March of Dimes Canada’s Knowledge to Action team is thrilled to launch it’s transformative Creating Inclusive Employment project. This project has been made possible by Accessibility Standards Canada who has funded the project through their research program. Through this project March of Dimes Canada is committed to ensuring accessible, barrier-free employment opportunities for all, and we are so excited to get started!

The Creating Inclusive Employment project is a multi-year research project that will examine digital skill development for young people with disabilities. The aim of the research project is to create more inclusive employment opportunities as young people transition from school into the workplace.

People with disabilities face significant barriers when seeking and gaining employment; today, the employment rate for people with disabilities in Canada sits more than 21% below the national average (1). This includes young people with disabilities who are transitioning from school to work (1). While there is some research discussing barriers to employment for young people with disabilities (2,3), the existing literature does not provide information specifically on the digital economy, which includes jobs that require digital skills. This represents a significant gap as 80% of Canadian business leaders are seeking more workers with digital skills (4); Canada is estimated to need two million new tech jobs by 2025 (4,5).

Given the current economic climate and the opportunities presented by this need, it is necessary that young people with disabilities are properly trained to successfully gain employment in Canada’s evolving economy. However, existing research is not clear on the ideal ways young people with disabilities can navigate the digital economy labour market. Thus, research to better understand how to enable and empower young people with disabilities to engage in the digital economy is essential.

The Creating Inclusive Employment project looks to answer the question: How can we create barrier-free, non-traditional digital skill development pathways for young people with disabilities in Canada?

To answer this question the project aims to:

To achieve these goals the project will use a community-based research approach. This is when community members and researchers work together in all stages of the project to make sure the research truly reflects the needs of the community. The Creating Inclusive Employment project team will work collaboratively with young people with disabilities and other people with lived experience, as well as our community partners, throughout the entire research process. Stay tuned for more information and details on the project activities, ways you can participate, and early findings coming in 2024.

If you have any questions about the Creating Inclusive Employment project, please reach out to the Knowledge to Action team at research@marchofdimes.ca

References:

1. Employment and Social Development Canada. Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan, 2022. 2022;15.

2. Wehman P, Sima A, Ketchum J, West M, Chan F, Luecking R. Predictors of Successful Transition from School to Employment for Youth with Disabilities. J Occup Rehabil. 2014 Sep 21;25.

3. Awsumb JM, Carter EW, Schutz MA, McMillan ED. Perspectives of pre-employment transition services providers on preparing youth with disabilities for employment. J Vocat Rehabil. 2020 Aug 25;53(2):205–18.

4. Lindzan J. Canada struggles to prepare its workforce for changing digital economy [Internet]. Eastern Workforce Innovation Board. 2022 [cited 2022 Dec 9]. Available from: https://www.workforcedev.ca/canada-struggles-to-prepare-its-workforce-for-changing-digital-economy/

5. Rolfe K. Digital jobs in Canada to surge above 2.2 million by 2025 — and these sectors look especially hot [Internet]. financialpost. 2021 [cited 2022 Dec 9]. Available from: https://financialpost.com/fp-work/digital-economy-jobs-surged-during-pandemic-report-says

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We are beyond excited to partner with such amazing organisations on this project.

Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA) is a social innovation laboratory focused on helping create stronger and more diverse labour markets that include persons with disabilities, through knowledge to practice. We develop evidence informed tools and resources through co-design with partners that help advance workplace capacity for recruitment, hiring, onboarding, retention, mentorship and promotion of persons with disabilities across the full range of employment opportunities. Where possible, we draw on practices that have shown promise in one or more workplaces in Canada and elsewhere. Our work is spearheaded by teams of researchers, global experts and industry leaders. Many of those involved in IDEA identify as persons with disabilities. www.vraie-idea.ca

Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW)

Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB)

Holland Bloorview

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital believes in creating a world where all youth and children belong. We are the only children’s rehabilitation hospital in Canada focused on combining world-class care, transformational research, and academic leadership in the field of child and youth rehabilitation and disability. We are a top 40 Canadian research hospital that is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. Providing both inpatient and outpatient services, Holland Bloorview is renowned for its expertise in co-creating with clients and families to provide exceptional care and is the only organization to ever achieve 100 per cent in three successive quality surveys by Accreditation Canada. hollandbloorview.ca