Persons with disabilities

Entrepreneurship Among Persons with Disabilities

This project involves an environmental scan of Canadian and international peer reviewed and grey literature on entrepreneurship as an employment or income-generating option for people with disabilities. It also includes an analysis of relevant national and international policies and programs that are designed to support entrepreneurship for persons with disabilities, including their stated objectives, approaches, and – where possible – success outcomes. The review is, where possible, taking into consideration other intersecting factors (based on the GBA+ framework) that can affect people with disabilities in terms of their engagement and pursuit of entrepreneurship. The overall objective of this research is to provide ESDC with a better understanding of the issues, challenges, and opportunities that entrepreneurship offers people with disabilities to participate in the labour market.

Start-end date: February 2023 - July 2023
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Mapping the Career Mobility of Persons with Disabilities in Canada

This project is examining the historical context, current status, challenges, trends, and emerging practices related to career mobility for persons with disabilities. The project involves a literature review as well as focus groups with persons with disabilities and interviews with other stakeholders, such as employment service providers, career practitioners, and employers. While the research is focusing specifically on the Canadian context, it is also highlighting international comparisons, where appropriate. It is also applying a Gender-based Analysis Plus (or intersectional) lens to the analysis. The objective of this research project is to fill a knowledge gap on the experiences of persons with disabilities with respect to career mobility in support of advancing the Employment Strategy and the objectives of the federal government’s new Disability Inclusion Action Plan.

Start-end date: December 2022 - July 2023
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Evidence Review and Mental Health Pilot Community Consultation for Girls' Fund Programs

The Girls’ Fund supports programs that give girls and gender-diverse youth tools to develop into confident, resilient people, right when they need this support most. In preparation for the next Girls’ Fund cohort, The Canadian Women’s Foundation (CWF) has commissioned an update of the evidence informing Girls’ Fund programming for adolescent girls and gender-diverse youth. Based on needs identified stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, CWF is also engaging with community organizations to understand their experiences with anti-oppressive mental health approaches for children and youth, in preparation for designing and implementing an anti-oppressive mental health pilot in Girls’ Fund programming.

Start-end date: September 2022 - March 2023
Sponsor: Canadian Women’s Foundation

Barriers to training and employment for youth with disabilities: Research synthesis

This project is producing a research synthesis of findings from SRDC’s past and current research projects concerning skills gaps, learning needs, and systemic barriers to employment faced by youth with disabilities. Funded by Skills and Employment Branch (SEB) at Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), the project involves creating a database of relevant SRDC projects that involve primary data collection, secondary analysis, and literature reviews of academic literature that have been undertaken by SRDC researchers in the past decade. The analysis of this database will equip ESDC’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) with a better understanding of the existing evidence of the barriers faced by youth with disabilities in Canada.

Start-end date: July 2022 - October 2022
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Women First: Building skills for success

Funded through Employment and Social Development Canada’s Women’s Employment Readiness Pilot, the WOMEN FIRST project is a multi-partner initiative aiming to leverage employment and skills training to address barriers faced by multiply-marginalized women. Led by PTP Adult Learning and Employment Programs (PTP) in collaboration with five service delivery providers across the country, the project aims to draw on partners’ collective expertise to develop, test, and evaluate pre-employment and skills development supports. Specifically, the project seeks to build knowledge about approaches to programming, curriculum, and wraparound supports that best serve women facing multiple structural barriers, including low-income women, Indigenous women, racialized women, 2SLGBTQ+ women, newcomer women, and women with disabilities. SRDC is working closely with partners to design and implement an evaluation of the project, including the program delivery across all six pilot sites and new Skill for Success curriculum developed by partner Alberta Workforce Essential Skills. In particular, SRDC is supporting an evaluation grounded in principles of intersectional feminism, anti-oppression, equity, and justice.

Start-end date: July 2022 - September 2023
Sponsor: PTP Adult Learning and Employment Programs

Evaluation of the Increasing Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Information project

Centre for Sexuality (C4S), in partnership with community stakeholders in Alberta, is co-creating and launching updated Relationship and Sexual Education (RSE) curricula, aimed at increasing access to sexual and reproductive health information, resources, and care in Alberta. SRDC is supporting the evaluation of the Increasing Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Information project, which encompasses four distinct population-specific strategies supporting equity-deserving groups in Alberta: youth, 2SLGBTQ+, Indigenous youth and communities, and people with developmental disabilities. Building on and tailoring C4S’s RSE program, C4S will work with communities (and community advisory committees) to develop responsive program and training materials, implement these, and evaluate associated project processes and outcomes. SRDC will provide developmental evaluation support, supporting the co-design and implementation of evaluation tools across all four strategies, and for the project as a whole.

Start-end date: June 2022 - March 2024
Sponsor: Centre for Sexuality

Enhancing employment services through development and assessment of Skills for Success training

With the involvement of several project partners, SRDC is developing assessment and training resources to support both transferable and sector-based Skills for Success (SFS) programming; designing and implementing targeted and intensive SFS training to address individuals and employer needs; and customizing assessment and training resources for underrepresented groups. This is being done through a two‑model system ranging from “lighter touch” general training and capacity building to more intensive development, customization, and pilot testing of new training resources. More specifically, the project broadens and deepens existing capacity-building efforts in the skills and employment training sector by scaling up the use of our SFS-aligned online measurement platform; testing new SFS measurement options, including self-report and objective assessment methodologies; developing, delivering, and evaluating new SFS curricula, training resources, and assessment tools; and disseminating findings, best practices, and lessons learned to continue building sectoral knowledge and capacity.

Start-end date: June 2022 - March 2024
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

EMC Skills Evolution

EMC Skills Evolution is a national, industry-driven initiative that will provide new insights for scaling up sectoral micro-credentials, through the identification, validation, prioritization, and building of occupational competency frameworks for the manufacturing and other sectors, providing a sharable roadmap for developing and deploying workforce capability growth through a competency-based micro-credential approach. Specifically, this project seeks to define and apply an industry-driven, multi-sector methodology to micro-credential development and adoption, enabling manufacturers and employers in other sectors to more rapidly upskill and reskill their workforce, as well as to more quickly onboard newly recruited workers and facilitate broader recognition of relevant skills and workforce mobility.

