Advancing Benefits for People with Disabilities

In this webinar you will learn about the barriers facing people with disabilities in accessing benefit programs and the work currently underway to identify, influence and pilot solutions to help advance the access to benefits process now and in the future.  

 This webinar includes: 

  • An overview of the barriers and enablers to accessing benefits and services for people living with a disability 
  • Sharing key values and design principles to advance Access to Benefits for People with Disabilities - Canada Disability Benefit example 
  • A pilot project example: 'Increasing Access to Benefits for People with Disabilities' - overview of the ESDC pilot in British Columbia  
  • The importance of evaluation in access to benefits projects 
  • A call to action - how you can help advance benefits for people with disabilities 

The webinar speakers are: 

  • Janet Flynn (Prosper Canada) 
  • Basia Pakula (Social Research and Demonstration Corporation) 
  • Helaine Boyd (Disability Alliance BC) 

This 1-hour webinar is for any organization who works directly with people living with a disability and is interested in learning about ways to improve the access to benefits process to help clients increase their incomes by accessing government benefits. 

Click 'Get it' below to access the video link, and scroll down to access slides, and video timestamps for this webinar. 

 



Read the presentation slides for this webinar. 

Time stamps for the video recording:

    • 5:20  – Start
    • 6:12 – Land acknowledgement
    • 7:24 – Introduction of speakers
    • 9:42 – Today’s presentation
    • 10:45 – Barriers to access to benefits
    • 15:12 – Designing for benefit accessibility
    • 21:53 – ESDC pilot project
    • 32:46 –Demo of the disability benefit compass
    • 44:36 – Importance of evaluation
    • 50:58 – What’s next? What’s possible?
    • 58:55 – Questions

**Virtual self-filing tax filing toolkit


This toolkit has been created to support the Virtual Self Filing tax filing model piloted in 2020 by community agencies in Ontario. In this model, individuals file their own tax return but receive support from community agency staff or volunteers to do so. 

This resource was made possible through funding from Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation and Intuit Canada.

We are grateful to Woodgreen Community Services and EBO Financial Education Centre for their contributions to this resource.

If you are interested in adopting the Virtual Self Filing tax filing model in your own agency using the TurboTax for Tax Clinics software, please contact Ana Fremont (Program Delivery & Integration Manager) at [email protected] 




This section contains resources that describe the flow of the virtual self-file model (two options), and examples of scripts and documents that may be used to support the process. These may be customized for your own agency.

Guide to the virtual self-file model of tax filing
Virtual self-file overview (Journey map)

Sample script: Recruiting clients for the virtual self-file project (Used in 2020)
Email templates (Independent filing method)
Booking confirmation email sample (Two-step method)

Sample introduction scripts (Woodgreen)
Sample disclaimer statement
Sample client intake form (Woodgreen)
Document and income eligibility check
Sample document check form (Woodgreen)
Virtual review of tax return: Quick tips

Sample outcomes tracker (Woodgreen)

This section contains additional resources to support at tax time. Be sure to also review our Tax filing toolkit and Financial Coaching toolkit for other relevant resources.

Sample client profiles (Woodgreen)
Common tax deductions
Common sources of income and their tax slips
Notice of Assessment – how to read it

Global Learning Partners: Shareable Resources

Global Learning Partners (GLP) helps individuals and organizations to learn by providing practical expertise in learning assessment, design, facilitation and evaluation.

Their shareable resources cover a variety of topics in learning, taking a learning-centered approach, including: Learning Design, Needs Assessment, Facilitation, Evaluation, and others.



Webinar series on remote program delivery

A series of webinars hosted by ABC Life Literacy Canada to support literacy practitioners across the country to implement remote program delivery.

Topics include:

  • How to Use Zoom & Google Meet (formerly Google Hangouts)
  • How to Use WhatsApp & FaceTime
  • How to Use Skype & GoToWebinar
  • Tips for remote delivery of ABC workshops
  • Community Webinar: Adapting Programs to a Changing Landscape
  • Activate Learning



How to deliver virtual financial education workshops

Making the transition from in-person to virtual program delivery has become a necessary step in continuing financial empowerment services during these times of physical distancing. Financial education workshops are a valuable part of any financial empowerment program, and there are many different considerations when moving these to an online format. But don’t feel daunted! There are also many different ways to approach virtual workshops.

Join our speakers Millie Acuna (SEED Winnipeg, MB) and Fatima Esmail (Momentum, Calgary, AB), who will share their learnings as experienced financial educators and facilitators. You’ll learn how to approach workshop logistics and setup, ways to engage and build rapport with your workshop attendees, and instructional design tips for virtual learning.

Click 'Get it' below to access the video link, and scroll down to access handouts, slides, and video timestamps for this webinar.

Read the presentation slides for this webinar.

Handouts for this webinar:
Online financial tools and calculators (Prosper Canada)
Virtual tools for participant engagement (Prosper Canada)
Online delivery check-list (Momentum)
Jeopardy game template (SEED)

Time-stamps for the video recording:
3:26 – Agenda and introductions
5:10 – Audience polls
8:19 – Virtual delivery considerations (Speaker: Glenna Harris, Prosper Canada)

12:39 – Virtual workshops best practices (Speaker: Fatima Esmail, Momentum)
33:12 – Online money management training (Speaker: Millie Acuna, SEED)
49:07 – Q&A

From Emergency to Opportunity: Building a Resilient Alberta Nonprofit Sector After COVID-19

This report presents an analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the nonprofit sector drawn from data collected in CCVO's Alberta Nonprofit Survey, data from surveys by the Alberta
Nonprofit Network, Imagine Canada, and partner organizations across the country.

The analysis in this report shows that the effects on the nonprofit sector have been magnified through increased service demand, decreased revenue, and diminished organizational capacity coupled by delays in support and inadequate recognition for the leadership role that the sector is being called upon to play.



Taxpayer Rights in the Digital Age

This paper explores the intersection of digital innovation, digital services, access, and taxpayer rights in the Canadian context, in light of the experiences of vulnerable populations in Canada, from the perspective of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman. Many aspects of the CRA’s digitalization can further marginalize vulnerable populations but there are also opportunities for digital services to help vulnerable persons in accessing the CRA’s services.

The Financial Health Check: Scalable Solutions for Financial Resilience

A large majority of American households live in a state of financial vulnerability. Across a range of incomes, people struggle to build savings, pay down debt, and manage irregular cash flows. Even modest savings cushions could help households take care of unexpected expenses or disruptions in income without relying on costly credit. But in practice, setting aside savings can be difficult.

Research from the field of behavioral science shows that light-touch interventions can help address these barriers. For example, changing default settings or bringing financial management to the forefront of everyday life have had powerful effects on savings activity. The Financial Health Check (FHC) draws on such insights to offer a new model of scalable support for achieving financial goals.



Innovative use of technology for VITA

In this presentation, German Tejeda, National Director of Financial Programs, Single Stop USA, shares results from the Virtual VITA Program in the United States since 2012. 

This presentation is from the session 'Innovations in tax filing assistance', at the tax research symposium hosted by Prosper Canada and Intuit, February 7, 2019, in Ottawa.

View all presentations from this event here.



Virtual VITA: Expanding Free Tax Preparation. Program Insights

This brief highlights findings from a small-scale pilot that integrated Virtual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) services at two New York City Head Start programs during the 2013 tax season. The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE) coordinated the pilot in partnership with the Administration for Children & Families (ACF) Region Food Bank For New York City was the VITA provider. Participating Head Start programs included The Children’s Aid Society and Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC).