March of Dimes Canada Secures $469K in Funding to Break Down Barriers to Employment for Youth with Disabilities

Accessibility Standards Canada/Government of Canada Funding to Address Youth Employment Barriers

TORONTO, Nov. 30, 2023 /CNW/ - March of Dimes Canada is thrilled to announce a $469,000 funding award from Accessibility Standards Canada/the Government of Canada for its transformative "Creating Inclusive Employment" project. The funding is provided through Accessibility Standards Canada's Advancing Accessibility Standards Research program.

This multi-year initiative will:

• address digital skills development for youth with disabilities and
• create inclusive employment opportunities as they transition from school to work.

The project will work to break down barriers and support the development of employment and education standards for youth with disabilities.

"We have a critical mandate to help achieve a barrier-free Canada. It is by supporting and advancing accessibility research, like the March of Dimes Creating Inclusive Employment project, that we will succeed," says Philip Rizcallah, CEO at Accessibility Standards Canada. "I truly believe that this research project will have real impacts on youth with disabilities and enable them to unlock their full potential. It will also inform our future standards. We are proud to be a part of it."

"We're grateful to Accessibility Standards Canada and the Government of Canada for providing funding for our Creating Inclusive Employment project," says Len Baker, President and CEO at March of Dimes Canada. "We're excited to contribute to creating barrier-free employment in tech-enabled jobs in Canada. We envision a digital economy that is inclusive, diverse, and takes full advantage of the amazing skills and contributions youth with disabilities have to offer."

The current employment rate for people with disabilities in Canada is more than 21% below the national average ? and is even lower for youth moving from school to work. Creating Inclusive Employment will deliver recommendations for reducing barriers to tech-enabled jobs for youth.

March of Dimes Canada is partnering with:

• the Canadian National Institute for the Blind Foundation (CNIB),
• the Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA) social innovation laboratory at McMaster University,
• Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) and
• Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

March of Dimes Canada is celebrating the week of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (marked on December 3, 2023) by highlighting the right of people with disabilities to work in an environment that is open, inclusive and accessible. This right is guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to which Canada is a signatory. March of Dimes Canada is committed to the UN CRPD and is a proud enabler of its goals.

March of Dimes Canada is a leading national charity committed to championing equity, empowering ability, and creating real change so the more than six million people living with disabilities across Canada can unlock the richness of their lives. We do that by providing programs and services that empower our clients to thrive at home and in their communities. Our work is grounded in the voices of the people we serve, built on a foundation of service, and backed by a more than 70-year history of success.

The project will employ a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, including a literature review, environmental scan, data collection activities such as focus groups, surveys and a youth summit. These activities will enable the project team to assess the needs and challenges faced by youth with disabilities in the employment market and identify gaps in support and opportunities.

"CNIB welcomes the opportunity to collaborate on the March of Dimes Canada "Creating Inclusive Employment" project. Dispelling misconceptions and creating an inclusive platform to raise awareness around the potential of a diverse workforce, while creating equal access to employment opportunities for youth with disabilities is mission critical to CNIB. In the next five years, two of our organizational imperatives are dedicated to breaking down attitudinal barriers that exist about people who are blind or low vision, and creating programs and spaces where our youth will thrive. Creating a more inclusive employment landscape is a transformative journey we wholeheartedly embrace with the goal for all employers to have a diversified workforce of all abilities ? including those who are blind or low vision.  This integral research initiative will help amplify recommendations for systemic and organizational changes fundamental to realize the full potential of sustainable tech-enabled employment and workplace skills critical for our youth to be successful in the evolving digital economy."
Tracey Johnson, Director, Come to Work, CNIB

"Holland Bloorview believes in a world of possibility for children and youth with disabilities and the power of partnerships and research to advance inclusive employment. We will support this project with our organization's expertise in accessibility and our connections with youth, employers, school boards, employment agencies, and other allies across Ontario. Projects like this generate insights that help us design effective programming for youth transitioning to adulthood and strategies that promote inclusive workplaces and communities. We look forward to considering how the results of this research can transform our own employment culture."
Carolyn McDougall, Manager, Employment Pathways, and Ontario Coordinator for the Project SEARCH school-to-work transition model, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

"We are delighted to be partnering with March of Dimes Canada on this critically important initiative. It is essential that the next generations of persons with disabilities entering the labour market have the opportunity to thrive if Canada is to maintain a globally competitive economy."
Dr. Emile Tompa, Executive Director of Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA) Social Innovation Laboratory, McMaster University

"March of Dimes Canada is ideally placed to spearhead this knowledge to practice initiative, which we are honoured to support, as it is very much in line with the work of IDEA."
Dr. Rebecca Gewurtz, Director of IDEA, McMaster University

"Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work is excited to participate in this important project.  Research into challenges youth experience related to employment is critical to developing services and supports that change the outcomes for youth with disabilities."
Debbie Irish, Chief Operating Officer, Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work

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

SOURCE March of Dimes Canada