Conference Board of Canada
CASE Research with The Conference Board of Canada
MentorAbility Canada, a program led by CASE, has partnered with the Conference Board of Canada (CBoC), the nation’s leading independent organization for applied research, to explore inclusive mentoring, disability disclosure, and workplace practices.
Together, we are conducting research and creating valuable resources to support employers in fostering inclusive workplaces across Canada.
Research on Disclosure and Inclusive Mentorship for Adults Experiencing Disability
Few Canadian studies have explored the experiences of adults with disability who have participated in workplace mentorship programs.
To address this gap, CASE partnered with CBoC to explore two pivotal factors to enhance the employment experiences and career advancement of persons experiencing disability –— disability disclosure and mentorship. This study examines facilitators and barriers to disclosure in the workplace and what they mean for inclusive workplaces. We also investigated access to mentorship opportunities and its impact on the careers of persons experiencing disability.
The research includes data from a survey of 1,000 working-age adults from across Canada who experience disability, complemented by 30 interviews with mentors and mentees. The survey and the interviews were conducted between December 2024 and February 2025. Data from a survey of 100 organizations in Canada was also included, complemented by interviews with 10 employers and 2 employer focus groups.
Based on the results, actionable insights for employers were highlighted and an employer mentoring toolkit was developed to help make workplaces more inclusive.
This project was commissioned by MentorAbility Canada, which is funded by the Government of Canada’s Opportunities Fund for People with Disabilities.
Click on a link to navigate to the following sections:
Embedding Inclusion Reduces Need for Disclosure
Many organizations still take a reactive approach to accessibility, often relying primarily on accommodations for individual employees as their accessibility tool. The current model places the onus on the employee to disclose and seek support, which can be a challenging decision. Due to fears of negative repercussions, disclosure often occurs only when absolutely necessary.
Key Findings on Disclosure
- Employee disclosure high: More than two-thirds (70.7%) of employed persons with disabilities have disclosed their disability to their current employer.
- Disclosure is often driven by necessity, particularly when needing accommodations and to address performance issues and explain absences.
- Fear or concerns around disclosing: Almost half (47.4%) did not disclose due to fear of being treated differently, feeling discomfort when sharing personal details, or concerns about discrimination or reduced job opportunities.
- Fewer job seekers disclose due to fear of bias: Only 57% of job seekers disclosed to prospective employers, with most fearing it could affect hiring chances.
- Confidence in job security is a strong factor in disclosure.
- Challenges and consequences when accommodations requested: Many who requested accommodations faced challenges, such as requests being denied. Some faced consequences, such as stigma or retaliation.
- Highly beneficial supports included medical leave, flexible schedules, remote work, and unpaid leave options.
- Accommodations enhance accessibility during recruitment: Being asked about accommodations can influence disclosure. Key accommodations included distraction-free assessments, virtual interviews, and breaks during assessments.
Fostering environments where employees feel safe to disclose is important. However, the research also emphasizes that reducing the need to disclose can have a greater impact.
When inclusion is embedded into all aspects of the organization, such as policies, physical spaces, technologies, and culture, all employees can thrive without being compelled to disclose in order to access support.
Access insights on disclosure and accommodations for employees on the Conference Board of Canada website.
From Compliance to Culture: Accessibility Beyond Disclosure
Read about the research around disability disclosure in this brief. Learn how employers can create a workplace where people feel safe to disclose — and how they can support all employees, regardless of whether they disclose.
Inclusive Mentoring: A Key Driver of Innovation, Engagement, and Retention
Inclusive mentorship initiatives strategically embedded in organizations can drive innovation, enhance employee engagement, improve retention, and strengthen organizational capacity.
While mentorship helps with knowledge transfer as the workforce ages, it offers much more. By fostering diverse viewpoints, mentorship enables better decision-making and problem-solving, resulting in numerous competitive advantages for businesses.
Key Findings on Inclusive Mentorship
Most mentorship experiences are positive — but few have had the opportunity.
- Mentorship is rare for persons experiencing disability: 70.2% had never been a mentor and 65.6% had never been a mentee.
- Mentorship with lived experience: Fewer than 20% of mentees had access to a mentor with a disability, and many respondents noted that mentors without disabilities may struggle to fully understand their unique challenges.
- Successful mentorship relies on aligning mentors and mentees based on preferences, including availability, goals, job roles, location, lived experience, and outside interests.
- Self-advocacy is a critical skill taught through mentorship, helping mentees navigate barriers, advocate for accommodations, inform HR policies, and protect employment during organizational change.
- Positive outcomes: 83.3% of mentors and mentees viewed their mentorship experience positively, with some relationships lasting longer or becoming friendships.
- Mentees inspired to mentor: Many mentees, having experienced the benefits of mentorship, feel motivated to give back as mentors themselves.
Don’t say you value diversity — show us.
Calls to Action for Employers
Respondents suggested powerful calls to action for employers to improve workplace inclusion.
- Don’t say you value diversity — show us.
- Demonstrate that you value your mentors.
- Fuel employee success with mentorship that starts on day one.
- Mentorship takes infrastructure — help lay the foundation.
“There were times where I negotiated on behalf of the mentee in our co-op. If we don’t, then we lose some of the potentially best people in the field because people who have lived experience make fantastic professionals.”
Mentor interviewed during Fostering Inclusion through Mentorship
Fostering Inclusion through Mentorship: A Call to Action from People with Disabilities
Read about our inclusive mentorship research and how employers can improve workplace inclusion for persons experiencing disability in this brief (link coming soon).
Empowering Inclusion in the Workplace: Mentorship Program Toolkit for Employers
CBoC and CASE have created a user-friendly toolkit for employers in Canada that offers resources to support the development of inclusive mentorship programs. The toolkit incorporates research findings and lived experiences to ensure that recommendations are comprehensive, evidence-based, and actionable.
Designed to help organizational leaders, this toolkit provides tools to enhance mentorship opportunities for all job seekers and workers, including persons experiencing disability and who have intersecting identities.
Every mentoring program should be customized to meet the specific needs of both the organization and its employees.
Start by building a strong foundation: reflect on your organizational and personnel goals. Most importantly, involve workers, especially workers experiencing disability and who have intersecting identities, in co-designing the mentorship program. Every workplace and every worker is different.
Learn how to develop an Inclusive Mentoring program with the user-friendly Employer Toolkit on The Conference Board of Canada website.
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