Lessons from Ontario: Canada’s Leader in AccessibilityInternational Summit on AccessibilityImproving Employment Opportunities for Youth with Disabilities

July 13th 2014 Accessibility Directorate of OntarioMinistry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure

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Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

“We are all different, there is no

such thing as a standard run-of-

the-mill human being, but we

share the same spirit. What is

important is that we have the

ability to create…there is always

something you can do and

succeed at.”

Accessibility as Economic Development• Improving the employment outcomes and opportunities for

people with disabilities is an economic and social

imperative – requiring collaborative effort between the

government and employers.

• For the Ministry, the approach is to address barriers and

create a level playing field for people with disabilities.

• Accessibility has been defined as economic development,

rather than branded as social assistance.

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• Human resources processes:– recruitment and hiring– return to work– performance management– career development– job changes

• Accessible formats and communication supports

• Individual accommodation plans• Workplace emergency response information

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Accessible Standard for Employment

Areas Covered

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• 46,700 postsecondary students

registered with the Office for

Students with Disabilities (OSDs)

in 2011-2012.

• AccessibleCampus.ca

• Ontario Chamber of Commerce

“Building Bridges: Linking

Employers to Postsecondary

Graduates with Disabilities” report

Linking Employers to Postsecondary Graduates with Disabilities

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Key Findings of OCC 2013“Building Bridges” Report

• Demand-Side Barriers:– Attitudinal barriers toward people with disabilities

– Perceived opportunity costs of being organizationally

inclusive

– Limited HR resources and capacity

• Supply-Side Barriers:– Lack of work related experience

– Education and skills attainment

– Absence of transitional support to employment

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Meeting the Recommendations of the OCC

• Business to Business (B2B) Partnerships– Reaching out to Small Business Enterprise Centres

• Employer Roadmap for Recruiting, Accommodating,

and Retaining Graduates with Disabilities– Conference Board of Canada “Employers’ Toolkit”

– Employer Handbook

– Developing an Awareness and Marketing Campaign

– The Adventures of Harold Jeepers YouTube Videos

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Promoting Accessible Design

• Connect: EnAbling Change

Design Competition– Students submit ideas for accessible

products and public spaces

• IDeA Competition– Engineering and architectural

students submit creative inventions

that address accessibility concerns

– In partnership with the Council of

Ontario Universities

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Moving ForwardDeveloping an Action Plan

• The Ministry will focus on promoting the business case

to hire people with disabilities.

• The Ministry will continue to work on enhancing the

comprehensive employment support system.

• Progress is being made on a cross-government action

plan, guided by the Partnership Council on Employment

Opportunities for People with Disabilities.

ontario.ca/AccessON

AODA Contact Centre (ServiceOntario)Toll-Free: 1-866-515-2025TTY: 416-325-3408 / 1-800-268-7095Fax: 416-325-3407

ServiceOntario Publications(to order resources online): www.publications.serviceontario.ca

@OntMinCommunityFacebook.com/AccessON AccessOntario