The City of Belleville is recognizing October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) – a month dedicated to promoting disability inclusion in business and the workplace.
The Belleville sign, Bridge Street Bridge and Fire Station #1 Memorial Garden will be lit in blue and purple from Oct. 21 to 27 in honour of NDEAM.
According to a 2022 Statistics Canada survey, 27 per cent of Canadians aged 15 years and older had one or more disabilities that limited them in their daily activities – an increase of five per cent from the previous survey in 2017. At present moment, only 62 per cent of Canadians with disabilities aged 25 to 64 have jobs, compared to 78 per cent of Canadians without disabilities.
The goal of NDEAM is to educate the public on how people with disabilities help companies be successful, as well as the business and economic importance of the disability employment market and disability-inclusive hiring. The City of Belleville’s Accessibility Advisory Committee is taking this opportunity to raise awareness of how and why disability inclusion is essential.
“Employment for those have a disability was identified as a key priority in our Multi-Year Accessibility Plan and with the growing need for qualified employees in our community, it is more important now than ever,” said chair of the Accessibility Advisory Committee Councillor Barbara Enright-Miller. “Some of the biggest hurdles we face are the misconceptions around employees with disabilities when, in reality, studies have shown that performance was average or higher in 90 per cent of employees with disabilities. Employing those who are Deaf or have a disability has so many benefits including increased productivity, employee engagement and even profitability. It’s time that we celebrate and raise awareness of this unrealized talent pool here in our community.”
A number of valuable resources are available for local employers and job seekers who are Deaf or have a disability:
- Ontario Disability Employment Network – Provides businesses and employment support providers with resources for talent acquisition, training, consulting services and more.
- The Conference Board of Canada’s Employer Toolkit – A free, fully accessible toolkit that provides practical advice to employers of all sizes about simple changes they can implement to make their workplaces more inclusive for people with disabilities and suggestions on complying with the Employment Standard as set out under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
- Jobs Ability – Connects job seekers who have a disability to employers looking to hire.
To learn more about the movement, visit: https://www.odenetwork.com/initiatives/ndeam-2024/.
