Literature Review of Policies and Practices on the Accommodation of Persons with Visible Disabilities in the Workplace (IWH Project 3180)

Issue

The labour market is seeing a growing shortage of labour in certain industries and geographic areas, and an aging workforce that is retiring at an older age than in the past. But at the same time, there is an untapped labour pool of some 795,000 Canadians with disabilities—almost half of whom have a post-secondary education—who are unemployed despite being able and willing to work. People with visible disabilities hold great promise for the Canadian labour market, and employers who succeed in recruiting, hiring and accommodating people with disabilities generally do so with minimal disruption or expense. Replicated on a wider scale, these accommodations have the potential to transform Canadian workplaces, and create opportunities for skilled Canadians who are currently not engaged in paid work because of a visible disability. In partnership with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), researchers at the Institute are undertaking a literature review to identify the kinds of accommodations being made for different types of visible disabilities by employers in different workplace contexts, as well as accommodations in recruitment, hiring and retention practices that have been effective in attracting and retaining people with disabilities. As well, the literature review seeks to identify the gaps and barriers that prevent employers from actively recruiting and retaining people with disabilities.