Inclusive Hiring

Just over a year ago — in October 2021 — ODEN launched Jobs Ability Canada. And it’s now officially the only online job portal in Canada using international award-winning artificial intelligence (AI) technology designed for accessibility to level the playing field for job seekers who have a disability. 

The AI platform, developed by Albany, NY-based Our Ability Inc., has won a Zero Project Award for 2023. Among 320 nominations worldwide, it is one of 71 winners from 38 countries. 

If you’ve never heard of the Vienna-based Zero Project, it’s a research-driven initiative committed to supporting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Every year, it considers innovative solutions from companies and organizations that are designed to eliminate barriers to inclusion.  

To borrow from the famous Bob Dylan song, “The times they are changing.” In 2022, that change is, disability inclusion is driving the future of work more than ever before. 
Like “disability,” “work” is a broad term. Both of these things are diverse. Which makes how and why disability inclusion is driving the future of work a diverse, broad topic.  

There is, for example, the angle of how disability inclusion can make a business an employer of choice now and in the future. One can dedicate an entire post to this aspect alone. The same goes for technology and how businesses need to make sure the technology they’re using is accessible, so all employees can succeed in their work.  

When it comes to the future of work, what we’re talking about here — more specifically — is how and why disability is changing the nature of the workforce; and hence the nature of work. And why you need to embrace this change.  

The nature of work is rapidly changing and is creating opportunities for jobseekers who have a disability. But for the more than 600,000 employable Canadians who have a disability, many still face barriers to securing employment. 

Today, a majority of the job search happens online. The problem is mainstream job boards and recruitment sites take a one-size-fits-all approach. They’re not designed with accessibility and disability in mind. 

Dean Askin, filed under Disability Awareness and Confidence, Inclusive Hiring In 2021, we’re at a watershed moment in history: There’s more commitment to, action on and conversation about disability inclusion in the business sector than ever before. There’s a significant “but,” however. In its 2020 The Global Economics of Disability report, Toronto-based The Return on…

Read More about “When You Understand the Diversity of Disability, You Can Be More Successful With Inclusive Hiring”

Updated January 17, 2024 Filed under Inclusive Hiring Reading time: 6 min | Posted by Dean Askin | Part one in a two-part series The global coronavirus pandemic has rapidly changed the workplace; swiftly broken down some myths and misconceptions about disability that have lingered for decades; smashed some perceived barriers to employment for people…

Read More about “What to Understand About the Power of Inclusive Hiring”

Updated January 17, 2024 Filed under Inclusive Hiring Reading time: 8 min | Posted by Dean Askin | Part two in a two-part series As we covered in part one of this series, disability inclusion, or disability-inclusive hiring, is a powerful thing. It’s a practice that has a lot of business benefits when it’s approached…

Read More about “How to Charge Up the Power of Inclusion”

Any business owner or hiring manager wants to make sure they hire the best-qualified person for the job who’s the right “match” when they are recruiting talent. That’s because the entire recruiting process is a significant investment of time and money. These days, most recruiting happens online. For businesses, posting career opportunities online is a…

Read More about “Right mindset and being proactive are the keys to sourcing “hidden” talent”

When you’re looking for qualified people to join your business, how accessible is your recruiting process? Think about this for a minute. In 2006, the United Nations adopted the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). It internationally established accessibility as a basic human right for “all persons with all types of disabilities.” And…

Read More about “How and why to make your recruiting process accessible for all”