Employers
Boost organizational performance by building an inclusive workplace
One in five working-age Canadians in the labour force experiences some form of disability (Statistics Canada).
Count five people around you at work and chances are one is experiencing disability.
Most people will experience some type of disability in their lifetime.
When thinking about workplace accessibility, costly accommodations may come to mind.
However, disability can take many forms and can include non-apparent disabilities, like mental health challenges, neurodivergence, chronic pain, hearing loss, and many others.
Most workplace accessibility policies and practices cost very little or nothing. For instance, one of the most important inclusion practices is regularly communicating with all employees to make sure they have what they need to do their job.
Other practices might include offering flexible schedules and remote work options, and providing accessible and plain language internal documents. Your conversations and consultations with staff can inform the identification of needs and the implementation of the best practices and policies for your workplace.
When we strengthen workplace accessibility, inclusion, and equity, we increase engagement for all job seekers and workers — and for our customers and suppliers.
Learn more about disability, employment, and accessibility:
Click on the following links to jump to sections on this page:
- Complimentary CASE resources – Strengthen inclusion in your workplace
- About disability – Disability comes in many forms
- About supported employment – What HR, employment or inclusion challenge are you facing today?
- Benefits of accessibility and inclusion – Accessible, inclusive, and equitable workplaces benefit all employees and organizations
Visit the CASE Blog to access more information about workplace inclusion, including:
- workers experiencing disability with intersecting identities, such as Indigenous persons, Black persons, gender diverse persons, youth, and mature workers
- workers with autism and Down syndrome
- non-apparent disability, leveraging AI for inclusion, and more
Complimentary CASE resources to strengthen inclusion in your workplace
MentorAbility Canada
Mentor a person experiencing disability, network with employers and service providers, and gain inclusion knowledge. Read stories about MentorAbility experiences.
HR Inclusive Policy Toolkit
Improve organizational policies for setting the stage, hiring, and retention with CASE’s comprehensive HR Inclusive Policy Toolkit.
Online Training
Take short, asynchronous, and self-directed online courses: inclusive recruitment, accessible communications, supporting disclosure, and more.
Employer Newsletter
Subscribe to our monthly employer e-newsletter, Disability Inclusion Advantage, for news, practical tips, strategies, events, and resources.
Informative Blog
Read about various topics related to workplace accessibility, inclusion, and equity for persons experiencing disability, including those with intersecting identities.
Find a Service Provider
Search CASE's National Service Provider Registry to find a supported employment service provider in your area.
Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM)
Take part in Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM) every October and celebrate your inclusion stories!
Abilities at Work Advisory Committee
Join the CASE employer advisory group and share your experiences and insights of inclusive workplaces.
Contact an Employer Engagement Coordinator
Contact a CASE Employer Engagement Coordinator to discuss your labour and inclusion needs and potential next steps.
Research
CASE collaborates with partners — like Mentor Canada, The Conference Board of Canada, and others — to research employment accessibility, mentoring, and other workplace inclusion topics.
Innovation Lab
Read about supported employment innovations facilitated by the CASE Innovation Lab that help to reduce employment barriers.
Resource Hub
Discover our library of 400-plus resources about supported employment and inclusive workforces. Search by word, topic, and type of resource.
Disability comes in many forms
Disability can be visible or non-apparent. It can be permanent, temporary, or episodic (occurring occasionally and irregularly). For more information about non-apparent disability, read this CASE blog post.
Like all job seekers and workers, persons who experience disability seek interesting employment with job security, competitive income, and career advancement opportunities.
Persons experiencing disability often face barriers in the workplace.
Persons experiencing disability work in all sectors, from entry level to management to leadership. They can encounter barriers in the workplace that can:
- discourage them from applying for a job
- affect their performance during an interview
- impact their day-to-day work
- impede their career advancement
When we integrate accessibility and inclusion into all aspects of our workplace, we remove barriers for at least one fifth of our workforce — and oftentimes all staff benefit.
Many accommodations benefit all workers, as well as customers and suppliers.
And an inclusive workplace culture also benefits the organization. Diverse teams where all workers feel supported show increased engagement, innovation, productivity, and organizational performance.
Some types of disability include:
- mental health challenges (examples: depression, anxiety, grief, chronic stress)
- neurodivergence (examples: ADHD, autism)
- physical disability (examples: muscular dystrophy, flexibility issues, low vision)
- developmental disability (example: Down syndrome)
- cognitive disability (example: brain injury)
- substance use disorders
Intersecting Identities
Persons who experience disability and have intersecting identities may face additional workplace barriers as they navigate employment.
Intersecting identities can include:
- racialized groups (example: Black Canadians)
- Indigenous Peoples
- diverse genders (2SLGBTQIA+)
- newcomers
- persons with incomes below poverty level
- age (examples: mature workers, youth)
What HR, employment, or inclusion challenge are you facing today?
- shortage of skilled labour
- low staff retention
- limited knowledge about accessibility, disability, and workplace inclusion
- not sure where to start to create an accessible and inclusive workplace
- less capacity to focus on inclusive policies and practices
- fear of making mistakes around inclusion
- seeking meaningful ways to support accessibility and inclusion in the workplace
- inclusion strategies are in place, but the organization is not attracting or retaining talent
- reluctant to make “big asks” of local employment specialists at community organizations
Supported employment service providers may be able to help.
The Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) works with employers, industry associations, employment service providers, disability advocates, community partners, and other interest holders across Canada towards employment inclusion and equity for persons who experience disability.
CASE offers complimentary offerings for employers to help build inclusive workplaces:
- practical resources and toolkits
- online learning opportunities
- short mentorships to strengthen employee engagement and learning around inclusion
- regional and national networking events
- innovative tools and programs that help to reduce barriers
CASE’s network of community-based supported employment service providers can:
- connect employers with skilled job seekers experiencing disability
- provide tailored support to employers and job seekers to assist with inclusive recruitment, retention, and career advancement
A National Initiative by the
Canadian Association for Supported Employment
More than a Mentorship Initiative
- MentorAbility Hubs in every province and territory
- short mentorships (1 hour to 1 day)
- 400+ employers engaged
- 1,000+ networking and learning events hosted
CASE's Abilities at Work Advisory Committee
Employers on CASE’s Abilities at Work Advisory Committee are active in the development of inclusive and diverse workplaces. They contribute their insights and experiences to help drive business success.
Building an inclusive workplace culture benefits everyone.
The evidence is clear: inclusive workplaces enhance worker engagement, innovation, and organizational performance. Click each box below to read some of the research.
- When employees feel included and think their organisation is committed to and supportive of diversity, employees report better business performance in terms of ability to innovate, responsiveness to changing customer needs, and team collaboration.
Source: Waiter, is that inclusion in my soup? A new recipe to improve business performance. Research report. Deloitte Australia. 2013.
- Research shows that diversity of thinking is a well-spring of creativity, enhancing innovation by about 20 percent. It also enables groups to spot risks, reducing these by up to 30 percent, and smooths the implementation of decisions by creating buy-in and trust.
High-performing teams are both cognitively and demographically diverse. By cognitive diversity, we are referring to educational and functional diversity, as well as diversity in the mental frameworks that people use to solve problems.
Source: “The diversity and inclusion revolution: Eight powerful truths.” Article. Deloitte Review. January 2018.
- A Tim Hortons franchisee in southern Ontario has never made an insurance claim for a work-related injury to an employee with a disability, despite employing 85 people who experience disability over 18 years.
Source: Rethinking Disability in the Private Sector: We All Have Abilities. Some Are Just More Apparent than Others - Report from the Panel on Labour Market Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. Report. Government of Canada. 2013.
- Ready, Willing and Able (RWA), a national partnership of Inclusion Canada, Autism Alliance of Canada, and their member organizations, increases the labour force participation of people with an intellectual disability or on the autism spectrum. Businesses have rated employees hired through RWA as follows:
- 99% as well as or better than average on their contribution toward a positive workplace morale
- 99% as well as or better than average on their attitude toward work
- 97% as well as or better than average on turnover
- 88% as well as or better than average on contributing to the firm’s profit margin
- 76% as well as or better than average on productivity
- 94% better than average on punctuality
- 95% better than average on attendance and use of sick days
- 90% as well as or better than average on getting along with customers/clients
Source: Ready, Willing and Able website. Accessed May 29, 2024.
- On its special events team, a Canadian NHL team hired people experiencing mental health and physical disability. Since they joined, there has been a marked reduction in turnover in the 250-strong workforce, as well as increased knowledge of disability issues among supervisors.
Source: Rethinking Disability in the Private Sector: We All Have Abilities. Some Are Just More Apparent than Others -Report from the Panel on Labour Market Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. Report. Government of Canada. 2013.
Most accommodations are simple and involve little or no cost. Examples include a tailored interview format, flexible scheduling, working remotely, a speech-to-text app, a noise-cancelling headset, a job coach for onboarding provided and paid for by a local agency, a checklist for tasks, or a reminder from a supervisor or co-worker when it’s time to take a break.
- Some benefits of reasonable accommodation can include:
- Demonstrating that you offer an inclusive working environment, which can assist in reducing discrimination and promoting employee engagement.
- Ensuring that employees have what they need to bring their full suite of talents and expertise to their roles.
- Facilitating a swifter and smoother return to work following absences on sick, maternity, paternity, or parental leave. A smooth return to work reduces the costs arising from absenteeism and staff turnovers.
- Benefitting customers, such as an accommodation that makes the physical environment more accessible for all those with reduced mobility.
Source: Promoting Diversity and Inclusion through Workplace Adjustments: A Practical Guide. Guide. International Labour Organization. 2016.
- One study found the benefits from making workplace accommodations far outweigh their associated costs, including:
- retaining valuable employees,
- improving productivity and morale,
- reducing workers’ compensation and training costs, and
- improving company diversity.
More than half (56%) of the employers reported the accommodations they made cost absolutely nothing to implement. Another 37% reported the accommodations involved only a one-time cost, with a median cost of $300.
Source: Survey by Job Accommodation Network (JAN) in the U.S. with 4,447 employer surveys completed between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023.
When people are empowered, accepted, and heard, everything else falls into place.
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