Start-end date: June 2022 - August 2023
Sponsor: Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium

Environmental Scan Research Report on ICT accessibility standards and related legislation and regulations

This project is examining the topic of Information Communications Technology (ICT) accessibility standards and related existing legislation and regulations in order to assess the current state of ICT accessibility in addressing the needs of persons with disabilities. The project involves an environmental scan that includes a literature review on existing ICT accessibility standards, both domestic and international, and an examination of current and future trends both in terms of ICT (equipment and software) and standards.

Start-end date: March 2022 - September 2022
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Supporting Apprentices with Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities affect at least 10% of the general population and there is increasing evidence this figure is much higher in the apprenticeship system. Unfortunately, a large percentage do not receive adequate supports to identify and address their learning challenges and end up leaving their careers, exacerbating existing labour shortages. A more structured, consistent approach to identifying and supporting pre-apprentices and apprentices with learning disabilities is needed for the construction industry and its training providers to effectively respond to these learning needs. The intention of this pilot is to identify, assess, and provide wrap-around supports as needed to union apprentices and selected pre-apprentices, offer training resources to training providers, and to test the effectiveness of this model in several jurisdictions across Canada. As the research and evaluation partner, SRDC will collaborate with SkillPlan, and partners in the unionized construction industry and their affiliated training providers, to develop and integrate this model and then assess its implementation and outcomes. The project will leverage learning from SkillPlan’s other federally funded projects — Star EPATT and UTIP Connecting the Dots — and help increase access for individuals with learning disabilities to participate and engage in training and employment opportunities.

Start-end date: February 2022 - October 2024
Sponsor: SkillPlan

New Inclusive Economy

The New Inclusive Economy is a BC Sector Labour Market Partnership research project that is investigating inclusive employment from the employer (demand-side) of recruitment and retention of people with disabilities. The two-year research project is utilizing a combination of research methods, including case studies, an environmental scan, literature review, and primary data collection from employers across multiple sectors in BC including manufacturing, tech, and retail to answer the question: when people with disabilities and other barriers to employment are meaningfully employed, what are the enabling structural conditions, and how can these be amplified and mobilized in other contexts? As research partner, SRDC is primarily responsible for leading data collection activities with employers to generate evidence-based recommendations for identifying structural barriers and other effective approaches to increasing employer capacity to attract and retain employees with disabilities or other barriers to employment.

Start-end date: January 2022 - September 2023
Sponsor: Inclusion Powell River Society

Disability and the Workplace Research

CBDC Restigouche has engaged SRDC to assist with primary data collection with employers and persons with disabilities on issues related to inclusive employment. The project is seeking to learn directly from employers and persons with disabilities to identify best practices, challenges, and emerging trends on issues related to disability and the workplace in Canada, particularly as related to small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). The primary research with employers is designed to capture the opportunities, needs, and challenges of SMEs related to recruiting, hiring, supporting, and retaining persons with disabilities. The survey of persons with disabilities aims to understand the challenges that persons with disabilities face in entering and succeeding in the workforce — with a special emphasis on small- to medium-sized business environments. The project is also documenting the challenges experienced by employers and persons with disabilities related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as identify trends and forecasts for adapting to a post-pandemic environment. Lastly, the research is examining how challenges faced by persons with disabilities interact with, and are compounded by, other social identities and life situations.

Start-end date: January 2022 - June 2022
Sponsor: CBDC Restigouche

Skills for Success Implementation Guidance Development

The launch of Skills for Success in May 2021 leverages the core strength of the Essential Skills framework while tightening the alignment with modern labour market needs, with a greater focus on a range of socio-emotional skills. This project’s main objective is to produce a document outlining key principles and emerging practices to guide the implementation of Skills for Success, reflecting the Government of Canada’s commitment to create and update training programs, resources, and assessment materials, facilitate training participation of vulnerable groups, and build the capacity of stakeholders who serve these populations. Our approach will combine environmental scan and literature review with the involvement of an expert advisory panel representing training and sectoral organizations with nation-wide networks, to develop three broad kinds of content: i) identification of learning needs for underrepresented groups (e.g., Indigenous people, racialized Canadians, persons with disabilities) and key sectors; ii) guiding principles for the design of tailored training and assessment tools to align with identified learner and sectoral needs; and iii) implementation examples and approaches from early adopters of Skills for Success. These will be synthesized into a final report to facilitate tool customization and program implementation aligned with the unique learning needs of groups underrepresented in the labour market, as well as the job performance needs of major sectors of the Canadian economy.

Start-end date: December 2021 - September 2022
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Overcoming barriers to skills development and employment for equity-seeking groups: Research synthesis

Jobs are changing and so are the skills Canadians need to be successful in a modern economy. Acquisition of foundational and socio-emotional skills is critical for those who are currently under-employed and underrepresented in the workforce. However, equity-seeking groups – such as women, youth, Indigenous persons, newcomers, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities, and people who identify as LGBTQ2S+ – often face individual, organizational, and systemic barriers that prevent them from acquiring these skills and accessing good jobs. In addition, they may lack access to the experiences and supports that foster these skills, such as coaching from mentors and role models, professional networks, and positive early learning experiences; they may also experience differences between their values or customs and those desired by employers in the Canadian workplace. As the federal department mandated to promote a highly skilled and mobile labour force and an efficient and inclusive labour market, Employment and Social Development Canada aims to improve its capacity to better measure, monitor, and address gender disparity and promote access of underrepresented groups across its skills and training programs. SRDC has been engaged to consolidate and analyze available information on the skill gaps, learning needs, and systemic barriers faced by equity-seeking groups in accessing and benefiting from the skills training and employment supports offered by governments and organizations across the country. SRDC will analyze this information using a social-ecological and intersectional approach that recognizes the multiple personal and environmental factors that can influence outcomes in employment and training, and the ways an individual’s social identities can intersect and create exclusion and marginalization. The resulting research synthesis is expected to broaden ESDC’s understanding of the challenges to skills acquisition faced by underrepresented groups, and to inform future programming and research.

