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Disability Employment Awareness Month

OCTOBER IS DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH (DEAM)

Every October, DEAM celebrates the workplace inclusion of persons experiencing disability!

DEAM is an opportunity to celebrate and discuss employment inclusion and to collaborate to increase inclusive hiring.

DEAM logo: Proudly supporting Disability Employment Awareness Month - DEAM October.

Every day in October, CASE, our members, and service providers and employers across the country share stories about workers who experience disability and about organizations committed to workplace disability inclusion. 

See below for ways to connect with us, to create awareness, and to help eliminate the barriers to full inclusion in the labour market for persons experiencing disability.

DEAM Celebrated in Canada
since 2010

Disability Employment Awareness Month or DEAM was first proclaimed in Canada in 2010 by the Province of Manitoba. Saskatchewan followed suit in 2011, and British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Nunavut also secured proclamations in the ensuing years. 

Since then, employment service providers, employers, and community organizations throughout Canada have brought DEAM to life by organizing activities to engage employers, job seekers experiencing disability, and the public to promote the benefits of inclusive hiring.

Did you know?

  • One in five working-age Canadians in the labour force experiences some form of disability – that’s 21% of the workforce or 3.2 million workers.

  • In 2023, the employment rate of persons experiencing disability was 47.1%, and that of persons without disability was 66.9% – a difference of 19.8 percentage points.

  • More than 741,000 working-age persons experiencing disability have potential for paid employment in a fully inclusive labour market.

Sources: 

Statistics Canada. Labour force status of persons with and without disabilities aged 15 years and over, by age group and gender. Released March 28, 2024. 

Statistics Canada. Labour market characteristics of persons with and without disabilities, 2023. Released June 13, 2024. 

Statistics Canada. A demographic, employment and income profile of persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over in Canada, 2022. Released May 28, 2024.

DEAM Ways to Get Involved

1. Call on Your Provincial or Territorial Government to Proclaim DEAM

An important part of celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month is garnering government support and recognition, which is why we’ve created the DEAM Proclamation Toolkit to help you! The toolkit is available to download right now.

Download Toolkit - English
Download Toolkit - French

2. Celebrate Canada’s Inclusive Employers with MentorAbility’s Cheers to Inclusion! Initiative

Each October, MentorAbility Canada organizes events across the country to bring employers and employment service providers together in celebration of the incredible disability-inclusive workplaces they create.

DEAM is an ideal opportunity for employers to showcase their commitment to inclusive employment while helping to break down the barriers that exist for people experiencing disability.

View Events In Your Community

Ways for Inclusive Employers to Participate in DEAM:

  • Add the DEAM logo to your products and the DEAM banner to your website for the month of October to declare your commitment to inclusive employment.

  • Print the DEAM Posters, Postcards and Bookmarks from the toolkit below for distribution in your workplace.

  • Get in touch with an employment service provider to assist you with your inclusive hiring goals.

  • Connect with your local MentorAbility Provincial or Territorial Coordinator to recognize a fellow inclusive employer in your community, to organize an event, or to create a DEAM-specific professional development opportunity for your team!

  • Tell us your inclusive employment story by sharing the ways you have made your workplace more inclusive and accessible for employees experiencing disability.

Cheers to Inclusion 2025 Toolkit

DEAM Postcards

All options are bilingual.

> Option One: 1 in 5 workers experiences some type of disability

> Option Two: Make Workplaces More Inclusive of Workers Experiencing Disability

> Option Three: Promote Inclusion – Become a MentorAbility Mentor!

> Option Four: 1 in 5 workers experiences disability – ways to celebrate inclusion/DEAM

> All Four

DEAM Bookmarks

All options are bilingual.

> Option One: 1 in 5 workers
experiences some form of disability

> Option Two: Become a mentor and boost the career of a person experiencing disability

> Option Three: Celebrate the workplace inclusion of persons experiencing disability

> Option Four: Disability inclusion means all workers
are supported to succeed

> All Four

DEAM Posters

> English

> French

> Bilingual

DEAM Logo

> Download Logos

DEAM Banners

> English – 970 x 150

> English – 970 x 250

> English – 1200 x 628

> English – 300 x 600

> French – 970 x 150

> French – 970 x 250

> French – 1200 x 628

> French – 300 x 600

DEAM Email Signature

> English

> French

Looking to access editable (for example, EPS) versions of the logos and toolkit? Please contact your nearest MentorAbility Canada Hub Coordinator for additional information or support, or email us at [email protected] with your request. A member of our team will respond within 1-2 business days.

3. Light your Workplace Up for
Light It Up! for NDEAM™

CASE and MentorAbility Canada are thrilled to partner again with Ontario Disability Employment Network and Jobs Ability Canada on this national coordinated lighting event in 2025. 

Visit the ODEN Site to Access the 2025 Light It Up! for NDEAM Toolkit.
#LightItUpforNDEAM #EngageTalent #DEAM2025 #MentorAbility
Logos: ODEN, CASE, MentorAbility Canada, Jobs Ability Canada

Here’s how to join us:

Contact your MentorAbility Canada Provincial or Territorial Coordinator and fill out the form to ensure your locations are added to the growing list of those that will be lit up in purple and blue.

Mark your calendars! We look forward to participating with you in this exciting initiative on Thursday October 16th, 2025.

Follow the activities planned in your province!

15 September 2025
Start Date: An Intersectional Approach to Supporting Career Development
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Virtual,
Map Link:

This 6-week, online program designed for career professionals explores the impacts of intersectionality for job seekers who are Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Colour experiencing disability (BIPOC-D). Work with peers […]

Find out more
15 September 2025
Start Date: Job Development Certificate Program
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Virtual,
Map Link:

Building on CASE’s 9 Guiding Principles of Supported Employment, this program will strengthen a job developer’s understanding of the employer’s needs. Participants will become better equipped to address an employer’s business […]

Find out more
15 September 2025
Start Date: Supported Employment Essentials
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Virtual,
Map Link:

This certificate program allows those new to the field of supported employment, as well as experienced practitioners, to build their skills and competence. Each of the eight modules is rooted […]

Find out more
01 October 2025
Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM)
October 1 - October 31
Virtual,
Map Link:

DEAM is an opportunity to celebrate and discuss employment inclusion and to collaborate to increase inclusive hiring. Every day in October, CASE, our members, and service providers and employers across […]

Find out more
16 October 2025
Light It Up! for NDEAM
October 16 - October 17

Join CASE, MentorAbility Canada, ODEN and JobsAbility to light your workplace or community up in purple and blue as part of this national event!

Find out more
03 November 2025
Start Date: An Intersectional Approach to Supporting Career Development
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Virtual,
Map Link:

This 6-week, online program designed for career professionals explores the impacts of intersectionality for job seekers who are Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Colour experiencing disability (BIPOC-D). Work with peers […]

Find out more
10 November 2025
Start Date: Job Development Certificate Program
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Virtual,
Map Link:

Building on CASE’s 9 Guiding Principles of Supported Employment, this program will strengthen a job developer’s understanding of the employer’s needs. Participants will become better equipped to address an employer’s business […]

Find out more
10 November 2025
Start Date: Supported Employment Essentials
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Virtual,
Map Link:

This certificate program allows those new to the field of supported employment, as well as experienced practitioners, to build their skills and competence. Each of the eight modules is rooted […]

Find out more
03 December 2025
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
All day
Virtual,
Map Link:

The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly. The Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues […]

Find out more

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