Supporting Employees with Disabilities
Are you an employer interested in hiring a person with a disability?
Or are you looking for tips to better support a member of your team that has a disability?
Here are some tips to make your workplace more welcoming and accommodating for all candidates:
- When posting your job, make a note that the company is inclusive and accessible. You can do this by including an inclusivity statement on your website, or on your job posting.
- Candidates usually visit company websites throughout the hiring process - ensure your website is AODA compliant (visit www.aoda.ca for more information).
- Short-list and interview the same way you would for any candidate - whether or not they have a disability. Be sure to include the option for a candidate to request an accessible format for their interview if they require. That shows them that you are prepared and willing to accommodate if needed.
- During the hiring process, speak to the candidate directly and make eye contact, even if they have an interpreter or an attendant. In short, treat the person just as you would other individuals.
- The best time to ask about accommodations is with the job offer. Simply ask, "What can we provide or do that will make it possible for you to do this job most effectively?"
Resources for Employers
www.careeredge.ca - Career Edge
www.jvstoronto.org - JVS
www.ca.specialisterne.com - Specialisterne
www.mcss.gov.on.ca - West Scarborough Neighbourhood Community Centre
www.mcss.gov.on.ca - The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) offers a variety of employment resources for persons with disabilities and for employers.
www.jobs.humber.ca - Humber College's Community Employment Services can offer support and resources for employers looking to hire people with disabilities, which include financial incentives of up to $8000 per individual to assist with workplace accommodation needs, among other pockets of funding.
www.odenetwork.com - The Ontario Disability Employment Network also offers numerous resources for employers.
www.senseability.ca - Canadian Business SenseAbility is an organization created by business for business. The mandate is to help companies access the real, tangible benefits of employing talented people with disabilities: lower turnover, training and safety costs, greater innovation, and access to untapped markets. Primarily, they are advocating for people with disabilities who are graduates of postsecondary and apprenticeship training programs.
www.discoverability.network - Discover Ability is a great resource that highlights the positive impact that hiring persons with disabilities can have on your company.
www.alis.alberta.ca - What to Say About your Disability, When.
www.neads.ca - The National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) is an organization that supports full access to education and employment for post-secondary students and graduates with disabilities across Canada.
www.washington.edu - University of Washington - Career Development and Students with Disabilities
www.cacee.com - Canadian Association for Career Educators and Employers - Guidelines for Recruiting Graduateswith Self-Declared Disabilities
www.canadastop100.com - Canada's Top 100 Diversity Employers
www.ceric.ca - Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC) List of Journal articles
www.ohrc.on.ca, AODA Compliance Checklist.pdf - These websites are helpful for more information about the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
Supporting Students with Disabilities in Career Conversations - GUIDE
As an employer and collaborator with Humber, we value your partnership with supporting our students with disabilities in navigating employment and the workplace.
To help with that, we have launched this new document to support and guide you in considering open and inclusive conversations with job-seekers with disabilities.
We hope this document will help guide you in tackling topics like disclosure, accommodations in the workplace, and where to find the right support and resources on and off campus.
Download a Resource Guide (PDF)
For more information please email us.