Start-end date: January 2021 - March 2021
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Status Report on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within the Faculty of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

The Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) is currently developing its future action plan on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within the institution. In order to identify courses of action and set priorities for this plan, SRDC has been mandated to establish the current state of affairs in terms of faculty representativeness in order to draw recommendations to promote EDI that will be relevant for the EDI Institutional Committee and other stakeholders at UQTR. This inventory includes the quantitative measurement of vertical and horizontal representation and organizational structure (groups recognized as under-represented – Indigenous persons, visible minorities, people from the LGBTQ2S+ community, people with disabilities, women), the measurement of barriers related to the retention and career progression of faculty members (as indicated in the NSERC Dimensions Charter) and the collection of suggestions and recommendations from faculty members related to EDI.

Start-end date: December 2020 - July 2021
Sponsor: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Employment Accessibility Standards for Recruitment and Retention of People with Disabilities

This project is designed to advance research on accessibility standards to inform Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) as it works with stakeholders and persons with disabilities to create new accessibility regulations that will apply to sectors within its federal jurisdiction. SRDC’s project is focused on employment standards, which was the area most frequently cited in the consultations informing the development of the recently adopted Accessibility Canada Act as the most important for improving accessibility. The goal of the project is to provide information to be used in the development of workplace employment standards for people with disabilities, specifically focused on recruitment and retention practices, which will inform the identification, selection and implementation of compliance and enforcement measures under ASC’s new accessibility regulatory framework. The project involves partnerships with national disability-serving organizations, including Neil Squire Society, Magnet & The Discover Ability Network, and the Autism-Intellectual Disability National Resource and Exchange (AIDE), to engage 8 to 10 federally-regulated employers across Canada in the project’s research activities.

Start-end date: October 2020 - March 2023
Sponsor: Accessibility Standards Canada

CreateAction: Inclusive Social Innovation

CreateAction: Inclusive Social Innovation — This project is evaluating the role that six-month work experience opportunities in the social innovation, social finance, and social enterprise sectors can play in supporting youth who are either not in employment, education, or training (NEET). The project is being led by the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) in partnership with SRDC and the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC). The project aims to recruit
100 Indigenous youth, new immigrants, young people living in poverty, those who identify as LGBTQ2S+, young people with disabilities, racialized youth, youth in rural/remote communities, and official language minority youth. SRDC is supporting the project design, coordinating tailored supports to participants, and leading the project’s evaluation activities. The evaluation is examining how the placement opportunities facilitate the transition of young people to secure employment in the labour market through the development of skills, workplace experience, professional networks, and tailored wraparound supports. It is also examining how hosting the youth placements will support the capacity and sustainability of innovative social purpose organizations across Canada to hire youth facing barriers from the communities they serve, connect to regional Social Innovation and Social Finance ecosystems, and leverage investments of the Investment Readiness Program and Social Finance Fund.

Start-end date: August 2020 - March 2023
Sponsor: Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet)

Increasing access to benefits for peoples with disabilities

The objective for this project is to develop an effective service, with the potential for sustainable scaling, that can support people with disabilities to access government benefits they are eligible for, but not receiving. Consistent with this aim, the project will seek to: document the benefit journeys of people with disabilities and generate and disseminate new insights into the strengths and weaknesses of benefit processes from their perspective; identify, document and share insights on the most effective and promising approaches for removing barriers and increasing access to income benefits for people with disabilities; and co-design, develop, pilot and evaluate a new Access to Benefits Service with and for people with disabilities in B.C. SRDC is providing an advisory role during the service design phase of the project, advising on user needs and development of the Benefits Screening Tool and developing the evaluation framework and plan in collaboration with Prosper Canada. SRDC is responsible for implementing the evaluation plan, using a developmental evaluation approach.

Start-end date: July 2020 - August 2023
Sponsor: Prosper Canada

Surrey Intercultural Seniors Social Inclusion Partnership Network – Phase 2

The SISSIP Network is a collective impact initiative funded by Employment and Social Development Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. This community-based initiative is being implemented by six collaborating partners. Collectively, the Partners are committed to develop and implement culturally sensitive pilot initiatives to address social isolation issues in order to better integrate all seniors 55+ living in Surrey’s six town centres, one of Canada’s most diverse communities, with a particular focus on immigrant, seniors with disabilities, and Indigenous populations. More specifically, this collective impact strategy will address systemic barriers to social inclusion of vulnerable multicultural seniors. SRDC is conducting the evaluation of this initiative.

Start-end date: April 2020 - August 2024
Sponsor: Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society

Literature Review on effective labour market programs and services to assist youth and social assistance recipients to integrate into the labour market

ESDC has commissioned SRDC to undertake literature reviews of labour market programs that have been shown to be effective for integrating youth and social assistance recipients into the labour market. The focus is on recent (last five years) activation programs in Canada and OECD countries.

Start-end date: November 2019 - July 2020
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Evaluation Planning and Design: Assessing the Effectiveness of the Government of Canada's Outbound Mobility Pilot

Announced in Budget 2019 as part of the International Education Strategy, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is piloting a program to encourage participation of underrepresented groups in outbound international student experiences. The pilot program aims to test and evaluate innovative approaches to reduce barriers to studying and working abroad. SRDC is providing advice and recommendations to ESDC in the form of a comprehensive evaluation framework and plan for rigorously evaluating the five-year pilot.

Start-end date: November 2019 - March 2020
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

The Implications of Current and Future Cashless Digital Payment Methods on Persons with Disabilities

This research project is supporting a common understanding of the accessibility barriers associated with electronic payment terminals in order to identify further areas of research and action. Through a literature review and environmental scan, the project is assessing the current state and future trends of payment systems in Canada and internationally in order to understand the potential implications of cashless payments for persons with disabilities.

Start-end date: November 2019 - March 2020
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Surrey Intercultural Seniors Social Inclusion Partnership Network

This Network is a collective impact initiative developed by the Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society (PICS) in collaboration with the City of Surrey’s Seniors Advisory and Accessibility Committee and its five collaboration partners. Collectively, the partners are committed to develop and implement culturally sensitive pilot initiatives to address social isolation issues in order to better integrate all seniors 55+ living in the Cities of Surrey and White Rock, with a particular focus on immigrant, seniors with disabilities, and Indigenous populations. As a first step in the process to better understand and address these issues, PICS is commissioning an environmental scan in order to obtain information for the needs assessment, and identify areas or gaps that are promising for developing new initiatives to address systemic barriers to social inclusion of vulnerable multicultural seniors 55+ across Surrey’s seven neighbourhoods in BC.

