Workplace Accessibility

On Oct 10 we will be joined by an outstanding panel of people actively engaged in fostering workplace accessibility from a variety of perspectives – not just as it relates to disability, but

difference and diversity of all types.

The panel:

• Stephanie Cadieux - Canada’s first Chief Accessibility Officer
• Charlotte-Anne Malischewski - Human Rights Commission interim Chief Commissioner
• Mark Wafer - Disability rights activist and keynote speaker
• Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia - Pacific Autism Network founder & director
• Kathleen Reid - Switchboard PR founder & Chief Communications Officer
• Jillian Frank - KPMG partner, employment & labour law
• Parm Hari - Vancouver Fraser Port Authority Vice-President, People, Process & Performance

The statistics tell a powerful story. 16 per cent of Canada’s adult population has a disability. According to Statistics Canada’s 2022 survey only 59.4 per cent of Canadian adults with a

disability have employment, compared to more than 80 per cent of Canadians without a disability.

Yet, hiring a diverse workforce has proven benefits, across numerous studies – increased profits, a variety of perspectives leading to better decision-making, more innovation and creativity, reduced turnover and better engagement, and a broader pool of candidates from which to hire.

Mark Wafer and his wife Valerie’s story proves the point. They owned seven Tim Hortons’ franchises in the Toronto area. Hearing impaired himself, Mark was interested in creating jobs for people with disabilities. One of his first hires was a young man with Down Syndrome. He became a star employee – dedicated, hard-working, and friendly. Mark and Valerie went on to hire more than 250 people with disabilities during 25 years in that business – averaging about 17 per cent of their workforce at any one time, in roles from managers to bakers. They hired people with autism, hearing impairments, physical disabilities, and intellectual delays.

Fast food restaurants are infamous for high (and costly) employee turnover. What Mark found, however, was that while the average tenure for their employees overall was 1.3 years that grew to 7.0 years for employees with disabilities. The employees were dedicated, didn’t miss shifts, and worked hard.

In a CBC story, Mark estimated it costs him $4,000 to hire and train a new employee. With their longer tenures and strong work, hiring Canadians with disabilities improved their business performance and increased profit, while creating opportunity for dozens of people. Yet, unemployment rates among Canadians with disability remain stubbornly high even during times of labour shortage.

We hope you can join us for the conversation – webcast live 7 p.m. October 10.

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