The activity limitations table provides counts of persons who experience difficulties doing certain activities. The data are taken from the Disability Screen Questions asked on the 2021 Census. Only difficulties or long-term conditions that have lasted or are expected to last for six months or more are considered. Activity limitations are reported according to the frequency with which they are experienced: always, often or sometimes.
Activity limitations are also disaggregated according to type of activity:
- seeing (even when wearing glasses or contact lenses)
- hearing (even when using a hearing aid)
- physical (e.g., walking, using stairs, using their hands or fingers or doing other physical activities)
- cognitive (e.g., learning, remembering or concentrating)
- mental health (emotional, psychological or other such conditions such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, anorexia, etc.)
- other
If a respondent experiences multiple types of activity limitations, then they are counted in both categories. This results in double-counting in the table and the sum of activity limitation types being greater than the total.
Please note that the activity limitations data taken from the 2021 Census of Population questionnaire should be used with caution. The data are intended only to provide a sample frame for the postcensal Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD). Therefore, these data have not been edited nor certified and non-response has not been imputed. The data should not be considered counts of disabled persons, although some members take these counts as a proxy for the disabled population.
More information on the Disability Screening Questions can be found here.