Finding and interviewing for a new job can be difficult 含羞草研究社� and even cause anxiety 含羞草研究社� for many.
For those who have a disability, it can be even harder just to get the chance to be interviewed.
Surrey resident Ekamjit Ghuman, who has cerebral palsy, has been having difficulty finding work since her last position, which was working as a constituency assistant in then-Surrey South MLA Stephanie Cadiuex含羞草研究社檚 office, ended. Cadieux stepped down to become Canada含羞草研究社檚 first Chief Accessibility Officer in May of 2022.
含羞草研究社淎s of 2017, more than 6.2 million Canadians are living with a disability,含羞草研究社� Ghuman said in an emailed statement.
含羞草研究社淯nfortunately, a large number of working-age adults with disabilities are unemployed and live in poverty and the post-pandemic inflation and cost of living crisis is causing further financial hardships for persons with disabilities.含羞草研究社�
With September being Disability Employment Month in B.C., and October being National Disability Employment Awareness Month in Canada, Ghuman thought it would be a good time to draw attention to the plight of people with disabilities who want to work 含羞草研究社� but aren含羞草研究社檛 given the opportunity.
With Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University and a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Human Resources Management from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, it took Ghuman five years to find the job working for Cadieux.
Still on the job hunt since last year, the 34-year-old noted that cerebral palsy affects her speech, hand co-ordination and dexterity, as well as her ability to walk, which requires her to use a walker, but she uses HandyDART to commute. While she mainly uses text and email to communicate, people can understand her speech once they get to know her, Ghuman said.
含羞草研究社淎s an individual living with cerebral palsy (CP), I struggle to obtain employment.
含羞草研究社淪earching for employment with a disability is demoralizing and demeaning at times,含羞草研究社� she continued.
含羞草研究社淚 seldom make it past the phone interview to the (in person) interview, as my CP affects my speech. I have been hung up on more than once after disclosing my disability to the hiring manager. Just recently, an executive director hung up on me.含羞草研究社�
The constant rejections are hurtful, she said.
含羞草研究社淚 only apply for jobs that I know I am fully capable of doing and will require minimal accommodations. If I could say one thing to all of the hiring managers that have rejected my applications over the years, it would be: 含羞草研究社業 wish you had given me an opportunity to demonstrate my skills, knowledge and abilities instead of making assumptions about my abilities and how you think I might perform. My disability is something I deal with every day and as a result, I am adept at innovating to do the things I want and need to do.含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫
Cadieux, who has used a wheelchair since she was 18, said that while there have been successes when it comes to employers hiring people with disabilities, the challenges 含羞草研究社渞un deep含羞草研究社� and 含羞草研究社渨e含羞草研究社檝e got more to do but we含羞草研究社檙e getting there.含羞草研究社�
Hiring Ghuman didn含羞草研究社檛 present any particular difficulties, Cadieux noted.
含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 really not that difficult. You just have to ask the employee what they need to be successful in the job,含羞草研究社� she said, adding it could be a laptop versus a desktop computer that is required, or a different mouse, or an ergonomic chair. 含羞草研究社淚t just takes having that conversation and being open to it.含羞草研究社�
Cadieux pointed out there含羞草研究社檚 plenty of research that shows hiring a diverse workforce with people of all abilities is not only good for the employer, as workforces that are diverse are more likely to exceed their financial targets, more likely to be innovative and more productive, with reduced turnover.
含羞草研究社淭he reality is, people with disabilities are the largest untapped resource for talent in our country and around the world.
含羞草研究社淧eople with disabilities are underemployed compared to the rest of the population,含羞草研究社� she said.
含羞草研究社淲e know that right now, about 645,000 people in Canada are waiting on the sidelines, wanting to work 含羞草研究社� and almost half of them have a post-secondary education.含羞草研究社�
Seema Tripathi, director of employment and innovative services for UNITI, said barriers still remain for people with disabilities in finding employment.
含羞草研究社淥ne of the biggest barriers I see is the lack of expectation we have for people with disabilities,含羞草研究社� she said.
含羞草研究社淭he social construct we have 含羞草研究社� the way our society is organized 含羞草研究社� is that we含羞草研究社檙e always focusing on the disability part.
含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檙e not focusing on the ability part.含羞草研究社�
At UNITI, they含羞草研究社檙e not only there to support individuals looking for job, but also, the employers who are looking to hire them.
Sometimes, a traditional job interview might not work, but digital literacy has advanced in many ways, largely due to the COVID pandemic, Tripathi noted.
含羞草研究社淚 think there needs to be platforms where (the) focus is on there is a job for everybody, regardless of the disability they have. It needs to become a best practice 含羞草研究社� universally 含羞草研究社� among employers,含羞草研究社� she said.
She and Cadieux noted that often, people think a disability means a wheelchair and a ramp or van, but that is not always the case.
含羞草研究社淒isabilities are much larger in range of issues, from cognitive to physical and, in some cases, it might affect somebody含羞草研究社檚 speech or somebody含羞草研究社檚 dexterity or eyesight or hearing含羞草研究社� all of those things might require a slightly different approach, but it doesn含羞草研究社檛 make the people any less competent or capable,含羞草研究社� Cadieux said.
含羞草研究社淚 think sometimes if it looks scary and we haven含羞草研究社檛 experienced it before, we含羞草研究社檙e not sure how to do it, and so we shy away from it. We need to be a lot more open and a lot more enquiring 含羞草研究社� we need to ask the questions so that we can learn.含羞草研究社�
Ghuman agreed, adding that employers often, 含羞草研究社渇ail to understand that people with disabilities, too, have dreams and ambitions.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淟ike able bodied individuals, persons with disabilities also desire to establish themselves as independent and contributing members of society,含羞草研究社� Ghuman said.
含羞草研究社淎wareness of inclusive employment opportunities for candidates with disabilities is imperative, as it will enable individuals with disabilities to establish financial stability and make viable contributions to the workforce while achieving their dreams.含羞草研究社�
