Opportunities Fund (OF) - Financial Assistance for Individuals

People with disabilities may apply directly for certain kinds of financial assistance. Depending on where they live, this may include assistance for self-employment, skills for employment, and services such as the provision of assistive devices in order to enter the labour market.

• Who can apply
• Eligible activities
• Costs that may be covered
• Duration
• How to apply
• More Information

Who can apply

To be eligible to apply, individuals must:

• self identify as having a permanent physical or mental disability that limits daily activity;
• be unemployed or working less than an average of 20 hours per week;
• be legally entitled to work in Canada; and
• be in need of assistance to prepare to enter the labour market, obtain a job or become self-employed.

Note: To qualify for assistance, indidividuals must NOT be currently eligible for federal employment programs offered under Part II of the Employment Insurance Act (or similar provincial or territorial programs). In addition, individuals must not have received Employment Insurance benefits within 36 months of their request for assistance or maternity or parental benefits within 60 months of their request.

Eligible activities

Self-Employment — Financial assistance to help people with disabilities create jobs for themselves by starting a business. Funding is provided to cover the costs for personal living expenses and for entrepreneurial training.

Note: The start-up cost of a business is not covered. For information on starting a business, see the Canada Business - Services for Entrepreneurs Web site.

Skills for Employment — Financial assistance to help people with disabilities get the job skills training they need to enter the labour market.

OF Services — Financial assistance for people with disabilities to get the supports they need (services, arrangements, or equipment such as ergonomic chairs, hearing aids and large text screens.) to help them overcome the barriers they may face as they begin new employment. The supports must be directly related to that employment.

Individuals may also benefit indirectly from funding available to employers and organizations, such as wage subsidies, work experience and enhanced employment assistance services. Contact your local Service Canada Centre to find out what’s available in your area.

Costs that may be covered

Financial assistance may cover the following costs related to participating in an eligible activity:

• all or part of their living expenses;
• all or part of the cost of participating in the activity (specialized services, arrangements or equipment, dependent care, transportation and accommodation); and
• all or part of the cost of training or taking courses.

Duration

The maximum agreement duration is three years. The agreements authorizing financial assistance are negotiated and written on a year-by-year basis, with the negotiation being dependent upon successful completion of each individual year.

How to apply

Please contact your local Service Canada Centre for information on where to apply in your area.

More information

For more information on financial assistance for individuals, please contact the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities.