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Employer Resource Hub: Who?

Youth and employers from diverse settings share experiences and insights on how to create successful work environments.

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young woman in the cafeteria

Youth with disabilities are as varied in their choice of employment as their peers without disability. Inclusive hiring practices are providing opportunities for these youth to reach their potential, and for employers to discover that the value of inclusive hiring practices can go beyond filling a position to changing the culture of work environments to be more welcoming and reflective of the larger society.

Videos
Play VideoCongxiao and Maria standing together
Sodexo
In this video, Congxiao, a Project SEARCH Toronto graduate, discusses her employment with Sodexo. Maria, her supervisor, describes Congxiao as an employee whose contributions to the team go beyond her job and how she has enriched the work climate for her co-workers and the senior citizens she serves.
Watch Congxiao's video
Play VideoMatthias and his supervisor sitting at a table
Holland Bloorview
As a young person with cerebral palsy, Mathias was a client of Holland Bloorview. After receiving a Masters degree in Developmental Psychology and Education, Mathias returned to the hospital as a Youth Facilitator. In this video, he highlights the topics of disclosure and having high expectations. Matthias' supervisor describes how he reaches students whose experiences he understands on both personal and professional levels.
Watch Mathias' video
Play VideoPhoto of Marya
Marya on advocacy
Marya was a student in Holland Bloorview’s Ready to Work program. Pursuing an interest in Human Resources, Marya worked at Capital One and began post-secondary studies in the field. Realizing that her interests were changing, Marya is now working on a degree in human rights and equity studies. Listen to her thoughts on the intersectionality of race and disability, how we need to move from the notion of overcoming disability to adapting, and her hopes for a more inclusive society.
Watch Marya's video
Play VideoPhoto of Alex
Alex on building confidence
Alex completed two summer terms at Fidelity Investments as part of Holland Bloorview’s Ready to Work program. The experience confirmed for her that her career path of Human Resources, and in particular the branch of Learning and Development, was the right one. It also gave her the confidence to know that she could do the job and that anyone who hires her is engaging a confident person who can enrich a workplace with lived experience.
Watch Alex's video
Research papers

Employers’ Lessons Learned in Hiring, Retaining, and Advancing Employees with Disabilities (2022)

Produced by the Public Policy Forum and authored by Marlena Flick and Rosemary McManus, this report gathered data from a review of research and from a series of roundtables held with people with lived experience, human resources personnel, and industry executives from companies with more than 50 employees, all with a commitment to inclusive employment. Findings include the following: there is a need for concrete strategies to overcome long-standing non-inclusive systems; people with lived experiences know what can make workplaces more inclusive and this needs to be acknowledged and acted on at all levels of an organization; and finally that measuring progress must be continual, intentional, and flexible.

Includes a summary.

Reading time: Under 20 minutes

Embracing neurodiversity at work: How Canadians with autism can help employers close the talent gap

Autism is not a processing error, it’s another operating system. auticon Canada

Auticon Canada is a consultancy and social agency that supplies organizations with individuals on the autism spectrum who are skilled in IT areas like quality assurance and testing, analytics, software development and migration, compliance and reporting, and performance testing. Deloitte teamed up with auticon Canada to identify how companies can do more to recruit and retain people from this talent pool. The report highlights barriers to employment faced by individuals and identifies opportunities for employers to successfully hire, onboard, and retain staff with autism.

 

Reading time: Approx. 30 minutes

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Employment Participation Team
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