By Julia Wright

Looking for and securing employment opportunities has many challenges. In a very competitive labour market job seekers have to ensure that their skills and abilities, as well as their personal attributes, meet the required needs of the employer. Marketing yourself to ensure that you stand out above the rest is in and of itself a challenge. Now incorporate a disability and the challenges become greater – but not impossible! In Canada, approximately 10% of the working age population (ages 15-64) has a disability. While 78% of the able-bodied population is actively employed, only 44% of people who have a disability are employed.

People with disabilities are capable of providing the same level of skill and dedication as people without disabilities. There are many challenges that people with disabilities face when they are seeking employment opportunities. One of the major challenges is attitudinal barriers. Attitudinal barriers are one of the main reasons that people with disabilities are underrepresented in the workforce. Negative stereotyping can contribute to a person with a disability not even getting an interview, their skills and abilities are underestimated before they have an opportunity to market themselves. Some of the attitudes that employers may have, are that people with disabilities cannot do the same type of work or at the same level of efficiency as people without disabilities. Attitudes about people with disabilities can govern how we relate and respond in all aspects of social interaction. Continuing to educate employers in these areas is key to breaking down attitudinal barriers. This has been a slow process but there has been positive movement in education of employers through the development of practical tools for creating an inclusive workplace and workforce.

Other challenges that people with disabilities face include lack of accommodation. Individuals may be successful in securing employment but then they have to determine what types of accommodations that may be required in order to successfully do the job. It’s important to note that not all persons with disabilities require accommodations. If accommodations are necessary, the majority of the time “soft accommodations” are required, not actual physical changes to the work place. There is a belief by employers that hiring a person with a disability can be costly but, in fact, most accommodations are relatively inexpensive. Depending on where you live, transportation can also be a major challenge to accessing employment opportunities. People with disabilities that live in rural areas in this country are more impacted by this than those that live in urban areas, where accessible transportation may be easier to access.

Although there are many challenges that persons with disabilities face as they look for work, there are also many effective programs and support services available across the country to assist them in their employment journey. Federal and Provincial government strategies are available to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Special funding initiatives have been established to support persons with disabilities to upgrade their educational and training skills, to provide opportunities to gain valuable work experience, to showcase their skills and abilities, and to access personal workplace accommodations.

There are many success stories of how individuals with disabilities have overcome the barriers and challenges that face them. Through perseverance and determination they have been successful in securing employment. A young woman that our Counsellors worked with had a hearing impairment. She graduated from high school then furthered her studies at Community College and received her diploma in Accounting Technology. Although she read lips exceptionally well, her speech was extremely difficult to understand. There were many barriers that faced her as she struggled to find employment. Her communication skills made it difficult for employers to understand her and communicate effectively with her. She was always very pleasant and enthusiastic. As time passed she became fearful that she would lose the skills that she had developed through her training. She had some opportunities to develop work experiences through on the job training. However, there were no full-time opportunities. She became involved in a Youth Internship Project that focused on the development of life-skills and employment readiness skills for youth with disabilities. Through this training she developed many friendships and her self-esteem and confidence increased. It was through this program that doors opened for her, and she was successful in getting a work placement with a law firm as an Office Support Clerk. One of the key issues was the communication factor. A text pager was purchased for her, which vibrated instead of rang in order to get her attention and if someone wanted to communicate with her they would text a message.

This was an excellent way to communicate with her effectively. One of her duties was to deliver legal documents to the court house and to other legal firms. She could be reached at any time and the message was received instantly. Since that time the employer has hired her on full-time and she has been successfully employed for the past two years. She has since moved out of her family home and now lives independently. Someone who was once socially isolated is now connected with the community and has developed many friendships and is enjoying life to the fullest. For this young woman a new job has meant a new way of life. She is a wonderful example of how perseverance, determination and a positive attitude can lead to success.

References:

Statistics obtained from the Advancing the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities 2004 report (2001 Participation and Activity Limitaton Survey)
www.sdc.gc.ca/asp/gateway.asp?hr=en/hip/odi/documents/advancingInclusion04/index.shtml&hs=pyp

Julia Wright, Manager, Employment Counselling and Services Program with the PEI Council of the Disabled. The ECS Program assists people with physical disabilities to find and retain employment opportunities across the Province of Prince Edward Island.