Start-end date: October 2019 - December 2019
Sponsor: Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society

Early Intervention Services for Children with or at risk of Developmental Disability

The Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) is currently developing a Child and Youth with Special Needs (CYSN) Service Framework to provide overarching policy and guide investment for the suite of CYSN services, ready for a phased implementation in April 2020. SRDC was commissioned through the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research to complete an international literature review and a national environmental scan focused on early interventional services for children who have, or who are at risk of developmental delays or disability. This work will inform the ongoing development and implementation of the CYSN Service Framework in BC.

Start-end date: September 2019 - April 2020
Sponsor: Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research

BC Partners in Workforce Innovation – Increasing Employment Through Inclusive Workplaces

This two-year demonstration project is evaluating how enhanced employer supports and supported workplace experiences can enable BC employers to achieve their diversity and inclusion (D&I) strategies by establishing more inclusive workplaces, recruiting career-focused talent, and improving overall outcomes for people with disabilities. Through the position of an HR Specialist, the project is engaging employers in the Greater Vancouver region to secure work placements for a minimum of 100 people with disabilities/diverse abilities, with a goal of 75% of employed people with disabilities remaining employed with either the employer partner or elsewhere after six months. The project is building on a previous pilot that demonstrated the potential of this approach to meeting the needs of sectors facing workforce shortages through the further enhancement of recruitment and employer training strategies that can lead to the recruitment and retention of a more diverse workforce.

Start-end date: July 2019 - March 2023
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Formative evaluation of HR Tech Group’s Diversity and Inclusion Tech Project

SRDC is undertaking a formative evaluation of HR Tech Group’s Diversity and Inclusion Tech Project, part of a Sector Labour Market Partnerships contribution agreement supported by B.C.’s Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. HR Tech Group will pilot four components: diversity and inclusion training, a B.C. technology sector online hub, a diversity and inclusion reporting mechanism, and a promotion and attraction campaign. The goal of the pilot projects is to improve diversity and inclusion in the province’s Technology sector workforce. The purpose of the projects is to increase the attraction, retention and advancement of women, Indigenous peoples, persons with diverse abilities, newcomers to Canada, and individuals who identify as LGBTQ/S2 and all under-represented groups in skilled occupations within the sector through the implementation of diversity and inclusion strategies to recruit, retain and support career development in these professions.

Start-end date: June 2019 - July 2021
Sponsor: HR Tech Group

The Canada Pension Plan Disability Appeals Management Pilot

ESDC conducted a randomized control trial of a streamlined management process of Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit application appeals. As part of the broader evaluation of service improvement, SRDC is commissioned to conduct the quantitative analysis of the pilot’s impacts, outcomes, and value for money. The results of this project will inform ESDC about the business case of the streamlined management process, the potentials of further improvements, as well as the possibilities of scaling.

Start-end date: June 2019 - May 2020
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Integrating Essential Skills Tools for Employment Counsellors

This project is being led by Alberta Workforce Essential Skills Society (AWES) and is building, testing, and refining a training program for employment counsellors to integrate Essential Skills (ES) tools into their practice and services. The ES framework that will be tested during the project will include how to incorporate ES assessments, occupational profiles, complexity levels, and job task terminology related to skills. The project will also reinforce practice by including mentoring and support services to ensure quality as practitioners begin to integrate the ES framework and tools (including all nine Essential Skills) in all their services. As the developmental evaluation partner on the project, SRDC’s research activities are supporting the development process to ensure that the training is practical, delivers results, and has high chances of replication and adoption in diverse sectors and with different populations across Canada.

Start-end date: April 2019 - February 2024
Sponsor: Alberta Workplace Essential Skills Society (AWES)

An analysis of the Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program delivery: Building upon existing evidence

While most people who receive Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) benefits are not able to work due to the severe and prolonged nature of their disability, research indicates a small proportion could return to work with appropriate supports. The CPPD Vocational Rehabilitation program is designed to facilitate that process, with individualized, reasonable, and cost-effective supports. Since being regionalized in 1998, the CPPD-VR program has been assessed a number of times – most recently, SRDC analyzed the program’s business model, and outlined a number of concerns as well as recommendations to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. SRDC has been engaged to build on this 2013 analysis, this time focusing on describing existing practices in regional program operations. This analysis will help inform policy decisions about how CPPD can best support labour market inclusion for persons with disabilities.

Start-end date: November 2018 - April 2019
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

TechAbility: Aligning Diverse Abilities to Technical Occupations

This project is developing and testing a technical occupational framework to support the recruitment of persons with disabilities in the technology sector of BC. The project is establishing the business case for hiring persons with disabilities into technical occupations and identifying the necessary supports to ensure successful outcomes for both employers and job seekers. The pilot is assessing the impact of the framework primarily through a series of job shadowing and mentorship opportunities that are designed to enhance skills and employment outcomes for research participants.

Start-end date: October 2018 - January 2020
Sponsor: Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC

Environmental Scan and Analysis: Monitoring and Evaluating Impact – Options for Federal Accessibility Legislation

The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) is the Government of Canada’s focal point to advance the full participation of people with disabilities in Canadian society. It also supports the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities on the mandate to develop and introduce new federal accessibility legislation. The goal of the federal legislation will be to eliminate systemic barriers in areas of federal jurisdiction and promote equal opportunities for all Canadians living with disabilities. In order to assess the outcomes and impact of the new accessibility legislation and complementary programming, a measurement framework will also be designed and implemented. SRDC has been engaged by ODI to conduct an environmental scan and analysis to help inform the development of this framework.

Start-end date: October 2017 - February 2018
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Long-term Case Studies of Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISE) in British Columbia

The BC Centre for Employment Excellence (CfEE) is conducting a five-year demonstration project to evaluate the role of WISEs in supporting the labour market transitions of populations facing barriers to developing their career potential. The project is partnering with a minimum three WISEs in locations outside of Vancouver and Victoria to provide transitional employment opportunities for different groups of vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities, immigrants, and Indigenous people. The pilot involves a series of case studies to provide a better understanding of WISE capacity to serve barriered job seekers as well as the employment outcomes of participants who receive placements with the project's WISE partners. By combining research that examines both WISE capacity development and participant long-term employment outcomes, this study is designed to offer unique insights into the needs of WISEs who serve job seekers facing significant barriers to employment, as well as the benefits that accrue to participants whom they employ.

