New tool to bridge the employment gap for people with disabilities

Highlights

• People with disabilities are a large and growing percentage of Ontario’s population (1.7 million or 15.4 per cent), yet remain an overlooked talent pool.
• By January 1, 2016 private and non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees must be in compliance with Ontario’s new standard on employment of people with disabilities.
• The Employers’ Toolkit was developed to help make organizations more inclusive and to help Ontarioemployers meet the standard concerning employment within the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

OTTAWA, Oct. 2, 2015 /CNW/ – A new fall season means back to school and back to work for most people. Even though people with disabilities are graduating from our schools and post-secondary institutions at close to the same rates as the general population, they are two to three times more likely to be unemployed or out of the labour force.

“Employers frequently overlook this increasingly skilled, stable and underutilized workforce available in their local communities, and business loses”,” says Ruth Wright, Director, Human Resources Research, The Conference Board of Canada. “Organizations that are inclusive and accessible to people of all abilities perform better; it’s good for their bottom line.”

The Conference Board of Canada, in partnership with the Government of Ontario’s EnAbling Change program, has created the Employers’ Toolkit: Making Ontario Workplaces Accessible to People With Disabilities to help employers of all sizes implement simple changes to make their workplaces more inclusive for people with disabilities.

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 led to the creation of the Employment Standard, which helps to level the playing field for this large and growing segment of the population. The Employer’s Toolkit helps Ontario employers understand and implement the Employment Standard by providing advice, practical scenarios, and useful tools and templates.

“Our toolkit will help organizations promote diversity and inclusion in their workplace to meet requirements of the Employment Standard and, equally important, attract and retain a wider pool of talent,” said Wright.

The toolkit is available free of charge from The Conference Board of Canada’s website.