WHITBY, Ontario, Oct. 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ontario businesses approaching disability inclusion and accessibility strictly from a narrow “compliance” mindset to meet standards under the 2005 Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act (AODA), and employment standards and human rights laws — are hindering the ability of their employees to achieve their full potential, and thereby hampering the company’s long-term growth, profitability and success.

“With the start of 2025 now just a few months away, there’s a lot of business conversation happening about the AODA because 2025 marks the end of the 20-year time frame laid out in the AODA for making Ontario a fully accessible and inclusive province,” says Jeannette Campbell, CEO of the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN).

“Regardless of whether we’re still a long way from achieving that objective in 2025, it’s vital for all Ontario business leaders and owners to recognize and understand that being an accessible and disability-inclusive employer means a lot more than ‘ticking boxes’ to be compliant with AODA standards or human rights legislation including the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Fully, proactively embracing disability inclusion is a key to making not only your business, but the community it serves, stronger and more vibrant, both economically and socially.”

That’s why this year for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), ODEN is focusing on raising awareness about the essentials of embracing disability inclusion to go far beyond compliance with the AODA and human rights legislation.

Its 2024 NDEAM campaign is titled, Championing Disability Inclusion in Employment.

Being proactive and intentional about disability inclusion can help break down barriers to employment for people who have a disability; and enrich workplaces.

In research by two London Business School professors published in a 2023 Harvard Business Review article, 88% of human resources professionals surveyed said disability-inclusive hiring “significantly” improved “the internal culture of their firms.”
As well, 75% of human resources executives surveyed, said the general atmosphere in their companies was better.

And 74% said teams within the business, worked better together as a result of disability inclusion.

Businesses should be proactive about and champion disability-inclusive hiring because it’s strategically important, Campbell emphasizes.

“It’s good for business, and it’s good for your brand. Disability inclusion can drive growth, innovation and competitive advantage for a company. There’s ample research that shows this,” she says.

A 2021 survey by the Angus Reid Institute and the Rick Hansen Foundation found, 62% of Canadians would be more likely to do business with a company if they knew the business had specific policies to support employees who have a disability.

An Accenture study found, disability-inclusive businesses have 30% higher profit margins and 28% higher revenue than companies that aren’t.

A 2019 TD Economics report put it more bluntly and starkly. The authors stated unequivocally that Canadian businesses that don’t hire people who have a disability, are missing a vital opportunity — and will get left behind competitors who do embrace disability inclusion.

Still too often, Campbell notes, disability gets left out of the diversity, equity and inclusion business conversation. “Disability inclusion has to be driven from the top down. And this means, CEOs and business owners need a high level of disability awareness and confidence, as well as the right attitude.”

Campbell adds, “This makes the education and awareness-raising that happens during NDEAM vital for understanding disability inclusion connections to success.”

NDEAM is an annual October campaign promoting disability inclusion in business and the workplace. It began as a week-long event in the U.S. following World War Two. In 1988, NDEAM became a month-long celebration recognizing the many ways people who have a disability contribute to businesses, and their communities.

Here in Canada, NDEAM was first proclaimed by the Province of Manitoba in 2010. The governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario all recognize NDEAM each October. In New Brunswick, the Premier’s Council on Disabilities recognizes and promotes NDEAM. The federal government also recognizes the month.

In part, ODEN’s Championing Disability Inclusion in Employment campaign is recognizing the legacy of David C. Onley. Onley was the first working television journalist in Canada and the first Ontario Lieutenant-Governor who had a visible disability.

“He was an unwavering champion of accessibility and disability-inclusive hiring, particularly during his tenure as Ontario’s 28^th Lieutenant-Governor. David Onley founded ODEN’s Business Champions League when he was Lieutenant-Governor, and our Business Champions continue David’s legacy of advocacy, mentoring and motivating to help businesses realize and reap all the benefits of disability-inclusive hiring,” Campbell explains.

Episode 27 of ODEN’s You Can’t Spell Inclusion Without a D podcast is a tribute to David Onley and his legacy. In this emotional conversation, three guests reflect on the impact Onley made on them personally; and on the impact he had on disability-inclusive hiring and accessibility, in Ontario. The three guests are: Mike Bradley, Mayor of Sarnia, ON and one of ODEN’s founding Business Champions; Robert Onley, a lawyer and one of David Onley’s three sons; and award-winning human rights lawyer Lorin MacDonald, for whom David Onley was a mentor.

The episode is live on Podbean, and all major podcast distribution apps.

“This episode actually aired the Tuesday before the start of NDEAM, but we deliberately planned our schedule that way,” explains Campbell, who is Co-host and Executive Producer of You Can’t Spell Inclusion Without a D.

“The final week before NDEAM seemed like the perfect time to do a show about Ontario’s, if not Canada’s, most famous champion of disability inclusion in employment, and get people thinking about disability-inclusive hiring before NDEAM starts.”

Here are some of the other highlights in ODEN’s Championing Disability Inclusion in Employment campaign for NDEAM 2024:

• Two Zoom panel discussions during October. The first one, on October 3, is titled, Beyond AODA: Disability Inclusive Hiring. Panellists including Jean-marc Valmont, the Human Resources Director for the Canadian National Exhibition, will share their perspectives on the hows and why’s of being proactive about disability-inclusive hiring, and not just meeting legislative requirements. There is still time to register for this event.
  
• To wrap up NDEAM, on October 30, a Championing Disability Inclusion in Employment panel discussion on Zoom features Mike Bradley, Robert Onley and Danica McPhee, who is the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigeneity Co-ordinator for Erie Shores Health Care in Leamington, ON. Registration for this panel opens soon; people should check the ODEN events calendar.
  
• Light It Up! For NDEAM™ is the flagship national event of ODEN’s NDEAM campaign. The fifth annual Light It Up! For NDEAM takes place Thursday, October 17. Hundreds of businesses, structures, municipal signs and world-renown landmarks across Canada will be specially lit purple and blue for one night. Organizations can submit their location using the online submission form or by sending an email to [email protected].
  

“Light It Up! For NDEAM is much more than a one-night, co-ordinated lighting event to raise awareness,” explains Campbell. “It’s a national movement that ignites continuing conversation about why businesses need to make all the connections to disability inclusion, and fully embrace it.”

She adds, “There’s more conversation about disability inclusion than ever before, and it’s good to see this happening. NDEAM continues to be a vital month because it helps raise awareness; helps keep the conversation going; and helps lead to action on disability inclusion that ultimately benefits everyone. For businesses, maybe that action is taking a first step on the inclusive-hiring journey during NDEAM 2024. It’s a long-term journey that takes time, effort and proactive, intentional commitment.”

For more information, and to arrange interviews, contact:
Dave Bennett, Xposure PR [email protected] 905-339-6668
Dean Askin, Communications Strategist, ODEN [email protected] 416-818-1514 (cell)

ABOUT ODEN: The Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN), created in 2008, is a professional body of more than 130 employment service providers united to increase employment opportunities for people who have a disability. Members are from every corner of the province and support people of all disability types. Beyond Ontario, ODEN (odenetwork.com) has connections with organizations in other provinces and territories of Canada. Light It Up! For NDEAM™ is a trademark of the Ontario Disability Employment Network.