Implementation of the Employment Standard: Part 2

Overview

CAN/ASC 1.1:2024 is the first employment standard focused on promoting systemic change through environmental solutions and policies to facilitate accessibility and inclusion in the workplace. The vision behind the standard is to promote a work environment that is accessible, inclusive, barrier-free, and discrimination-free for all workers, including persons with disabilities. 

In practice, implementing a standard can be challenging as it requires contextualizing and customizing the requirements for a particular organization. Enter IDEA and the development of implementation guidance to help organizations change norms and practices in their workplace to in their effort to become confident and competent in managing a workforce that includes workers with disabilities. The focus is on sustainable change through a systems-level approach.

This webinar is the final webinar in a three-part IDEA Speaker Series that will introduce the standard and its key elements and then profiles the implementation guidance being developed to accompany it. The sessions provide rich opportunities for dialogue and discussion. In each session, members of the implementation guidance development team will lead you through a brief presentation, followed by a panel discussion, and a question-and-answer period. The team includes the standard’s technical committee chair Mahadeo Sukhai, and vice chair Andrew Livingston, as well as others with expertise in standard implementation and work disability policy. The three parts of the webinar are:

1. May 16: Introduction to the New ASC Standard on Employment: In this session, guest speakers will provide a primer on CAN/ASC 1.1:2024 – Employment. They will discuss the objectives of the standard and how it can help employers go beyond compliance with regulations that govern accessibility to be confident and competent in managing a diverse workforce. Attendees will learn what the standard has to offer and how it can be used to become accessible by design.
2. May 30: Implementation of the Employment Standard: Part: In this session, guest speakers will provide an overview of the implementation guide, detail its key modules and explain how organizations can use it to support implementation of the standard.
3. June 13: Implementation of the Employment Standard: Part 2: In this session, guest speakers will continue the exploration of key modules of the implementation guide, and then discuss related tools and resources to support the implementation process.

Speakers

Rebecca Gewurtz is an occupational therapist and Associate Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University and Adjunct Scientist at the Institute for Work and Health. She is IDEA’s Director and co-lead of Hub 2, Employment Support Systems.

Andy Livingston is the CEO of Dexterity Consulting. He is passionate about making dispute resolution accessible for all. His expertise, mediation skills and work on accessibility and accommodation issues are highly sought after.

Matt Freeman, PhD has worked with the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University since 2007 in various roles. Matt's research interests include information needs during the transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities and their families, including employment. 

Host

Dan Samosh is an Assistant Professor in Employment Relation at Queen’s University and Academic Co-Lead of the IDEA Incubator Hub on Transitions to Work and Career Development.

About the IDEA Speaker Series

The IDEA Speaker Series provides an opportunity to hear guest speakers talk about their efforts to create stronger and more diverse labour markets that include persons with disabilities.