Hiring people with disabilities is not only a matter of inclusion — it may also offer a business advantage.

A new report from the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) highlights the economic benefits of disability inclusion in the workplace, including higher productivity, increased revenue and a stronger bottom line. As Canada grapples with a labour shortage and an aging workforce, the report makes the case that companies who hire people with disabilities are better positioned to succeed.

The CCRW hopes to reframe how some employers look at hiring people with disabilities — from a “social good” to a critical component of a productive and profitable workplace.

Advocates say that while there’s been progress in how employers look at accessibility and accommodation, there are still many systemic barriers in society that hinder people from getting a fair shot when seeking a job.

The research shows that having a disability-inclusive workplace is not just good for the people who are gainfully employed, but also for individual organizations and the whole country, according to the report. Hiring people with disabilities drives economic growth, boosts Canada’s GDP and makes workplaces more competitive, it says.

“Instead of looking at disability as a drain on society and an impairment, we need to be looking at our own systems to figure out what we’re going to change … to make sure that everybody who wants to work is able to work,” said Maureen Haan, President & CEO of CCRW.

Having a disability-inclusive workplace is not just good for a company’s bottom line, but also inspires creativity and innovation because people with disabilities bring different perspectives and problem-solving skills.

Andrea Hatala, who is visually impaired, shared her experience of seeking a promotion while working in the market research sector — she said living with a disability had made her more patient and adaptable, but those kinds of skills aren’t always valued by employers.

She says she believes she was passed over on a supervisor position, despite having extensive experience, because she didn’t work as fast as her colleagues. Not feeling valued at her workplace affected her motivation and productivity.

“I knew that I would never get a promotion and that I would be stuck working the same job forever,” she said. “If you think that people are not going to appreciate what you can do, you’re not going to try as hard.”

According to the report, Maximizing Impact: The Return on Investing in Workplace Disability Inclusion, businesses leading in disability inclusion have reported 1.6 times more revenue and 2.6 times more net income compared to companies that aren’t.

There are about 740,000 working-age adults with a disability in Canada who are unemployed but eager to work, according to Statistics Canada numbers cited in the report. It’s particularly pressing as Canada faces a labour shortage with nearly 527,000 job vacancies as of July 2024, tighter controls on immigration and an aging workforce, Haan said.

About 62 per cent of working age Canadians with a disability are working, compared to 78 per cent of people without a disability in that age group, according to Statistics Canada data. About 27 per cent of Canadians reported having a disability that limits their daily activity.

The report highlights how closing the employment gap between Canadians with disabilities and those who don’t could create 450,000 new jobs by 2030 and add $50 billion to Canada’s GDP, citing research by TD Canada. Having a fully-inclusive labour workforce could reap rewards between $252.8 to $422.7 billion in a single year, according to research by the Institute for Work & Health cited in the report.

Employers are often reluctant to accommodate people’s disabilities or make their work environment because of perceived cost, but also because of misconceptions around what workers with disabilities are capable of, Haan said. But the report shows that companies that prioritize disability inclusion are 25 per cent more likely to outperform competitors in productivity, according to research from Accenture.

Longtime disability advocate David Lepofsky, who earlier this week marked 30 years since he and his peers started advocating for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, said there’s been a lot of progress in the private sector and in how workplaces are designed to be more accessible, but there are still barriers in areas such as public transit and education.

“You can’t get a good job if you can’t get to the interview … For a blind person like me, not having Braille on the elevator buttons is a barrier. For kids with autism, having teachers who don’t know how to teach kids with autism is barrier,” he said. “It’s across society, not just buildings.”

Source: thestar