Canadians with disabilities could fill labour gap

Graduates with disabilities still face many barriers when they try to transition into the workforce.

 Schools have become more accessible for students with disabilities but it’s a different story in workplaces.

 

We are told the Canadian economy faces a shortage of people with the “right” skills as baby boomers leave the workforce.

We also hear about the tremendous need for temporary foreign workers to fill positions Canadians won’t take.

These problems are real, but there is a solution staring us in the face, one we continually ignore because, well, that’s what we’ve always done.

At least part of the solution is to look to the thousands of Canadians with disabilities.

For the most part, the education system has done its job.

Beginning at the elementary level, students with disabilities have access to support and services that allow them not only to participate in the education process but increasingly to be successful. Students with disabilities are graduating from our secondary schools in record numbers.

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