For many young people, finding your first job is a milestone—one that brings independence, confidence and new opportunities. But for youth with disabilities, the path to employment is often filled with barriers that go beyond typical job-seeking challenges. At Holland Bloorview, Laura Bowman, project manager for research and evaluation with the employment pathways team, is working to change that.
“Many people think the biggest challenge for youth with disabilities is a lack of motivation or readiness to work,” Laura says. “But in reality, the greatest barriers come from society—lack of opportunity, stigma and inaccessible workplaces. That’s why our team works on multiple levels: empowering youth, educating employers and advocating for systemic change.”
Laura’s path at Holland Bloorview began in 2014 when she joined as a post-doctoral fellow with the Bloorview Research Institute (BRI). With a background in occupational therapy and a PhD in health and rehabilitation, she was drawn to work that combined research and clinical practice. Over the years, she found her niche within employment pathways, transitioning into a full-time role with the team in 2022.
What keeps her motivated in her work? “The passion and determination of the youth, families, and teams I work with. Seeing real change happen—whether it’s a young person landing their first job or an employer transforming their hiring practices—is what makes it all worth it.”
Read on to learn more about Laura’s impactful work at Holland Bloorview:
Can you briefly tell us about your role(s) at Holland Bloorview?
My role at Holland Bloorview is a little unique. I work with our clinical team of occupational therapists, life skills specialists and youth facilitators to support our goals through research, evaluation and knowledge mobilization. Some of my work is more formally research-based (or “studies”), but most of it involves ongoing projects that either strengthen our programs or help to shape community and provincial practices so that youth can connect to the workforce.
What is the employment pathways program and how does it support young people with disabilities in finding meaningful work?
Employment pathways is a pathway of programs at Holland Bloorview that support youth with disabilities in working towards employment. We published our model so that others could consider how to integrate our learnings as well. Employment, in this context, can be community participation, volunteering, cooperative education and paid work, all of which are important during the teen years. Our programs enable early work experiences with supports as needed, self-discovery (what they like and are good at) and personalized planning for their next steps. Many staff know and support Youth@Work, VolunteerABLE and Project SEARCH which are our experience programs based at Holland Bloorview. Each year we also connect and support youth and employers in a program called “Ready to Work” for paid summer work experiences.
The team is also involved in broader work, partnering with families, community programs and other service providers. This is to ensure that youth are connected to employment services in their own context, so that when they leave our program, they have a reliable support system and can continue their employment journey. Resources and programs include Project Inclusion (educator modules) and Project SEARCH (school-to-work training program).
We also work directly with employers - both locally and provincially - to provide education on disability-inclusive employment. Through resources like our Employer Resource Hub and projects like Inspire, Hire, Train, Retain (IHTR), we seek to change the workforce for the better.
What inspired you to work particularly in employment pathways for youth with disabilities?
I have always worked in transitions and with youth, both clinically and for research purposes. I find the developmental stage of transitioning from youth to adult life to be fascinating and confusing and full of potential. When I joined the employment pathways team, I quickly realized how unique it was. The team members are passionate and knowledgeable, the group practices from a truly client-centred perspective, and they have prioritized collaboration so that youth and families will be meaningfully supported in their employment journeys far beyond their tenure at Holland Bloorview.
Can you share a success story or a moment that stands out from your work?
Over the last few years, we undertook a knowledge mobilization project through which we sought to illuminate the barriers for funding ‘start early’ employment programs for youth with disabilities. We undertook a cost-benefit modelling (PDF) using personas that outlined realistic start-early experiences and the results were staggering! We found public returns on investment of over 600% in the individual’s lifetime. That means that for every dollar our government would invest in start early programming, they would recuperate $600 through lifetime income taxes and funds saved on social support costs. To me, this work provides one more way to illustrate the importance of start-early employment, beyond the obvious importance of the right to work for all Canadians.
I also want to share an annual highlight for me being the Youth@Work program with the coffee cart delivery. Every year we get to see our youth rapidly grow their communication skills and confidence as they get their first real work experiences. I am always grateful when we can demonstrate our youths’ successes to our colleagues!
Your work likely involves collaboration with different teams and external partners—how do these partnerships strengthen the program?
Our partnerships with clients, youth leaders and families guide the needs and flow of the program. They provide insight, connection, experience and energy that strengthens our work. Another key collaborator is our colleagues at Holland Bloorview, who see the employment-oriented goals of their clients and refer them to us.
We also have the privilege of working closely with partners from the education, employment services, policy and rehabilitation sectors. For example, we just released our Inspire, Hire, Train, Retain (IHTR) resources to support leaders in Ontario health-care organizations to become more disability-inclusive in their employment practices.
I also cannot overstate the importance of our partnership with Holland Bloorview Foundation. Almost all of our activities are funded by donors. Work like ours does not fit into typical funding boxes. Our Foundation is a strong ally for anti-ableism education and community engagement activities, and has seen the value of investing in this goal.
Do you have any hobbies or passions outside of work? What motivates you beyond your professional life?
I love playing with my two young children, walking with my dog, spending time with my partner, family and friends. I do yoga when I can, and love reading - mostly fantasy novels!
Is there anything else you would like to share with the Holland Bloorview community about your work and the impact of the Employment Pathways program?
I suppose I would say that many youth with disabilities want to work. By placing views that stem from societal stigma onto them, we are precluding them from achieving their goals before they even try. I want us, in our own workforce, to consider the value that lived experience can bring to any job, and understand that investing in youth employment will pay out for us all in the end in wisdom, in expertise, and (as can be seen from our work) in our economy.
Employment Pathways is generously funded by donors to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, including The Azrieli Foundation, The RBC Foundation in support of RBC Future Launch, The Peter Gilgan Foundation and The Slaight Family Foundation. The IHTR project was generously funded by donors to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation and the Government of Ontario.
Read more about our youth employment programs.
