Ep. 10: Building an Equitable Future of Employment for Youth Who Have a Disability

You Can’t Spell Inclusion Without a D

Worldwide, there are an estimated 180 million to 220 million youth who have a disability.

In Canada, there are over 540,000 between the ages of 15 and 24.

Over 100,000 of these youth are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Seventy-seven per cent of this group — over 83,000 young people who have a disability — are potential new employees.

A lot of young, fresh talent is being overlooked for a talent pipeline that can help businesses stay successful in the future. For youth who have a disability, the unemployment rate is significantly higher than it is for young people without disabilities.

In this episode, we look at why there’s an imbalance of opportunities, and how we can build an equitable future for disability talent.

Listen to this conversation with Dr. Jennifer Crowson, PhD, and Carolyn McDougall.

Jennifer leads ODEN’s Canadian Youth Success Strategy initiative. Carolyn is an Occupational Therapist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto. She’s also the Lead for the Hospital’s Transition Strategy — Employment Pathways, and co-ordinates employment programming for over 80 youth who have a disability, annually.

Here are some Holland Bloorview resources:

• For youth & families: https://hollandbloorview.ca/services/programs-services/youth-employment-participation-programs (contact Holland Bloorview if you want help connecting with programming or supports in communities outside Toronto)
  
• For employers: Visit the Employer Resource Hub: https://hollandbloorview.ca/employer-resource-hub
  
• For educators: Module 5 of our Project Inclusion series https://deareverybody.hollandbloorview.ca/project-inclusion/

Canadian Youth Success Strategy:

• For more information about the Canadian Youth Success Strategy, contact Dr. Jennifer Crowson by email at [e-mail].