Starting Early: Preparing systems, employers, families, & youth

Overview

A number of population groups face unique barriers to entering and remaining in the workforce in Canada. Individuals with disabilities and youth are two such groups, each with higher-than-average unemployment rates in Ontario and Canada. Youth with disabilities, representing a group facing intersecting barriers to attaining and maintaining gainful employment, tend to face even higher levels of unemployment despite desire and ability. Research and practice-based evidence indicate that a “start early” approach that integrates youth into the world of work during high school leads to greater lifetime workforce attachment. 

In this webinar, Laura Bowman and Carolyn McDougall discuss the shared responsibilities across sectors and groups for facilitating youth with disabilities’ early entrance into the workforce. They will start by sharing two illustrative models for youth connection to the workforce to ground the discussion (Holland Bloorview’s Employment Pathways model; Model of Embedded Employment Supports for People with Disabilities). They will then give three practical examples of how their teams are working to action the “start early” approach from a policy level, a community & business level, and a programmatic/individual level. Attendees will leave the webinar with greater ability to comprehend the multi-level benefits of a start early approach to employment participation for youth with disabilities, identify the shared and unique roles we all play in facilitating this group’s engagement in our workforce, and consider how their role, knowledge, or organization is contributing to this work. French translation will be provided.

Speakers

Laura Bowman is the Project Manager in charge of Research and Evaluation for Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital’s Employment Pathways. In this role, she works with clinical, community, and policy-based partners to build disability-inclusive employment practices that enable connections between youth with disabilities and the workforce. Her work includes research, program and service evaluation, and knowledge mobilization, and draws from learning health systems, developmental, and occupational science approaches. 

Carolyn McDougall is the Manager of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital’s Employment Pathways, supporting 60+ high school aged youth with disabilities annually to get critical early work experiences. She is also the Business Liaison for Holland Bloorview’s co-site host role for Project SEARCH Toronto and supports coordination amongst Canada’s Project SEARCH sites. Carolyn's research and community partnership interests relate to: work-based learning, transitions to adulthood, life skills, family involvement and systems coordination.

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.