m a single, disabled parent, who is lucky enough to have gotten into Toronto Metropolitan University for the Social Work program. I feel passionately about disability advocacy. I want to help people who find themselves in situations similar to the one I’m in.

When I qualified for OSAP, I also got a grant for students with dependents – AKA, parents coming back to post-secondary. The thing is, for whatever reason, that money was lumped into the category of noneducational funds, and ODSP now wants to take ‘back’ over $2000 from me, at a rate of -$400 per month. That’s money I used for its designated purpose: childcare.

To say this’ll cause undue hardship is an understatement.

I have taken all the steps I can to fight this. I’ve requested an internal review, with plans to appeal and to look into Legal Aid in the event they insist on taking this money away. ODSP already barely provides enough money for me to scrape by on. Our government underfunds and undervalues the lives of disabled people and keeps us trapped below the poverty line with very little hope for improving our quality of life.

I’m going to fight for us. I’m sticking with my education and I’m going to be an advocate for everyone struggling to find their rent money, or their next meal.

In the meantime, all we can do is appeal to kindness and support each other.

Any money you can spare, all the word you can spread, is appreciated. But I’m also asking for a little more, if I can be selfish? If you’re also living in Ontario – or hell, even if you’re not – I’d love if you can contact your provincial leader via email (or mail, or even social media) to tell them that you see us. You see disabled people barely getting by, or not getting by at all, and want our government – the government put in place with designs to support all Canadians – to do better.

Thank you for taking the time to read.