ARCH Disability Law Centre is a specialty community legal clinic mandated to address systemic change through the removal of ableist barriers and to advance the full inclusion, equality rights, and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities living in Ontario.
United Nations Consultative Status
ARCH holds special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations, supporting international disability rights monitoring and the implementation of the UN CRPD in Canada.
Our Vision
“A society in which laws, policies and legal systems ensure full participation, inclusion, dignity, and equal rights without discrimination for persons with disabilities.”
Our Mission Statement
📢 Systemic Legal Advocacy
Advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities across Ontario, including the elimination of ableist barriers in laws, policies, and practices.
📚 Rights Education & Outreach
Promoting public awareness and delivering accessible legal education to community groups, self-advocates, and legal practitioners.
⚖️ Low-Income Focus & Test Cases
Addressing issues impacting low-income persons with disabilities and representing clients in milestone test-case litigation before tribunals and appellate courts.
🌐 National & International Impact
Engaging in national disability rights initiatives and translating international human rights standards (such as the UN CRPD) into domestic legal reform.
🤝 Intersectional Equity & Inclusion
Addressing the heightened disadvantage faced by persons with disabilities due to intersecting grounds of discrimination, including gender, race, age, language, Indigeneity, economic status, and sexual orientation.
Our Values & Principles
Core Values
- Dignity & Worth: Respecting the inherent dignity and worth of all persons with disabilities.
- Self-Determination: Recognizing that persons with disabilities themselves are in the best position to determine their priorities.
- Equal Participation: Defending the right to equality, disability-related supports, and full inclusion in a barrier-free society.
- Shared Responsibility: Fostering a collective duty across society to create accessible, inclusive communities.
Organizational Principles
- Community Governance: Governed by a community-based Board of Directors composed of a majority of persons with disabilities.
- Public Accountability: Accountable to persons with disabilities in Ontario, our members, and our funding partners.
- Ethical Practice: Operating with complete transparency, integrity, and adherence to client-directed legal advocacy.
Strategic Plan 2024–2029
Outlines our 5-year roadmap for advancing rights, building capacity, and driving systemic legal reform for persons with disabilities across Ontario.
Read Strategic Plan ❯Annual Report 2023–2024
Highlights key legal achievements, community education impacts, and financial stewardship over the past fiscal year.
Read Annual Report ❯Our History
ARCH opened its doors in January 1980 as the first specialist legal clinic in North America run by and for persons with disabilities. Operating until 2005 under the name Advocacy Resource Centre for the Handicapped, the clinic was created to address an urgent need for legal representation identified by consumer groups and an active disability rights movement.
Among its first major law reform victories, ARCH was instrumental in forming the Human Rights Coalition, which successfully advocated for adding “handicap” (disability) as a prohibited ground of discrimination in Ontario’s Human Rights Code. Over the past 45+ years, ARCH has driven legal precedent across mental health rights, accessible voting, deinstitutionalization, supported decision-making, and tax reform.
Watch: ARCH Introductory Video
Learn more about ARCH’s history, community partnerships, and legal clinic mandate in this short video overview.
Awards & Recognition
ARCH Disability Law Centre is deeply grateful for the recognition received from community partners, legal foundations, and international organizations honoring our advocacy for equality and inclusion.
2025 Resilience Award
Presented to Executive Director Robert Lattanzio by the Environmental Health Association of Canada & Quebec at the International Conference on MCS.
2022 Guthrie Award
Awarded to Executive Director Robert Lattanzio by the Law Foundation of Ontario for outstanding contributions to advancing access to justice.
2022 Indigenous Partnership Award
Awarded to Staff Lawyer Kerri Joffe by Indigenous Disability Canada at the Indigenous Disability & Wellness Gathering.
2021 Leadership in Advocacy Award
Awarded to ARCH Disability Law Centre by Muscular Dystrophy Canada for leadership in disability rights advocacy.
2020 Pat Worth Award
Presented to ARCH by People First of Canada in recognition of exceptional contributions to the Inclusion Movement in Canada.
Our Funders & Supporters
ARCH is deeply grateful to our primary funder, Legal Aid Ontario, for ongoing support of our legal clinic mandate. We also thank our government partners, project grantors, and generous individual donors from the public.