Start-end date: June 2017 - May 2022
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Developing Provincial/Territorial Capacity for Innovation in Employment and Training Services

Following a Fall 2016 Best Practices session convened for the Forum of Labour Market Ministers (FLMM), SRDC is meeting with provincial and territorial labour market officials to share knowledge about labour market programming. The meetings, which include presentations highlighting innovation in the design and delivery of programs, aim to identify opportunities to promote innovation through learning exchange and collaboration among jurisdictions.

Start-end date: April 2017 - March 2018
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Employer tools for workplace mental health

The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) has been leading efforts to establish a mentally healthy workplace culture in Canada, starting with the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. There are many resources to help employers implement the Standard and support workplace mental health more generally, but these may be difficult to locate and use. MHCC is leading an initiative to develop a free, online, bilingual electronic tool to bring these resources together and make them easy for employers to use. SRDC has been engaged to conduct a curated inventory of relevant resources, advise on current gaps, and to provide recommendations on how to address these.

Start-end date: January 2017 - March 2017
Sponsor: Mental Health Commission of Canada

Feasibility Study of the Ontario Community Employment Loan Program

The BC Centre for Employment Excellence received a grant from the Vancouver Foundation to conduct a feasibility study of the Ontario Community Employment Loan Program (CELP). In 2006, Social Capital Partners introduced CELP, a social finance instrument, aimed at facilitating access to subordinated debt financing to the private sector – small business owners and franchisees – who agree to hire individuals with disadvantages in the labour market. The program was designed to achieve twin objectives: 1) borrowers received beneficial financing terms and free services from CELP to find pre-screened job candidates; and 2) job seekers supported by community agencies had opportunities for real employment. The Centre conducted the study in collaboration with Vancity Community Foundation and MSDSI Accessibility Secretariat to gain a better understanding of CELP that is currently underway in Ontario to support a discussion among the study partners to establish its potential for implementation in BC.

Start-end date: September 2016 - January 2017
Sponsor: Vancouver Foundation

Forum of Labour Market Ministers' Senior Officials – Best Practices Session

SRDC was responsible for organizing a half-day session to share innovative approaches, lessons learned, and research and evaluation on labour market programs and service delivery strategies. It featured presentations from a number of jurisdictions on recent projects and initiatives to identify best practices, improve program effectiveness, and foster innovation. SRDC staff presented on three SRDC projects in this area, teaming up with provincial Senior Officials who provided context on how the projects respond to their respective program and policy objectives. SRDC was also responsible for producing an Event Report summarizing the discussion.

Start-end date: September 2016 - September 2016
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Labour Market Transfer Agreements summary report

Employment and skills training programming and services in Canada are supported and delivered by federal, provincial, and territorial governments. The federal government provides almost $3 billion annually to provinces and territories through four major bilateral transfer agreements to support training and employment programming for Canadians. The design and delivery of the programs and services funded under these agreements are the responsibility of provinces and territories. This includes programs and services for unemployed workers eligible for Employment Insurance (EI), individuals without recent or sustained labour market attachment (non-EI insured), low-skilled workers, employers, persons with disabilities, and older workers. The 2016 Federal Budget announced new investments for 2016-17 totaling an additional $175 million. This is the first step in a plan to boost support for skills and training through the transfer agreements. To further ensure that these agreements continue to be relevant, flexible, and responsive to new and emerging labour market needs and priorities, the federal, provincial, and territorial governments have collaboratively embarked on a process in the summer 2016 to gather stakeholder input on these important investments. SRDC summarizes the outcomes of the consultations related to the labour market agreements renewal in this report.

Start-end date: August 2016 - September 2016
Sponsor: Ministère du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale du Québec

CPP Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurer Pilot Project

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) tested improvements to the application process and information sharing for the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Long-Term Disability (LTD) program. SRDC was engaged to provide technical support with the design, implementation, and evaluation of these pilot programs. The support included methodological guidance in the use of random assignment, the development of evaluation frameworks, and assistance with the implementation, process research, and monitoring of program and research integrity.

Start-end date: February 2016 - June 2016
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

Personal income information for disabilities assistance recipients

This project develops a state-of-the-art income calculator website for British Columbians receiving disability assistance (PWDs) and trains employment services centre case managers in its use. The site is designed to improve access to accurate income information for PWDs, including (a) income estimations for specific job opportunities and (b) a personal account where they can keep track of their earning exemption totals and see the effect that earnings have on their Disability Assistance payments. Case managers introduce their PWD clients to the tool and help them to enter the required information. The project aims to improve clients’ understanding of the effect that earnings and moving in and out of work will have on their Disability Assistance Benefits and overall income. It should raise their confidence in the financial consequences of their employment decisions and reduce financial apprehension when moving into employment. The project is designed as an experimental demonstration to quantify the impact of implementation of the Income Calculator on PWDs’ financial security, their willingness and motivation to seek employment opportunities, and improvements in their medium-to long-term employment outcomes.

Start-end date: February 2016 - January 2019
Sponsor: British Columbia Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation

Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) Transformation Project

SRDC has partnered with Davis Pier Consulting to support a project to transform the Employment Support and Income Assistance system in Nova Scotia. A key component of the project is the development of a client segmentation approach to service delivery that will help the government design and implement targeted interventions to serve clients according to their labour market needs. SRDC is designing this client segmentation model, including both analysis of client and outcome data and the development of criteria/assessment tools to support the model. SRDC is also contributing to the design of targeted interventions to best serve ESIA clients according to their needs.

Start-end date: January 2016 - December 2016
Sponsor: Nova Scotia Department of Community Services

Assistive Equipment and Technology for Students with Disabilities

There is a commitment to support students with disabilities in the post-secondary environment by federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions, as well as post-secondary institutions. The advent of assistive technology over the last few decades has drastically altered the ways in which curriculum is delivered in education and has also resulted in making education much more accessible to students with disabilities. In partnership with the Neil Squire Society, SRDC is conducting a literature and information source review; developing an inventory of assistive technology for barriers to post-secondary education; reviewing new and emerging technologies and the assessment processes used to identify suitable technologies; as well as the application of assistive technology as part of the universal design in curriculum delivery. The findings from this study will inform decision making for all jurisdictions and post-secondary institutions experiencing challenges related to the accommodation of increasing numbers of students with identified disabilities, the rapidly evolving state of assistive technology and the effective provision of the most appropriate and applicable assistive technology to address disability related barriers to education.

