DWC Partner Organizations
Moving Forward Together
Disability and Work in Canada (DWC) Initiative
In 2017, the Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy (CRWDP), Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW), Inclusion Newfoundland (InclusionNL) and the Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Groups (ONIWG)—already working together as members of a community caucus formed by the CRWDP research partnership—formed the Disability and Work in Canada (DWC) Steering Committee to host the first DWC conference. The conference gathered together people with disabilities, disability organizations, government representatives, labour/unions, employers and service providers. One of the outcomes of the first conference was a decision to develop a pan-Canadian strategy on disability and work.
After two years of consultations with persons with disabilities, injured workers, disability organizations, labour/unions, employers, businesses, service providers and government representatives from across the country – through national conferences, provincial/territorial based focus groups, and an online survey that garnered more than 400 responses – the DWC Steering Committee finalized the pan-Canadian strategy on disability and work in November 2019. The DWC2019: Strategy-in-Action conference reviewed the revised pan-Canadian strategy to improve the level of employment of persons with disabilities and identify the most important early steps in implementation.
The DWC Steering Committee is comprised of the following partner organizations:
Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy (CRWDP) & Inclusive Design for Employment Access Social Innovation Laboratory (IDEA)
The Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy (CRWDP) is a transdisciplinary initiative on the future of work disability policy in Canada. Illness and disability touch most people at some point over their lifetime. CRWDP’s objective is to identify how people, when disabled, can be better retained and integrated into the Canadian labour market. CRWDP’s primary activities include: providing a forum for within- and cross-provincial and national dialogue on challenges and opportunities for improving the Canadian work disability policy system; identifying problems and challenges associated with program coordination and complexity; identifying relevant and favourable alternative approaches to system design and service provision through select comparisons with countries and small scale trials; mobilizing knowledge developed within and outside of the initiative in order to inform policy; and building capacity for research and knowledge mobilization on the topic of work disability policy and labour-market engagement of individuals with disabilities.
IDEA: This transdisciplinary, multi-sectoral social innovation laboratory (SIL) named IDEA (Inclusive Design for Employment Access) and VRAIE in French (Vision radicale pour l’accès inclusive à l’emploi) designs, pilots and evaluates solutions for enhancing demand-side capacity to recruit, hire, onboard, retain and promote persons with disabilities in a range of employment opportunities. Within the SIL, they plan to also develop and maintain an accessible online platform for stakeholders to facilitate access to existing evidence-informed tools and resources, as well as to existing employment supports, programs and services.
CRWDP & IDEA's contributions to the DWC Initiative include organizing the DWC annual conferences, organizing consultations to garner feedback on the draft strategy, and contributing to the development and revision of the pan-Canadian strategy on disability and work and supporting documents.
Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW)
The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) is a national registered not-for-profit organization committed to supporting and promoting the meaningful and equitable employment of persons with disabilities. CCRW’s mission is to promote and support meaningful and equitable employment of people with disabilities. CCRW helps persons with disabilities find a job or career, help employers hire persons with disabilities, and help employers support employees with disabilities. As innovators and agents of change, CCRW builds partnerships, develops skills, shares knowledge and influences attitudes.
CCRW contributions to the DWC Initiative include organizing the DWC annual conferences, organizing consultations to garner feedback on the draft strategy, and contributing to the development and revision of the pan-Canadian strategy on disability and work and supporting documents.
Ontario Network of Injured Workers' Groups (ONIWG)
Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Groups (ONIWG) is a provincial voice for workers who have been injured or made ill on the job. They have first-hand experience of the WCB/WSIB system, knows it needs improvement and they take united action to make this happen. A democratically governed organization, ONIWG has been representing workers since 1991. ONIWG’s 18 member groups have strong community roots, working closely with other local groups and agencies to advance the interests of injured workers. These include labour councils and labour unions, and legal clinics who provide advice and support. ONIWG also works with the local Office of the Worker Advisor, their Members of Provincial Parliament, and in municipal governments.
ONIWG contributions to the DWC Initiative include organizing the DWC annual conferences, organizing consultations to garner feedback on the draft strategy, and contributing to the development and revision of the pan-Canadian strategy on disability and work and supporting documents.
Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB)
Founded in 1918, the CNIB Foundation is a non-profit organization driven to change what it is to be blind today. They deliver innovative programs and powerful advocacy that empower people impacted by blindness to live their dreams and tear down barriers to inclusion. Their work as a blind foundation is powered by a network of volunteers, donors and partners from coast to coast to coast.
CNIB contributions to the DWC Initiative include organizing the DWC annual conferences and contributing to the development and revision of the pan-Canadian strategy on disability and work and supporting documents.
Inclusion Canada
Inclusion Canada, formerly the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL), is the national federation of 13 provincial/territorial member organizations and over 300 local associations working to advance the full inclusion and human rights of people with an intellectual disability and their families. Inclusion Canada leads the way in building an inclusive Canada for people with an intellectual disability and their families by strengthening families, defending rights, and transforming communities into places where everyone belongs.
Inclusion Canada contributions to the DWC Initiative include organizing the DWC annual conferences and contributing to the development and revision of the pan-Canadian strategy on disability and work and supporting documents.
Realize
Realize is the leading national, charitable, organization in Canada working to improve the health and well-being of people living with HIV and other episodic disabilities, across the lifespan, through integrated research, education, policy, and practice. Formed in 1998, Realize (formerly the Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation) promotes innovation and excellence in rehabilitation in the context of HIV and other chronic and potentially episodic conditions. They bridge the traditionally separate worlds of HIV, disability and rehabilitation through research, education and cross-sector partnerships.
Realize contributions to the DWC Initiative include organizing the DWC annual conferences and contributing to the development and revision of the pan-Canadian strategy on disability and work and supporting documents.
Rick Hansen Foundation
In 1985, Rick Hansen set out on the Man in Motion World Tour; a 26 month, 34 country, 40,000 km wheelchair marathon. The Tour raised $26 million and changed the way people with disabilities were perceived. The Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF), established in 1988, is part of its legacy. For over three decades, RHF has raised awareness, changed attitudes and funded spinal cord injury research and care. Today, roughly one in five Canadians identify as having a disability, and that number is growing as our population ages. They’re working on breaking down one of the most fundamental barriers that people with disabilities still face: physical barriers in the places where we live, work, learn and play.
Rick Hansen Foundation contributions to the DWC Initiative include organizing the DWC annual conferences and contributing to the development and revision of the pan-Canadian strategy on disability and work and supporting documents.
Past Parter Organization:
Inclusion Newfoundland (InclusionNL): Employer Support Services
InclusionNL: Employer Support Services provides employer support services, and is a corporate program of Empower, The Disability Resource Centre that provides supports, services, and information to businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador on accessibility, inclusion, disability confidence, and inclusive employment. InclusionNL focuses on developing partnerships with NL businesses and employers to increase access in hiring people with disabilities, interacting with employees and customers with disabilities, and increasing overall workplace accessibility and inclusion, which in turn benefits business in many ways.
InclusionNL: Employer Support Services was part of DWC Initiative in 2017-2019. InclusionNL contributions to the DWC Initiative included organizing the DWC annual conferences, organizing consultations to garner feedback on the draft strategy, and contributing to the development and revision of the pan-Canadian strategy on disability and work and supporting documents
DWC Steering Committee Members:
DWC Steering Committee Members (Present and Past)
DWC Steering Committee Members (listed alphabetically by last name): Krista Carr, Inclusion Canada; Doramy Ehling, Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF); Alec Farquhar, Inclusive Design for Employment Access Social Innovation Laboratory (IDEA); Maureen Haan, Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW); Steve Mantis, Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups (ONIWG); Mahadeo Sukhai, Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB); Emile Tompa, Inclusive Design for Employment Access Social Innovation Laboratory (IDEA) & Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy (CRWDP); Tammy Yates, Realize
DWC Steering Committee Past Members (listed alphabetically by last name): Kathy Hawkins, Inclusion NL: Employer Support Services; Ron Saunders, Institute for Work & Health (IWH)
