What why & for whom? Investigating rational decision-making in today’s Atlantic Canadian disability-focused non-profit landscape

Abstract

Canada’s disability-focused non-profit landscape is tasked with serving a rising 8 million Canadians living with a disability. More than a statistic, this population is made up of individuals with unique lived experiences and forms of activism. Over the last 25 years, government program-based funding contracts have grown to account for nearly 70% of all funding in the non-profit sector. While NPOs have always yielded to government decision-makers, this funding regime ensures government influence over the day-to-day politics and operations of the sector. Some studies argue this makes NPOs apolitical or hollow. Yet, disability-focused work has always been defined by first-voice advocates contesting ableist government policies. As NPOs negotiate reliance on government and commitment to disabled Canadians, they cannot become apolitical without relinquishing purpose. This project explores how the staff who work within these organizations occupy ambiguous organizational roles and why they continue to work in disability-focused NPOs despite ongoing tensions.