EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

Hire a Person with a Disability

There are many reasons to consider hiring a person with a disability. The most obvious might be to help satisfy your obligations under the federal Employment Equity Act, which requires certain employers to have a staff that is reflective of the percentage of persons with disabilities in the Canadian workforce. But this should not be your only reason. Statistics show that 2.3 million or 13% of Canadians between 15 and 64 years of age have disabilities. To exclude that many people with otherwise potentially excellent qualifications and abilities does not make a lot of business sense. Many employers in our community have been able to overcome society's misconceptions about the employability of people with disabilities and have benefited greatly as a result. In fact, 1 in 8 Canadians currently in the workforce has a disability and studies have shown that greater than 80% of them rate as average or above average in safety, attendance, and the overall performance of job duties.

Unpaid Work Placements - If you are uncertain of a candidate’s ability, CareerQuest can arrange an unpaid work placement of up to 12 weeks to allow you to determine if he/she can satisfy the requirements of the position, as long as paid employment is available upon successful completion.

Workstation Analysis - For a worker with a physical disability, CareerQuest can perform a workstation analysis to determine what, if any, assistive devices are needed to maximize comfort and productivity.

Ergonomic Devices - The needs of many workers can be accommodated with minimal investments in ergonomic assistive devices. Through the recommendations of a workstation analysis or other valid means, CareerQuest can provide, at no cost to the employer, a number of the most commonly required assistive devices: ergonomic writing tools, back and seat supports, fully adjustable footrests, heating pads, inclined writing surfaces, etc.

Computer Assistive Devices - Candidates with hand or arm-related disabilities can receive training in unimanual keyboarding skills or Dragon NaturallySpeaking, a speech-recognition software application. For candidates with a visual impairment, CareerQuest can provide assistive computer programs such as JAWS or ZoomText and offer on-the-job training to the user.

Job Coaching - Once a candidate is placed in a job, CareerQuest can offer a job coach to assist with implementing assistive devices and compensatory strategies to ensure a smooth transition to successful and sustained employment.

Job Monitoring - Even after a successful job placement, CareerQuest can continue to monitor progress for a period of time to address potential concerns or barriers that may arise during the first months of employment.