The unlimited potential of an Accessibility ERG

An Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) is a fundamental driver of the Inclusion and Diversity agenda in corporate Canada. However an ERG's impact can be much broader than Inclusion and Diversity.

The area of accessibility in particular provides a unique opportunity to create an ERG that interconnects with the business in multiple ways. This could include:

• Business Development
• Recruiting
• Facilities and office design
• Employee engagement
• Health and wellness
• Legislative Compliance (e.g. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act)

Given the facts*….

•  7% of Canadians self-identify as having a disability.

• 180,500 job-ready Canadians with disabilities have a post-secondary education.

• $40 billion estimated buying power of the disability community in Canada.
• 90% of people with disabilities rated average or better on job performance than their non-disabled colleagues.
• 98% of people with disabilities rated average or better in work safety than their non-disabled colleagues

 ……corporate Canada is realizing the importance of this community.

An ERG that focuses on Accessibility can provide immediate, useful insights to make a workplace more inclusive, which benefits both employees and the business.

Does your organization have an ERG focused on Accessibility? Are there other benefits to an Accessibility ERG not mentioned above? I’d love to hear from you!

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 orsandra_broekhof@sympatico.ca