Start-end date: December 2015 - March 2017
Sponsor: British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education

HR Policies and Best Practices Toolkit for Restaurants

The BC Centre for Employment Excellence (CfEE) with its partner, MacLeod Silver HR Business Partners, developed an HR Policies and Best Practices Toolkit for Restaurants Canada's 30,000+ members. The toolkit produced supports the objectives of Restaurants Canada to provide its member restaurants with tools on how to recruit and retain employees, particularly those from underrepresented groups such as people with disabilities, aboriginals, new immigrants, and youth. The ultimate aim of this project is to produce an accessible and practical set of tools and resources to enable small- and medium-sized restaurants to achieve the workforce benefits of being more inclusive employers.

Start-end date: November 2015 - March 2016
Sponsor: Restaurants Canada

The Employment Navigator Pilot Project

The project involves new cross-systems partnerships working collectively to improve employment opportunities for individuals in supportive housing. The proposed model is a new and untried approach that pairs two distinct evidence-based approaches in housing and employment — Housing First and Customized Employment. The approaches place an "employment navigator" in the supportive housing location to link housing with Customized Employment and other employment services for tenants who are in stable and permanent housing. This is consistent with an underlying principle behind Housing First, which is that people are better able to move forward once housing is stable. The project will operate in two residences in Vancouver’s downtown eastside. The evaluation strategy involves both implementation research and case studies. The BC Centre for Employment Excellence is partnering with the Lookout Emergency Aid Society and the Open Door Group to develop and implement this project.

Start-end date: October 2015 - September 2018
Sponsor: British Columbia Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation

Women Gaining Ground Research Study

SRDC was engaged by the United Way of Greater Toronto to inform the further development of their Career Navigator program to better meet the needs of young women facing multiple barriers to employment, by gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges and service/support needs of this group. The study includes a systematic literature and evidence review, and interviews and focus groups to identify and understand: the main barriers (environmental/external and personal) that young women facing multiple barriers are experiencing while transitioning into the labour market; evidence-informed and promising approaches for serving young women with multiple barriers; how the current Career Navigator program is addressing barriers and where there might be gaps; and how adjustments to program design/delivery can be implemented in a way that works for both jobseekers and employers.

Start-end date: September 2015 - January 2016
Sponsor: United Way of Greater Toronto

Employment and Training Service Integration (ETSI) Strategy for Evaluation and Evidence Generation

The purpose of this project was to develop a framework for conducting effective monitoring and evaluation of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities' Employment and Training Service Integration (ETSI) initiative. The framework sets the standards for, and provides strategic guidance around alignment, for all evaluation activities supporting ETSI. This work is supporting the Ministry's goal of ensuring it has a comprehensive strategy for evidence generation to inform current pilots, programs and system features being introduced, as well as to guide future evaluation frameworks for programs and system features under ETSI. The project involves: conducting a review of evaluation approaches and existing frameworks from other relevant jurisdictions used to assess active labour market programs; developing a monitoring and evaluation framework of ETSI in consultation with key stakeholders and based on findings from the review of existing frameworks in other jurisdictions; and developing options for a monitoring and evaluation strategy and methodology.

Start-end date: August 2015 - January 2016
Sponsor: Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

Inter-jurisdictional Analysis of Rate Setting Methods and Approaches

An inter-jurisdictional review and analysis of the rate structures of social assistance programs across Canada and selected OECD countries. The review looks at the underlying rationale behind social assistance rate policies and structures and government responses to economic crisis in adjusting rates or practices. The review covers different family/household types as well as rates and other allowances for persons with disabilities.

Start-end date: June 2015 - November 2015
Sponsor: Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services

Incremental cost of living as a result of being a person with a disability in Ontario

SRDC conducted empirical research to estimate the incremental cost of living as a result of being a person with disability, relative to the cost of living experienced by non-disabled adults, for Ontario. This data analysis is based on a literature review of research (particularly in methodology development) on measuring the additional needs for people with disabilities; analysis of applicability of identified models to the Ontario context; and investigation of internal/external data available to estimate incremental cost of living for disabled people in Ontario. The final product is a report that (a) reviews the most commonly adopted methodologies in evaluating the additional direct costs incurred by people with a disability, including pros and cons of each method, (b) evaluates the robustness or applicability of each method using Canadian data, and (c) evaluates the potential additional cost of living for people with a spectrum of disabilities living in Ontario using the best currently available data.

Start-end date: June 2015 - December 2015
Sponsor: Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services

BC Partners in Work Innovation Pilot Project

This project has dual labour market objectives of supporting the workforce needs of BC businesses and improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities. The pilot is applying a business “demand-based” approach, using a recruitment model to work directly with BC employers in specific industry sectors with high employment demand to match them with qualified candidates. The recruitment activities are performed by a Recruitment Specialist, who works on behalf of employers to interface with partnering employment agencies to recruit suitable candidates. This project is designed to provide important insights into establishing innovative partnerships between employers and disability serving agencies to facilitate the employment of people with disabilities. This project is conducted by the BC Centre for Employment Excellence and its partners, including: Community Living BC, Open Door Group, Neil Squire Society, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (representing the BC Employment Network), Flaherty and Associates, MacLeod Silver HR Business Partners, London Drugs, CREW Management (Century Plaza Hotel & Absolute Spa Group), Seaspan, Edgewater Casino, and the Canucks Autism Network (CAN).

Start-end date: March 2015 - March 2018
Sponsor: British Columbia Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation

Flexible Workplace Practices in Support of Caregivers

Working Canadians often have multiple roles outside of the workplace that may conflict with the demands of their jobs. One increasingly prominent role is to provide unpaid care for family members or close friends with a long-term health condition, physical or mental disability. Caregiving commitments have a number of direct consequences for workers and businesses that employers can help mitigate through various leave policies, flexible practices, and supports. The objective of this project is to fill knowledge gaps with respect to the costs and benefits to Canadian employers of offering various flexible workplace practices in support of caregivers. SRDC conducted a series of nine business case studies with a comprehensive cost-benefit methodology that measures the return on investment for employers from introducing a range of flexible practices and policies in support of caregivers.

