Illiteracy, Disempowerment and Injustice: How the Ontario Human Rights Code Can Protect Persons with Low Literacy Skills

For too long individuals with low literacy skills have been viewed as "illiterates" living on the margins of society, unable to function as well as their "literate" counterparts. In reality, the one third of all Canadians who have weak literacy skills perform vital roles in society and deserve not to be discriminated against in political employment and contractual situations.

Accordingly, the author suggests that discrimination against individuals with low literacy skills be prohibited by the creation of a new ground in the Ontario Human Rights Code entitled "lack of proficiency in English or French". The author canvasses the ability of the Code to redress the rights of language deficient individuals and concludes that human rights legislation can only form part of the solution. Ultimately, societal attitudes and educational efforts must be redirected towards a frank recognition of Canada as a learning society.