Disabled Canadians Form Significant and Untapped Labour Pool

It’s not enough for the federal or provincial government to merely issue a report on the fact that labour-starved companies are overlooking a talented pool of disabled workers, says the head of a disabled advocacy group.A government-commissioned panel found that there are almost 800,000 people with disabilities who are capable of working in Canada and almost half of them have post-secondary education. The panel of private-sector employers was assembled by the federal government in the summer of  2012 and was asked to figure out how to better match job openings with the skills of workers with disabilities.

Uditsky, who heads an organization that helps people with developmental disabilities find employment, says the report is encouraging, but he wants Ottawa to follow it up with concrete measures. He wants to see steps such as tax incentives for companies employing people with disabilities and providing more resources for agencies.

It’s estimated that for people with developmental disabilities such as autism or Down’s Syndrome, less than 30 per cent hold jobs when more than 70 per cent could be employed, he said. Uditsky said people with disabilities may fly under the radar of human resources staff without the advocacy of groups like his.

Previous reports have also found that even the disabled who have jobs are often dramatically underemployed.

Panel members found that there is a broad willingness to hire workers with disabilities, but that more education and training is needed for companies to figure out how to overcome barriers and put their ideas into practice.

Mental health disabilities were found to be particularly problematic. That’s because employees have to admit to such disabilities in order to get special accommodation from employers.

In 2006, about 14.3 per cent of Canada’s population, or 4.4 million people, reported a disability of some kind.

With files from Canadian Press

What does  your organization do to include more workers with disabilities?            

If you are interested in learning more about Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) or how to make accessibility a natural part of your business through the application of Corporate Social Responsibility, please contact Sandra Broekhof @ 416-579-1035 or sandra_broekhof@sympatico.ca or visit www.accessibilitycompliance.ca