Start-end date: February 2015 - September 2015
Sponsor: Employment and Social Development Canada

The Face-to-Face Project: Bringing Youth with Disabilities and Employers Together

The Face-to-Face Project: Bringing Youth with Disabilities and Employers Together aims to find creative solutions that improve labour market integration for youths with disabilities. The project is an initiative of the BC Centre for Employment Excellence with financial support from the Vancouver Foundation’s Disability Supports for Employment Fund. Youths with disabilities (ages 18-25 years old) who have little to no work experience are matched with local employers of various sizes and sectors to engage in mock interviews and networking scenarios. Following this first connection, the employers refer the youth to a second employer. In addition to recruiting the youth and employers, the Centre provides resource materials and orientation for participating employers and youths. The project wrapped up in spring 2015 with a mini-forum and an evaluation that captures lessons learned and effective practices. This project is managed by the BC Centre for Employment Excellence, a division of SRDC.

Start-end date: November 2014 - April 2015
Sponsor: Vancouver Foundation

Provincial and Territorial Engagement on Mental Health Issues

To support the MHCC in its preparations for a series of deliberative dialogues with P/T stakeholders about advancing Changing Directions, Changing Lives: the Mental Health Strategy for Canada, SRDC conducted background research and analysis on the mental health policy landscape in each of the 13 provinces and territories.

Start-end date: June 2014 - October 2014
Sponsor: Mental Health Commission of Canada

Review of Manitoba Employment Assistance Service Providers

SRDC conducted an evidence-based analysis of Manitoba’s Employment Assistance Service (EAS) providers to inform future funding decisions of the Manitoba government intended to promote an effective and efficient service delivery network. SRDC’s analysis provides indications of where changes in EAS programming are needed so that the program can “do more of the things that help, and less of the things that do not.” The analysis addresses five key questions: To what extent is EAS programming aligned with provincial and federal policy objectives? To what extent is current programming responsive to the needs of key population groups and communities? To what extent are programs responsive to the changing dynamics of Manitoba’s labour market? How effective is current programming in achieving results for job seekers, employers, and communities? What is the relative value for money of the existing EAS program, and are there opportunities for service improvements?

Start-end date: April 2014 - September 2015
Sponsor: Manitoba Department of Jobs and the Economy

Episodic and Moderate Disabilities and Employment

This project identifies key characteristics of populations with episodic and moderate disabilities, and the nature of their respective attachments to the labour market. A literature review and environmental scan identify policies and practices that are supportive to the labour market participation of those with episodic disabilities, as well as barriers to work. Prevalence rates and indicators of labour market attachment are calculated based on the 2013 Canadian Survey on Disability, while trends in the receipt of income assistance among those with occasional work limitations are based on the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics.

Start-end date: January 2014 - August 2014
Sponsor: Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services

Design of a Learning Management System for the Training Group at Douglas College

The project designs a common learning management system (LMS) for the Training Group at Douglas College so that the organization can conduct business analytics and analyze program outcomes in order to inform program development and to demonstrate outcomes achieved to program stakeholders. The project involves analyzing existing data management information collected for individual programs, identifying common and unique data collection needs across programs, and analyzing funder reporting needs and trends to design a common, standardized learning management system and reporting protocol.

Start-end date: December 2013 - August 2014
Sponsor: The Training Group at Douglas College

Manitoba Works! evaluation

The purpose of the research is to test the Government of Manitoba’s Manitoba Works! employment service model in the real-world setting of Manitoba’s new and evolving employment continuum and to assess its effectiveness for improving the labour market success of individuals who are receiving EIA and/or have complex needs. The research will assess gains on outcomes of interest among participants compared to non-participants, model cost-effectiveness, model implementation, and identify key success factors.

Start date: November 2013
Sponsor: Manitoba Department of Jobs and the Economy

Measuring the Impact of the YMCA of Greater Toronto on Community Health

The project supports the YMCA of Greater Toronto’s 2010-2020 Strategic Plan and the establishment and continuous improvement of its new Centres of Community by identifying a community health monitoring strategy that cuts across life stages and the community level, the regional level, and the GTA. The project provides a set of options for a community health monitoring strategy based on an analysis of other community health monitoring initiatives in Canada and abroad, data availability and quality for selected indicators in the GTA, and the YMCA’s outcomes of interest related to its programming.

Start-end date: November 2013 - March 2014
Sponsor: YMCA of Greater Toronto

Vulnerable Immigrant Populations Program Evaluation

The evaluation of settlement and integration programs over the years highlighted that a subset of the immigrant population characterized by complex and multiple barriers such as mental health issues and trauma experienced greater challenges in settling and integrating into BC communities and the labour market. In response to this realization, the BC government launched the Vulnerable Immigration Populations Program (VIPP) in the fall of 2012. The uniqueness of the VIPP amongst immigrant settlement and integration programs resides in its focus on alleviating significant challenges and barriers experienced by this subset of the immigrant population using a client-centred approach. The program relies on a comprehensive and coordinated multi-agency/multi-sector team to address each client’s unique needs. The evaluation aims to gauge how well the services delivered match the program principles and expectations, examine the strengths and challenges that have arisen to date, and assess impacts of the program on clients, the broader community, and the BC settlement system at large. Part of this evaluation involves a comparison of the program model with similar Canadian programs and with previously implemented pilot programs upon which the VIPP model is based. Evaluation findings provide accurate and useful information for future programming targeting vulnerable immigration populations.

Start-end date: November 2013 - March 2015
Sponsor: British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation

Mapping Experiences with Inclusive Employment

A pilot project delivered in partnership with researchers at UBC to evaluate the use of an online mapping tool to document positive experiences with inclusive employment for 30-35 people with developmental disabilities (self-advocates) across BC. The project is designed to collect first-hand knowledge from self-advocates, their families, employers and service providers regarding the factors that contribute to positive, inclusive employment for individuals with developmental disabilities. It informs the BC Centre for Employment Excellence (CfEE), its partners and other stakeholders about best practices in providing supports and creating inclusive workplaces for individuals with developmental disabilities. Based on the success of the pilot, the CfEE and its partners continue to host the map and explore options for extending this approach to other populations of job seekers facing significant barriers in the labour market. This project is managed by the BC Centre for Employment Excellence, a division of SRDC.

