For Employers

The Supported Employment Program works with businesses of all sizes and in all markets to create beneficial matches between job seekers and employers. We can help you find great employees for the roles you are trying to staff.

Some employers may be nervous about having an employee with a disability. Once they hire one of our job seekers, employers soon find that it’s not only easier than expected but that there are also unexpected advantages to hiring someone with a disability.

Here is what two employers who have worked with our previous program had to say:

“Jennie was just the right person for the position we had. The timing was great and she had the right aptitude for the opportunity.”

  • Source: Louise Reid-Schloen, Manager of Talent Attraction and Acquisition for Hydro Ottawa

“Nicholas is a positive and reliable worker. He lifts the atmosphere whenever he is at work. You can really tell when Nicholas has done the job – he catches the little things that stand out for us and the customers.”

  • Source: Ahmed Abdi-Salah, Branch Rental Manager for Enterprise Rentals in Kanata

You can read about some of the myths and facts about workers with disabilities here.

The Business Case for Hiring Someone with a Disability

Here are just a few of the advantages to hiring someone from our program:

1. This service is provided at no cost to your business. The Supported Employment Program will cover the cost for any specialized equipment the employee needs.
2. We help you save time spent on hiring by only sending you candidates we believe would be very suitable for the role you’re trying to staff.
3. Workers with disabilities have a very positive attitude to employment and are highly motivated. This attitude can be contagious, helping to improve morale for your entire team.
4. You’ll have an opportunity to enrich your workplace culture and help it become more inclusive. Inclusive workplaces are often the most innovative and competitive, and have proven to have lower turnover, reducing hiring and training costs.
5. You’ll be able to access the talents and energy of workers with disabilities, currently 14% of the Canadian population.
6. Your business will gain a favourable reputation in the community for hiring workers with disabilities. According to a 2008 COMPAS Research poll, 78% of Canadians are more likely to buy a product or service from a business that hires people with disabilities than a company that doesn’t.
7. When you’re able to accommodate workers with disabilities, it means you can accommodate customers with disabilities as well. Aside from the 14% of Canadians who have a disability, 55% of Canadians know someone with a disability.

Did You Know? The disability market worldwide is about the size of China: 1.3 billion people who have $1.2 trillion in annual disposable income.

If you are interested in working with the Supported Employment Program, please contact us.

Can My Business Participate?

Here is a list of the qualifications your business needs to meet to participate in the program:

1. Your business is licensed to operate in the Province of Ontario.
2. The position you are hiring for is located within the Province of Ontario.
3. Your business has either WSIB coverage or private workplace safety insurance coverage.
4. Your business has adequate third party liability insurance, as advised by a broker.
5. Your business complies with all applicable federal and provincial laws including but not limited to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Employment Standards Act and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

It doesn’t matter how small or large your business is, or your industry. If you’re looking for a great employee, we can help.

How Do You Help My Business Integrate Workers with Disabilities?

The Inclusion Alliance removes barriers to employment for job seekers with disabilities. Here are some of the ways we do it:

1. We match job seekers to employers with openings that make sense for both parties.
2. We may provide funds to cover assistive equipment the job seeker requires to do the work.

We also assist job seekers with funding for special training they need as part of working on your team.

3. We provide job seekers with funding for things like transportation and accommodation when going for job interviews.
4. If needed, we provide training for you and your existing staff to help you learn how to work with the person with a disability. Some topics, for example, include how to guide a blind person, or how to provide constructive feedback to someone with autism.
5. If needed, we can provide job coaching assistance to the employee with a disability. This can have benefits for your entire company. Many of the processes we design to assist the client are adaptable within the organization.

For example, one of our job coaches made a checklist for an employee with a disability. The checklist was so useful, that the employer adopted it for use with all of their employees.

What are My Obligations as an Employer?

There are no minimum employment periods you need to commit to or exhaustive reporting procedures to endure. There is an optional survey that we ask some employers to fill out to help us improve our services. But most of the reporting procedures are on the employee’s side.

If the job seeker doesn’t work out, we would work with the employee to ease their transition back into the search for a new job, emphasizing the positive aspects of the trial experience.

If you decide to hire a job seeker with a disability through our program, you are required to do the following:

1. Report the starting salary of the employee.
2. Let us know if any difficulties arise. This allows us to work with the employee if needed.
3. Treat the employee with the same respect that everyone deserves.

It’s that easy!