Five-year project is a “win-win” that will help create more inclusive workplaces in Ontario; help youth achieve full potential; help businesses build talent pipelines to meet future labour needs
By Dean Askin
The Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN) has received a $1-million grant from The Slaight Family Foundation for a five-year project that will help increase equitable employment opportunities for youth in Ontario who have a disability and create a new standard for employment of youth who have a disability.
“Youth who have a disability face significant barriers and discrimination in seeking both the experiences needed to develop important skills and in obtaining paid employment. Common myths can make it difficult for these youth to achieve their goals and reach their full potential,” affirms Jeannette Campbell, CEO of ODEN.
“We’re thrilled about receiving this grant, and we’re extremely grateful to The Slaight Family Foundation,” she says. “It means we’re going to be able to do work that is definitely going to make an impact on breaking down employment barriers for youth who have a disability; on creating inclusive workplaces; and helping employers understand that young people who have a disability are an important talent source for the future.”
The ODEN grant is part of a $30-million dollar transformational gift from The Slaight Family Foundation to advance disability inclusion in this country. It is the largest philanthropic donation of its kind in Canadian history.
ODEN is one of 11 organizations receiving a grant. Others include the Rick Hansen Foundation, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work, March of Dimes Canada, Easter Seals Canada, Inclusion Canada and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.
“The impact of disability exclusion is significant, not just on people with disabilities and their families, but on our culture and economy as well,” says Gary Slaight, President and CEO of The Slaight Family Foundation.
“Connecting and expanding programs and innovations from organizations dedicated to disability care and awareness will create an umbrella of support across Canada, while dismantling stigma and creating a more inclusive society for us all.”
ODEN will use its $1-million funding over five years to support Project SEARCH community partners in developing employment opportunities for youth participants and engaging local businesses in the program.
This will be facilitated through a newly created role of ODEN Workforce Engagement Specialist that will be focused exclusively on supporting and expanding Project SEARCH, Campbell explains.
Project SEARCH is a program that provides young people who have intellectual or developmental disabilities with over 700 hours of job- and life-skills training, and connects them with Employment Service Providers and employers.
It’s a unique initiative where students spend their final year of high school in a business learning environment at a host business. They learn from a teacher and skills trainers in a classroom for part of every day. As well, the students do three practical internships at the business. Each Project SEARCH program runs the school year, 10 months.
The initiative was started in 1996 at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre. Project SEARCH was first brought to Ontario by ODEN and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in 2019. Since then, the number of Project SEARCH sites in Ontario has grown to 19 from the original two.
“This funding will facilitate the expansion of Project SEARCH to more partners and workplaces. This in turn will help many more youth who have a disability achieve their employment goals,” says Campbell.
This year, it’s anticipated there’ll be 135 Project SEARCH graduates from the 19 sites. As more communities adopt the Project SEARCH model, 25 sites are projected for 2025-26, with 175 graduates, Campbell explains.
“As well, it will enable us to develop a more robust provincial network of employer businesses involved with all Project SEARCH sites around Ontario that are committed to intentional disability-inclusive hiring and making Ontario workplaces more disability inclusive.”
Currently, of ODEN’s more than 120 member Employment Service Providers, 10 are partners in the 19 Project SEARCH sites in 14 communities.
“This is an innovative early employment pathway program that makes a significant impact,” explains Campbell. “Graduates develop the skills needed to obtain and succeed in well-paying roles in a variety of industries. As well, Project SEARCH helps employers see the value of an inclusive workplace.”
The Slaight Family Foundation funding will also be used to create an employment standard for youth who have a disability. Too often, Campbell says, youth who have a disability either can’t find work, or are directed to or placed in minimum-wage employment opportunities that do not enable them to achieve their full potential.
According to Statistics Canada data the employment rate of youth who have a disability in 2023 was 51.9% compared to 57.7% for youth without disabilities.
And the unemployment rate of youth who have a disability in 2023 was 15.8% versus 10% for other youth.
“The Project SEARCH model has the potential to transform the rates and quality of employment for youth who have a disability, who aren’t pursuing post-secondary education,” Campbell affirms. “Internationally, on average, over 70% of Project SEARCH program graduates obtain employment in which they earn well above the minimum wage.”
Working with Employment Service Providers that are partnering to deliver Project SEARCH in Ontario communities, ODEN will co-create quality standards and procedures for properly supporting Project SEARCH graduates after they enter the workforce.
“There’s a definite need for them. We’re learning that the Ontario system for post-training employment support isn’t optimized to realize the full potential of the Project SEARCH model,” Campbell stresses.
Campbell says The Slaight Family Foundation grant will positively impact over 830 Project SEARCH graduates over the next five years. “It’s going to empower them with the skills and confidence they need to thrive in the workforce.”
She adds, “The reach of this work extends well beyond individual graduates. It’s going to have a ripple effect.”
She says Employment Service Providers will be able to build their service capacity, which will benefit countless more job seekers who have a disability. As well, it will drive change in employers’ inclusive-hiring practices.
“Every time a Project SEARCH graduate successfully moves into full-time, equitable, well-paying employment and interacts with co-workers, supervisors and the community, ableist myths and misconceptions about youth who have a disability are dispelled,” she notes.
“The activities enabled by this grant are going to raise awareness and increase knowledge among communities and employers about the valuable contributions employees who have a disability make to businesses, and about the benefits of fostering a disability-inclusive culture in workplaces,” Campbell says.
Dean Askin is the Communications Strategist for the Ontario Disability Employment Network.