Start-end date: November 2013 - September 2015
Sponsor: British Columbia Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation (with financial support from Community Living British Columbia)

Understanding current employment programming and services for BC youth

This project funded five research papers that explored challenges faced by BC youth who are struggling in the labour market. The project involved a call for papers inviting researchers to submit proposals to explore youth employment barriers from a variety of angles, and to identify promising solutions for such issues as supporting youth who are entering the labour market or helping them find work that is a better match for their skills. The five selected papers covered such topics as: the barriers faced by vulnerable youth and youth living with mental illness; the value of work placements for refugee and immigrant youth; the role of employers; and the potential of social enterprises for supporting transitioning youth. The papers were presented at a June 2014 symposium in Vancouver involving approximately 80 stakeholders. The research teams also presented their findings during a series of webinars hosted by the Centre in fall 2014. The final papers have been published on the Centre’s Web site. This project was managed by the BC Centre for Employment Excellence, a division of SRDC.

Start-end date: October 2013 - August 2014
Sponsor: British Columbia Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation

Moving on Mental Health – Toronto Implementation Panel

Working with the Ministry and sector stakeholder groups to develop a report that outlines options and recommendations for system reform consistent with Moving on Mental Health, the Ministry of Children and Youth Services policy framework for child and youth mental Health (A Shared Responsibility).

Start-end date: April 2013 - October 2013
Sponsor: Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services

Review of Employment and Training Programs

The purpose of this Program Review is to assist the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities in developing an evidence-based framework for the potential integration and ongoing evaluation of employment and training programs. To achieve this SRDC uses a comprehensive approach including: environmental scan, review of program documents, extensive discussions with MTCU staff, analysis of existing state of knowledge reviews that SRDC has conducted, key informant interviews with other ministries, value for money techniques, stakeholder consultations, policy analysis, and program design. Based on findings from the review of in-scope programs and consultations with key stakeholders as well as an analysis of the existing research on effective and/or promising approaches to employment and training services, SRDC develops high level recommendations for a potential future state of the Ontario employment and training system.

Start-end date: December 2012 - December 2013
Sponsor: Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

Job Entry Manitoba (JEM)

The project is a developmental evaluation that examines and provides regular feedback to the client on the development and implementation of the new Job Entry Manitoba (JEM) program, a key component of Manitoba’s new training-to-employment service support continuum. The project also identifies key immediate outcomes and measurement approaches to support the building of a data collection system and tools. The evaluation addresses standard implementation questions such as how does the JEM model work in practice? It also aims to systematically understand how the implementation of JEM influences provider practices in both intended and unintended ways. More fundamentally, it assesses how JEM has impacted providers’ sense of professional efficacy by exploring the extent to which providers feel that the new model enables them to better meet the needs of their target population.

Start-end date: November 2012 - December 2013
Sponsor: Workplace Education Manitoba

CPP Disability Vocational Rehabilitation Business Case Analysis

This project provides an analysis and critique of the VR program and its business components, including its overall cost effectiveness, human resources model, regional delivery process, client participation, outcomes, and other relevant issues. It provides recommendations for re-design to support program and departmental objectives, i.e., for providing modernized, focused, and efficient services to people with disabilities to support their return to work.

Start-end date: October 2012 - March 2013
Sponsor: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

Mental Illness as a Disability over the Life Course in Canada

This project examines mental illness experiences over the life course, among the full spectrum of Canadians from very young children through senior adults. It uses secondary data from the 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) data set and from the 2009 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of mental illness as a disability among each age group.

Start-end date: November 2011 - March 2012
Sponsor: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

Employees’ Perspectives on Intermittent Work Capacity: What Can Qualitative Research Tell Us in Ontario?

The purpose of this project was to better understand the experiences and needs of people with disabilities in Ontario who are able to work intermittently (i.e., not full-time). Focus groups, interviews, and personal stories were used to identify the conditions and supports that make it possible for people with disabilities to stay attached to the labour force.

Start-end date: July 2010 - March 2011
Sponsor: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

City of Vancouver Four Pillars Supported Employment Pilot Project

A project designed to provide long-term unemployed individuals with past addictions with a supported and gradual return to employment. The evaluation involves case studies of four participants and their experience with the program from start to end.

Start-end date: May 2007 - December 2007
Sponsor: City of Vancouver, Social Planning Department, Jobs Policy

Increasing Access to the Labour Market for Persons with Disabilities Who Experience Episodic Periods of Wellness and Illness: Options for Research Demonstration Projects

Start-end date: November 2006 - March 2007
Sponsor: Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation

Proposal to Develop a Personal Supports Model for People with Disabilities and Evaluate the Impacts on Community and Labour Market Participation

Start-end date: June 2006 - December 2006
Sponsor: BC Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance

Case Coordination Project in Downtown Eastside Vancouver

An evaluation of a three-year demonstration project delivering a multi-component employment-related intervention designed for long-term welfare recipients living in one of the most disadvantaged urban areas in Canada. Many of the program participants had issues with housing, addictions, health (both physical and mental), income, and coping. The service delivery network comprised six non-profit organizations, including an Aboriginal organization helping Aboriginals residing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Almost half of the program participants were Aboriginal people.

Start-end date: December 2004 - February 2008
Sponsor: City of Vancouver (Vancouver Agreement) Employment Programs

Disability Supports Feasibility Study

A 16-participant pilot project in Ottawa and Vancouver to test the feasibility of providing wider “consumer control” over the acquisition of disability supports that facilitate employment.

Start-end date: December 2001 - June 2003
Sponsor: Human Resources Development Canada

Coordination of a Consultation Process to Develop Options to Increase the Proportion of Canadians with Disabilities in Sustained Employment

Start-end date: March 2001 - March 2001
Sponsor: Human Resources Development Canada (Applied Research)

Review of the Coherence of Income Security Programs in New Brunswick

An analysis of options to improve the effectiveness of New Brunswick income security programs and related services for the non-elderly population by identifying specific aspects of the present income security system that can be improved to produce a more integrated and effective model of income and employment support.

Start-end date: January 2001 - March 2001
Sponsor: Human Resources Development Canada