/ Thriving in the City

Thriving in the City with a Disability

• Christine Sheppard, Yu-Ling Yin and Abinaya Balasubramaniam
Disabled young woman taking selfie with her friends in the park

What do you need to live a healthy and engaged life in the Greater Toronto Area with a mild to moderate physical or mental health disability?

This research by Wellesley Institute shows the resources required to thrive with a disability can cost up to 39 per cent more than thriving without a disability.

The first of its kind, this research is informed by interviews and focus groups with disability advocates and people with lived experience.

With evidence mounting that the more than eight million Canadians – almost one million Torontonians – living with a disability are not thriving, this research points to the need for urgent policy action. 

Thriving with a disability: A framework for a healthy lifeDownload the framework
Thriving in the City with a Disability: What does it cost to live a healthy life?Download the costing report
Toronto and Mississauga infographicsDownload the infographics
Thriving DisabilityDownload all shareable infographics
Christine Sheppard

Christine Sheppard

Dr. Christine L. Sheppard holds a Master’s in Social Work, specializing in gerontology, from the University of Toronto, and a PhD in Health Studies and Gerontology, with a focus on aging, health and well-being, also from the University of Toronto. Prior to starting at Wellesley Institute, she was a CIHR-funded post-doctoral fellow at Sunnybrook Research Institute, specializing in knowledge translation in urban housing and health.

Yu-Ling Yin

Yu-Ling Yin

Yu-Ling (Yuri) Yin is a researcher at Wellesley Institute and holds a Master’s degree in social work from the University of Toronto, specializing in mental health and health, with a focus on immigrants and people living with disabilities. Prior to starting at Wellesley Institute, he was a social worker with over seven years of experience supporting people living with developmental disabilities in Taiwan.

Abinaya Balasubramaniam

Abinaya Balasubramaniam

Abinaya Balasubramaniam was a researcher at Wellesley Institute from 2020 to 2025. Prior to joining Wellesley Institute, she worked at the University of Toronto and Women’s College Research Institute. At Wellesley, Abinaya worked in the areas of housing, policing and equity. She holds a Master’s degree in Women and Gender Studies from the University of Toronto, where she focused on mainstream media’s gendered and racialized representations of inner-city neighbourhoods.