The Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy (CRWDP) is a transdisciplinary initiative on the future of work disability policy in Canada.

Our Objective 

Illness and disability touch most people at some point over their lifetime. Our objective is to identify how people, when disabled, can be better retained and integrated into the Canadian labour market.

Our Primary Activities 

• 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.

Our Three Key Questions 

1. How well does the Canadian disability policy system serve the current and emerging needs of working-age individuals when disabled in terms of employment support and opportunities?
2. For which individuals and in what labour-market contexts does our disability policy system work well/not work well and why?
3. What are the key opportunities for policy and program improvement in the short and long run?

What Do We Mean By Work Disability Policy 

By work disability policy, we mean policy related to any federal or provincial or territorial program in Canada that shapes income security and labour-market engagement for work-disabled individuals. We also include employers in the disability policy system as they play an important role in shaping opportunities for work-disabled individuals and have specific obligations under some programs and legislations.