Canada Is Getting To Grips With Disability Inclusion But Still Has A Long Way To Go
Understanding the importance of workplace disability inclusion is evolving In Canada but the pace of change is slow when compared to the rest of North America.
This is perhaps best illustrated by National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) which is celebrated each October.
The annual initiative is intended to recognize the contribution of the 11 million or so people in the U.S. with a disability in employment and to educate organizations on what people with a disability can bring to the workplace.
NDEAM has featured in the U.S. since the 1940’s but has only gained real traction and recognition in Canada in the last decade.
Nevertheless, this year’s celebrations in Canada shone brightly, culminating in almost 100 cities coast to coast participating in Light It Up! For NDEAM.
On October 21, several key landmarks including The Calgary Tower, the CN Tower and Niagara Falls were symbolically lit up in blue and purple as a show of support for greater disability inclusion and awareness in the workplace.
The Environment Building in Toronto in Light it UP! For NDEAM on October 21 2021 ONTARIO DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT NETWORK
Furthermore, organizations such as the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN), which helps both private and public sector organizations across the province improve their practices and procedures related to disability recruitment and retention, has spent the past few weeks campaigning tirelessly.
Currently, one of ODEN’s key drives is to link Canada’s unemployment rate amongst people with disabilities, which is five times higher than that of the general population, with the country’s ongoing labor shortage.
Fuelled in part by the Covid-19 pandemic, a report published by RBC Economics in July revealed a 3.6% labor shortage across all business sectors in Canada.
Notably, the report states that “as shortages grow, so will the urgency for Canada to turn to new and under-utilized sources of labor force growth.”
Disability Inclusion in the U.S. and Canada
When contrasting workplace disability inclusion and the general proliferation of accessible practices between the U.S. and Canada there are similarities as well as important differences.
Both countries constitute a vast geographical landmass and there are variations in approach from state to state and province to province.
Like anywhere else in the world, neither country is exactly where it should be and unpalatable and archaic practices remain entrenched in regions of both nations.
These include the use of sheltered workshops where individuals with intellectual and communication difficulties are paid subminimum wage and the use of wage subsidies that support insecure and unfulfilling job roles for people with disabilities.
One key difference, however, lies in the legislative framework governing disability civil rights in the two countries.
In the U.S., the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is over three decades old and covers a wide variety of areas from transportation and housing to employment.
Conversely, the Accessible Canada Act came into force in 2019 only to be interrupted in its infancy by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Though the pandemic brought with it some unforeseen gains for people with disabilities, such as a more positive attitude towards homeworking amongst employers, it has equally sidelined everything else from the political agenda for the best part of two years.
This muddies the waters and makes any real change brought about by the ACA to date difficult to ascertain.
Jeannette Campbell is the Ontario Disability Employment Network’s CEO and admits, “The United States is far more advanced when it comes to looking at equality through the lens of disability.”
She continues, “The disability civil rights movement in the states is just a lot more mature and fully formed in comparison to what we have here in Canada right now,” says Campbell.
People outside of North America might be surprised by this analysis.
After all, established cultural tropes sometimes view the U.S. as having a more disconnected, polarized society, while Canadians possess a reputation for being a little more moderate and centrist.
Nevertheless, Campbell strongly believes that self-identifying as brash go-getters as opposed to the country that likes to ‘say sorry,’ has very much worked in favor of allowing disability civil rights to take firmer root in American society.
“People may consider us Canadians as being more moderate, more liberal. Certainly, we’re nice,” says Campbell.
“But where does this work against us? We think about things that little bit longer and move that bit slower. We do tend to talk about things a lot.”
She continues, “I’m not generally an Elvis Presley fan but people that engage with me know that one thing I like to say is, ‘A little less conversation, a little more action.’
“When it comes to accessibility, I sometimes just think how much longer are we going to spend talking about these things and then sending it through 17 different layers of legislative discussion and consultation?
“Sometimes, we need to understand that constantly striving for perfection is the enemy of just getting things done.
“When it comes to accessibility, you’re never really done anyway. Once we put laws in place, we are going to be in a constant process of evolving and refreshing them,” says Campbell.
Quite aside from the clear cultural and political differences, factors of geography and economies of scale are clearly at play too.
The fact remains that the U.S. has a population ten times that of its neighbor across the border.
This, not only brings with it a larger disability market, but also more supportive digital infrastructure such as greater WIFI coverage and an app ecosystem to improve access to transportation services.
Catching up quickly
Despite some notable differences, Campbell remains certain that nowadays, Canadian employers appear to grasp the business case for disability inclusion.
“Attitudinal shifts are happening right now and employers in Canada are increasingly understanding the need to reflect the community that they operate in,” says Campbell.
“Twenty-two percent of our population identify as having one or more disabilities but then, when you factor in the circle around that person, that population rises to 53%.
“Businesses are missing out a lot if they don’t take these numbers seriously and if the leadership doesn’t push for greater disability inclusion within the company,” she adds.
She remains keen to stress however that the central play is not just around equity and representation. It’s about talent too:
“Businesses are starting to understand the contribution, the abilities, the skill sets those employees with disabilities can bring to the table. They see that there's a talent pool out there that has been traditionally left out of the conversation unless it's come from a charitable standpoint.
“The disability community is on that journey now that other equity groups have been through in terms of moving away from one-off tokenism hires and on to something more sustainable and representative," says Campbell.
Coming full circle, this rapidly evolving open-mindedness and pragmatism might just prove to be the perfect antidote to Canada’s post-pandemic labor shortage after all.